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Poor in Tech

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Re: Poor in Tech

#51

Post by muglug »

emteycz wrote: post #23
8fGTBjZxBcHq wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's normal and cool actually that we can take something that affects a MAJORITY of Americans and is tightly correlated to poverty and make it a matter of individual responsibility and moral weakness.

It is correlated, not caused by poverty. Rich people are often fat too, and the reason is poor education (not even rich people schools teach this) and poor self-control.

It’s not just food education. If you’re poor in the US you’re much less likely to live near a source of fresh meat and produce, which makes calorie-rich fast food more tempting. You’re more at the mercy of many multi-billion-dollar industries that serve unhealthy food to the masses.

Re: Poor in Tech

#52

Post by protomyth »

sol_invictus wrote: post #26
protomyth wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would imagine you got it right with the "get out of the gym if you are not already fit". It's amazing how badly people act towards people starting out on their fitness.

Literally never seen this happen. 98% guarantee the stigma is in the obese person’s own head more than anything. It’s just easier to transfer the responsibility to ”an unfriendly environment” than taking responsibility & control of your own feelings and actions

Was in a gym that put signs on the wall admonishing people from commenting on those trying to get in shape. They were not getting the new members they wanted.

Re: Poor in Tech

#53

Post by remoquete »

tester34 wrote: post #13

But why focus on those things? We're on news hacker out of all places, where I guess salaries range between 300$ month to $40k month easily Temporarily embarrassed millionaire is healthier way, delusional, but healtheir in my opinion

I don’t understand a word of what you’re trying to say.

Re: Poor in Tech

#54

Post by istjohn »

avancemos wrote: post #7

Instead of seeing the bright side of life, in which this person clearly vastly improved their situation in life, all they can see is what they don’t have. “I knew I was the only poor person at my tech startup because I had the only fat body in the building.” I’m sorry, but no, being poor doesn’t make you fat. Your eating choices make you fat. Poor people have agency too. Agency is not something you buy. This is comin…

This is true in a superficial sense. But healthy food is generally more expensive than junk food. Gym memberships, exercize equipment, personal trainers, and outdoor recreation costs time and money. It's hard to prioritize self-care when you're struggling with the day-to-day stresses of poverty, like how do I get to work after my car broke down for the third time this month. Poverty is stressful and stress-eating is a thing.

Sure, there is no law of physics that makes poor people overweight, but it is much easier to have a thin waistline when you have a fat bank account. And indeed we observe that in the US, poor people are heavier than wealthier people.

Re: Poor in Tech

#56

Post by wdb »

culturestate wrote: post #5

To me, this reads more as a list of "from outside the valley bubble" signifiers than it does as a list of things that people who've grown up in poverty might do, even if the former was a result of the latter. There are some exceptions - not noticing missed paychecks is the biggest - but most of it is just stuff that happens every day in other offices. Making your lunch at the office and not bringing Advil from home?…

I brought my lunch to the office for many years but then I went in consulting and had to work from home and live in hotels and then its quite hard to prepare lunch or bring leftovers to work. If you stay in hotels

Re: Poor in Tech

#57

Post by domano »

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #42
domano wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How does this exploitation look like?

Underpaying but still making the other person happy because it's more than they earned before. Giving them the shit jobs, unpaid overtime, etc. Remarks behind the back about things like weight, eating habits, and being ashamed about things they take for granted. Having your existence denied completely (e.g. the cleaners mentioned)

Interesting. Coming from a rather poor background (refugee) i was lucky enough to not experience this in tech.

I do notice a disconnect in perspective and priorities though. Also i live in europe, where this is maybe a tad different.

Re: Poor in Tech

#58

Post by marcinzm »

domano wrote: post #32
kstenerud wrote: post #14

The trick to being the only poor person is to not let on. Once people know, they exploit the hell out of you. They don't seem to do it consciously; somehow it just happens. I made that mistake a few times during my time in SF.

How does this exploitation look like?

I'm guessing lower pay, larger workloads, etc. I'm not surprised that many managers/founders will exploit your fears to get more work out of you for less. Same way that those on an H1B get the short end of the stick.

Re: Poor in Tech

#59

Post by michaelscott »

beforeolives wrote: post #6

This is different from being poor in the financial sense. It goes deep into the poor mindset and pscyhology and how it can stick around even after you're doing okay. My parents are working class, I'm an immigrant and I had a minimum wage job for a few years - I've never felt any of the things listed in this article, before or after I was doing okay financially, in or outside of tech.

Absolutely this. My wife and I both grew up very poor and even though we've worked up to being relatively well off in adulthood, we both still have a mindset in certain contexts that's very similar to this article.

It's very scavenger-like and I suppose we may lose it if we manage to stay well off long enough, but it definitely colours our decision making even in little things. Being poor definitely stretches beyond the literally financial.

Re: Poor in Tech

#60

Post by magicalhippo »

watwut wrote: post #12

> Gym membership was included in my benefits. I went half a dozen times before it was made crystal clear to me that I did not belong. I would be curious about this one. What did happened in the gym? Not really doubting, some people in gyms are quite unfriendly when you dont look fit. But I am still curious what happened there.

The gym I went to had almost exclusively very fit people, who obviously exercised a lot.

When I started out I was fairly overweight and completely out of shape, could barely do a couple of pushups, and I felt very uncomfortable and out of place.

However the others just did their programs, and I never got any looks or comments. So after a while I managed to relax and just get on with my own stuff.

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