R U OK? • Hacker News Board

Re: R U OK?

#51

Post by quietbritishjim » Thu, Sep 10, 2020, 10:27 AM UTC

b0rsuk wrote: post #45

throwaway_ruok wrote: post #42

Not okay. It's a worrying time being a Chinese person. On the one hand, I don't support CCP (hence the throw away); I find the dictatorship very troubling. Furthermore, the growing patriotism and nationalism makes me anxious about the next generation of Chinese. On the other hand, many people outside tend to treat Chinese people and CCP as a whole, and denounce and dismiss everything we do. More and more people sugge…

I live in Europe. China is often hard to understand and seen as a monolithic block. In Poland if something doesn't make any sense it's common to say "it's Chinese to me". The language, especially the characters, is probably the biggest barrier. I vaguely know that China contains a bunch of peoples and languages, regions with distinct cultures. But very little beyond that. People fear what they don't understand. I thi…

> I vaguely know that China contains a bunch of peoples and languages, regions with distinct cultures. But very little beyond that.

I know this is fairly off topic but I found Prisoners of Geography [1] a very accessible introduction to geopolitics. (Of course it only represents one point of view, so looking at some other sources would be advisable.) It has one chapter for each large country or continent, including one for China. I'm tempted to put a one-sentence summary of that chapter here based on my half-remembered interpretation of it, but I think that would do more harm than good!

[1] https://www.amazon.co.uk/Prisoners-Geography-Everything-Glob...

Re: R U OK?

#52

Post by throwaway_pdp09 » Thu, Sep 10, 2020, 10:33 AM UTC

throwaway_ruok wrote: post #42

Not okay. It's a worrying time being a Chinese person. On the one hand, I don't support CCP (hence the throw away); I find the dictatorship very troubling. Furthermore, the growing patriotism and nationalism makes me anxious about the next generation of Chinese. On the other hand, many people outside tend to treat Chinese people and CCP as a whole, and denounce and dismiss everything we do. More and more people sugge…

Thanks for a nice, honest post. I feel similar in some ways though I'm in the EU (well, I'm a brit and what we're due to drop out soon enough so even more worrying).

I have much the same aims as you, a decent, calm life with no luxuries, well I don't care for them. All I can usefully add is, where it's possible to have say in your governance, you need to invest the time and get involved because it doesn't come for free. I grant as a Chinese person you may not have that option, for those of us who do, we need to.

The world seems to be going slightly mad at the moment and while I expect us to get over it, it's an uncomfortable time on several fronts.

Good luck!

Re: R U OK?

#53

Post by 082349872349872 » Thu, Sep 10, 2020, 10:52 AM UTC

est wrote: post #23

on a side note, "R U OK" is a meme in China, originally taken from a clip of Xiaomi's president LeiJun public English speach. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRU-fwS6aAU

The top comment (2020年在看的) jibes with my Grand Unified Theory of youtube comments https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24406562 but no one seems to have been complaining that the kids listen to noise these days in the few pages of comments I translated, so that part may need revision.

Edit: thanks est! this meme gives me a valid roman search term for youku.

Edit2: compare and contrast

CN: https://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTM2Mjg4NDg2OA==.html

IN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AwgRqmdY6g

RU: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWpgh93WWvo

US: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lgCxWubUnU&t=60

Re: R U OK?

#54

Post by josuepeq » Thu, Sep 10, 2020, 10:53 AM UTC

The U.S. needs this day, especially this year.

With the unmitigated disaster of 2020, I’m “probably not ok,” but I am not in any danger to myself or others. Quite the opposite - I’m optimistic that things are moving in the right direction. I mean, it can’t get worse:

- Shutdown my consulting Business in February because I didn’t feel comfortable with being around new people constantly with a t-cell deficient immune system. - My boyfriend abruptly stopped his antidepressant and quietly completed suicide in his apartment alone. No indication anything was off. It’s been tough to manage such a loss alone during a pandemic where social distancing is important. - I am left with his orange tabby cat; and with the unrelenting frustration in trying to reason with people who never lost their lover to suicide, with multiple “it’s not your fault” conversations. I’m conflicted in that these people are the ones who are standing with me, but I can’t hear this logic again. - Just a few days ago, six months later, I acknowledged what would’ve been his 33rd birthday and also our anniversary. I couldn’t find anything to actually celebrate or anyone to celebrate it with because of COVID. Still waiting for a good time to even have a proper memorial. - My roommate couple friends moved back home to the Midwest. As the master tenant, I’m responsible for the difference in rent, nobody is moving to SF really; but may have a roommate come October. - My best friend in San Francisco died of cancer late March. - We were supposed to have dinner the last week of February, - and all of us were supposed to celebrate my April birthday together at a Honey Dijon show; - and go to the Maceo Plex day party on Treasure Island in May. Yep, as both of them are gone and both of those events will never happen, that calendar event was a rough thing to forget to cancel.

On the bright side, I had time to crash course my way into sharpening my CS skills for flavor of the week programming languages, turned half my garage into a wood shop; created an IoT paradise at home or “who needs an Alexa when Jenkins will do,” been building the tabby a “catio” so he’ll get some outside time, started getting into the fun world of circuit board reworking out of a BIOS Flashing disaster, and enjoying the work of cooking all my meals.

I’m not too stressed about work. I have decided I’m not going back into the self employment hustle; and I’m patient enough to wait for the right next opportunity. Low expectations yield pleasant surprises.

Re: R U OK?

#55

Post by Erwin » Thu, Sep 10, 2020, 11:06 AM UTC

b0rsuk wrote: post #45

throwaway_ruok wrote: post #42

Not okay. It's a worrying time being a Chinese person. On the one hand, I don't support CCP (hence the throw away); I find the dictatorship very troubling. Furthermore, the growing patriotism and nationalism makes me anxious about the next generation of Chinese. On the other hand, many people outside tend to treat Chinese people and CCP as a whole, and denounce and dismiss everything we do. More and more people sugge…

I live in Europe. China is often hard to understand and seen as a monolithic block. In Poland if something doesn't make any sense it's common to say "it's Chinese to me". The language, especially the characters, is probably the biggest barrier. I vaguely know that China contains a bunch of peoples and languages, regions with distinct cultures. But very little beyond that. People fear what they don't understand. I thi…

On a more fun note, what is considered "Chinese" varies greatly by language (it's Greek in English): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_to_me#In_other_languages

In German, wikipedia claims "Polish in reverse" (though there's no other reference to that phrase on the Net, other than Reverse Polish Notation).

Re: R U OK?

#56

Post by ciceryadam » Thu, Sep 10, 2020, 11:11 AM UTC

smabie wrote: post #20

ashhimself wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know the feeling.. found out recently that someone in my team is on a good 80k more than me!

No one is going to pay you more unless they think you're valuable and you're departure is a credible possibility. I know it's a lot of work, but the best strategy is to interview for jobs consistently and regularly, regardless of whether you are happy with your current job. Shop around your offers, get companies to fight over you. Use all the leverage you have. You don't get more money without demanding it. Power and…

At my 2nd full-time job, starting as a junior in a team, I got a higher starting salary than what I was comfortable asking at the interview, plus got a yearly 10% salary increase for the next 5+ years. When I left the company I still got invited to the Christmas party, even though I was no longer working for them. Also, the local managing director grew out from being a developer 15+ years prior (in the same company), and new all his 300+ employees by name. There are always exceptions to a rule.

Re: R U OK?

#57

Post by karl42 » Thu, Sep 10, 2020, 11:29 AM UTC

Erwin wrote: post #55

b0rsuk wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I live in Europe. China is often hard to understand and seen as a monolithic block. In Poland if something doesn't make any sense it's common to say "it's Chinese to me". The language, especially the characters, is probably the biggest barrier. I vaguely know that China contains a bunch of peoples and languages, regions with distinct cultures. But very little beyond that. People fear what they don't understand. I thi…

On a more fun note, what is considered "Chinese" varies greatly by language (it's Greek in English): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_to_me#In_other_languages In German, wikipedia claims "Polish in reverse" (though there's no other reference to that phrase on the Net, other than Reverse Polish Notation).

As a German, I've never heard "Polish in reverse", but "Spanish" works exactly that way ("Das kommt mir spanisch vor").

Re: R U OK?

#58

Post by monkeynotes » Thu, Sep 10, 2020, 11:56 AM UTC

josuepeq wrote: post #54

The U.S. needs this day, especially this year. With the unmitigated disaster of 2020, I’m “probably not ok,” but I am not in any danger to myself or others. Quite the opposite - I’m optimistic that things are moving in the right direction. I mean, it can’t get worse: - Shutdown my consulting Business in February because I didn’t feel comfortable with being around new people constantly with a t-cell deficient immune s…

That's a lot for one person in one year. I struggle with far less, I don't want to think how I'd feel going through what you have.

I wish you luck finding work and happiness.

Re: R U OK?

#59

Post by 082349872349872 » Thu, Sep 10, 2020, 12:02 PM UTC

Erwin wrote: post #55

b0rsuk wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I live in Europe. China is often hard to understand and seen as a monolithic block. In Poland if something doesn't make any sense it's common to say "it's Chinese to me". The language, especially the characters, is probably the biggest barrier. I vaguely know that China contains a bunch of peoples and languages, regions with distinct cultures. But very little beyond that. People fear what they don't understand. I thi…

On a more fun note, what is considered "Chinese" varies greatly by language (it's Greek in English): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_to_me#In_other_languages In German, wikipedia claims "Polish in reverse" (though there's no other reference to that phrase on the Net, other than Reverse Polish Notation).

https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=1024 has a directed graph.

Re: R U OK?

#60

Post by chris_st » Thu, Sep 10, 2020, 12:05 PM UTC

josuepeq wrote: post #54

The U.S. needs this day, especially this year. With the unmitigated disaster of 2020, I’m “probably not ok,” but I am not in any danger to myself or others. Quite the opposite - I’m optimistic that things are moving in the right direction. I mean, it can’t get worse: - Shutdown my consulting Business in February because I didn’t feel comfortable with being around new people constantly with a t-cell deficient immune s…

Wow, so sorry to hear about all your losses. That sounds horrendous to go through -- congratulations, at least, on making it through, and finding some good things to do!

Sad, indeed, that we have no training on how to deal with grief in general, and how to help people go through it, specifically.