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This Is Silicon Valley

onezero.medium.com

111–120 of 227 posts

Re: This Is Silicon Valley

#111

Personally I find discussing machine learning and blockchain more interesting than discussing diversity (yet again). Also, perhaps she could have a bigger impact in SV where few people are woke, than in some place where everybody is woke.

I don't think she was focusing on the relative interesting-ness of diversity vs. {ML, blockchain}. Rather, it was about the narrow focus on such a small set of discussion topics.

Re: This Is Silicon Valley

#112
I grew up in a church. I know churches aren't perfect but man I miss that community. OK so I actually grew up in 2 churches, Mormon and Catholic on alternating weekends.

A friend of mine suggested (also previously Mormon) that we create a church called, "Good without God". I love the idea because I have seen the good that having a community can do for many (not all) and for the community.

I miss going to a place that pushed people to be "good" (air quotes because different people and even religions define this differently). Anyway, this is something I think we're missing from our culture right now. I'm finding it for myself in other places right now, but it's not quite the same.

This is one of my more rambling comments, sorry about that.

Re: This Is Silicon Valley

#113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

this is not parody. Perhaps you would be more sympathetic to the perspective of the OP if you were raising children here.

I don't think raising kids has anything to do with. If you're a parent and your main hope and dream is your kids go to harvard, you're doing something wrong.

Now, if you are a parent and your kids friend commited suicide ... or have to deal with mental health crisis in your kids school ... or cheating culture in school ... or your kids being frustrated cause other kids parents pressured teachers into better grades succesfully ...

Less importantly, if you are a parent and your work success depends on late night drinking and smoking sessions ... .

Re: This Is Silicon Valley

#114
How much of the author's early childhood stress is the result not of SV, but of tiger mom/dad competitiveness? Kids crying over getting an A- and being loaded up with 7 after school classes and college prep activities usually indicates parental pressure more than peer pressure.

So some of her commentary is transferring blame to SV culture as a whole for what is probably a result of the culture of the parents.

Re: This Is Silicon Valley

#115
post #98
post #28

I think it's more professional not to encourage talking about politics at work. It is unrelated to your job and is more likely to divide people than bring everyone together, unless the author would be happy if someone said they didn't care or disagreed with whatever issues they are passionate about.

Obviously there is a plethora of reasons to not talk politics at work, but is "unrelated to your job" really one of them? I can't think of a single major startup who's success and direction are not directly influenced by the political landscape. Perhaps your mindset is employees should just do tasks assigned and not be interested or vested in their work and companies raison d'etre (assuming it's more then just making…

>> IMO that attitude is how we get to what the author is explaining in this article.

clap emoji

Re: This Is Silicon Valley

#116

I'm gonna offer a slightly different perspective: SV isn't that nice, and it's not worth the price premium. There is a distinct lack of culture, of nightlife, of arts and humanities - even in San Francisco. We're a mediocre land of strip malls and suburbs masquerading as an international destination. Go to any other city and tell me that it's not MORE vibrant (Chicago, LA, NYC, Miami, Austin, Portland, Seattle, Houst…

The price premium you are paying, especially for housing, is really all about raising kids e.g. sending them to some of the best (albeit pressure-filled) public schools in the country all while keeping your high paying SV jobs. Basically assume that the quality of public SV schools are high enough that high earning parents are "OK" sending their kids to those schools rather than paying for private school. If you have…

Who wants their kids to go to school in a place where so many kids kill themselves that there are suicide patrols and no one knows how to stop it? Maybe there is some truth to the necessity of struggle for humans to learn how to appreciate life. These kids grow up with a silver spoon, needing for nothing, and we wonder why they're jumping in front of trains? And on top of that, it costs $1 million or more to buy a house just to give them a chance at this amazing location so they can kill themselves? I'm sure that's a premium all parents want to pay to experience the worst imaginable outcome.

Re: This Is Silicon Valley

#117
post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree about the lack of culture, but I'm not sure it's much better anywhere else in the US. I used to love NYC for its out-there, underground cultural options, but now it just feels like a mall geared for tourists.

Have you lived in NYC? I don’t get this sense at all, as long as I stay away from the touristy parts of Manhattan.

No, but I've visited many times since the 80s.

The NYC I remember, and love, from then was dirty, smelly, and culturally adventuresome. It was also diverse ethnically and socio-economically in a not so segregated way.

Today, when I visit NYC, and even Brooklyn for that matter, it feels like a city for the wealthy, and it feels much less ethnically diverse than it used to.

Re: This Is Silicon Valley

#118
post #104

Interesting juxtaposition of non-PC "black" and PC "latinx" in the same sentence! Surely that says something about the author although I'm not quite sure what.

I think black is the "PC" term. Poc is more broad, and african-american is seen as outdated to some. It certainly reflects different ideas of one's identity.

Black is certainly the most correct term, but african-american still dominates. My comment is not about how one views one's own identity, which yes, these are different reflections, it's about how others want to tread lightly to avoid any perceived slight. IOW, PC for PC sake.

Re: This Is Silicon Valley

#120

I'm gonna offer a slightly different perspective: SV isn't that nice, and it's not worth the price premium. There is a distinct lack of culture, of nightlife, of arts and humanities - even in San Francisco. We're a mediocre land of strip malls and suburbs masquerading as an international destination. Go to any other city and tell me that it's not MORE vibrant (Chicago, LA, NYC, Miami, Austin, Portland, Seattle, Houst…

I couldn't agree more. The Bay Area was always one of the only places my wife and I could mutually agree on whenever we'd chat about places we'd like to move to. I grew up in Seattle and have family scattered throughout SF and the East Bay, and was fortunate enough to have made multiple trips per year to the area since I was a kid. Those trips fostered a love for the region, for SF as a city, and the people here. The trips, however, stopped when I moved across the country for college.

I spent over a decade not visiting the area all that much, and was excited as all hell when I had the opportunity to transfer out here for work. I'd heard bits and pieces about how the region had changed, but I didn't really have a grasp as to just how much change had taken place beyond the cost of living. I'm sure you can imagine the disappointment my wife and I had when we realized the reality of the place we'd just moved to. There are people from all walks of life and countries and cultures out here, but despite that, you're absolutely right when you say that SF and SV both lack culture. It's terribly homogeneous and downright bland.

There are still reasons we have for living here, but we've been having more conversations lately about living places we never thought we'd agree on. Paying such a premium to live in an area that feels so bland, homogeneous and nestled within its own little bubble just doesn't seem worth it to us.

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