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Poor in Tech

megelison.com

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141–150 of 817 posts

Re: Poor in Tech

#141

Post by websitescenes »

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…

Victim blaming is THE classic tactic used to ignore the very real situational plights of many, if not most, Americans.

Re: Poor in Tech

#142

Post by Kalium »

isomorph wrote: post #116

Many of the comments on this article are so cold. I can’t believe it. When I read the original article I was imagining all the constructive ways HN readers would interpret it and hold a mirror up to their own behaviour. Some commenters are doing this. But it surprises and depresses me how many people are commenting saying “no, this list isn’t what it says it is, it’s a list showing the author has a negative mindset /…

You're absolutely right. People are not reacting the way you had hoped. They are reacting by questioning the assertions in the article in ways that don't engage with the author's fundamental humanity. They are treating it like an alien artifact reflecting on a far-off culture.

What if readers came in, reacted with warmth and kindness and empathy and compassion, and engaged with the article in a way that validated the author's experiences while perhaps gently questioning the article's conclusions? Would that be cold?

Or would the abject failure to reflect when confronted with key truths from the life of a real person make you sick to your stomach?

Re: Poor in Tech

#143

Post by tonyhb »

Aeolun wrote: post #93
GeriatricYouth wrote: post #36

> I knew I was the only poor person at my tech startup because I was afraid to seek mentorship from anyone above me, convinced that even asking would seem like bothersome begging. I watched the people around me network effortlessly, assured of favors and good words put in. I could only think in terms of what I could offer and how I could survive; they were thinking on the next level where they never had to wonder if…

But... they’re literally there to teach you stuff. And they like you better if you show interest. Why would you not ask the teacher stuff.

Because no-one in life has ever given you _actual_ assistance.

Re: Poor in Tech

#144

Post by [deleted] »

Tade0 wrote: post #106

I read the whole thing trying to find something I could relate to, as I grew up in a place that was a proper third world country as recently as in the 90s. This appears to be American poor - which I think is in its own category, because comparing to American rich it's just so much worse off. It's not that she's necessarily materially poor. It's just that there's no one around who can even begin to understand her pred…

[deleted]

Re: Poor in Tech

#145

Post by dj_mc_merlin »

The people identifying this person's complaints as irrational ("he's not poor anymore") or over the top don't quite get where they're coming from. I know many people who are now well off that still have this mindset or remnants of it. I'm a first generation immigrant, my own parents will spend long amounts of time explaining to me that we are not as wealthy as other people and shouldn't forget it, because they won't. Her favourite restaurants all have three Michelin stars. When it stops being physical, it's completely psychological.

Re: Poor in Tech

#146

Post by TulliusCicero »

est31 wrote: post #10

> I knew I was the only poor person at my tech startup because I was the only person who would say hello to the cleaning lady as she meekly made her rounds around us when we worked late. Everyone else had a long habit of ignoring anyone like her. That's IMO the worst behaviour of the rich listed in this article. I've heard stories that at Google, the non-engineering workers at campus may not socialize with engineers…

> I've heard stories that at Google, the non-engineering workers at campus may not socialize with engineers at all.

I worked at HQ as an engineer, and didn't notice any such thing.

Most of the time I probably didn't say hi to cleaning staff, for the same reason I wouldn't say hi to most of the people I pass by in the office: because they weren't someone I knew. Of course this might vary depending on context, but I was treating them the same way I treated everyone else, or at least trying to.

Do other people say hi to every single person you see in the building every day?

Re: Poor in Tech

#147

Post by Kalium »

darkerside wrote: post #92

They. I kept seeing the word "they", and wondering about it. Was it really every single person in the company that thought you were joking about your GED, or was it a handful that you told? Attributing the actions of a few individuals to an entire group is a quick way to engender feelings of alienation in yourself. Pro tip: don't do that.

I think "they" is best understood as an indicator of the author's mindset. When you feel like an outsider, it's very easy to feel that the whole of the group is unified against you.

Re: Poor in Tech

#148

Post by dack »

giantg2 wrote: post #89

I wouldn't consider myself poor or having grown up poor. I identify with many of the points on this list. I make less than many of my coworkers and my career has stagnated. I sometimes wonder if it has to do with this cultural gap. It seems like it's usually the people with an expensive image that are the ones who get promoted. Meanwhile I'm doing basically anything to save money and trying to leave work on time so I…

I won't say there's no bias (I'm sure it exists everywhere), but I think it's not an "expensive image" that gets you promoted as much as confidence.

Many people who grew up rich have a natural confidence to them (because they are protected if they lose their job, have been told they'll be someone important one day, given lots of help in life), and that helps a lot in giving a vibe that you'll succeed.

The great thing is that the confidence can be gained even if you didn't grow up in the same circumstances, it just takes more work.

Re: Poor in Tech

#149

Post by Aeolun »

domano wrote: post #57
Cthulhu_ wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I think the pay difference in Europe is much lower. There’s also a ton of not quite poor, but certainly not rich people.

Re: Poor in Tech

#150

Post by oaiey »

DethNinja wrote: post #94

How much of that experience is true in USA startup scene? I feel like this might be a special case for SF. Because here in Canada most of the people who work at tech aren’t rich at all and they tend to be more nerdy than snobby. I guess fintech scene might be more classist though.

This happens everywhere in the world. Also among more "normally" paid teams.

Look out for it and you will realize. In my experience, there is always someone who has a very hard life (money or time) and you do not even realize but hurt them without bad intent.

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