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Poor in Tech

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Re: Poor in Tech

#161

Post by mrweasel »

magicalhippo wrote: post #28
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'm definitely not poor, and I've always greeted the cleaning staff. That's not a sign of being poor, it's a sign of not being an ass.

We have cleaning during work hours, so the idea that someone wouldn't talk to the cleaning staff is absurd to me. Why wouldn't I talk to someone who moves around the office for most of the day.

Re: Poor in Tech

#162

Post by ClumsyPilot »

acdha wrote: post #117
magicalhippo wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm definitely not poor, and I've always greeted the cleaning staff. That's not a sign of being poor, it's a sign of not being an ass.

There’s a strong correlation, however, which I think comes down to whether you have either done or know someone in that kind of job. People who ignore the staff may not be intentionally mean about it - it’s just outside of their normal frame of reference and they haven’t been introspective about that.

Shitty behaviour can be out of ignorance or carelessness, but for follks on the other side of it, thats not much better

Re: Poor in Tech

#163

Post by gonehome »

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 /…

Even without the race element - there’s definitely a class thing.

I noticed it when I moved to the Bay Area after growing up in western New York. The types of foods people ate or didn’t eat, the restaurants people would or would not go to.

The shows people would or would not watch, even the way people talked. I think I hadn’t really seen the difference in class behavior before in America. Now it’s easy to see it.

A lot of it is tightly correlated to wealth and a lot of it reminds me of things the author describes (fear of not being able to find a job, fear of just “taking a year off” because it sounds financially crazy), but it’s not only about wealth really.

You can be poor and still act more “upper class” and you can be rich and still act “working class”. It’s a lot of little things people do in preferences and how they talk/behave.

Re: Poor in Tech

#164

Post by faceplanted »

bsenftner wrote: post #75
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…

I have this issue too. As a youth I had a stutter and insecurity issues, which fell away when I realized my intellect was going to get me the hell away from the hick state I found myself. Through bravado and incredible luck, I managed to get a Harvard education - but while there nearly every single one of these insecurity issues cited in the article had a variation in my experience while attending Harvard. And after…

If Harvard is anything like Oxford and Cambridge in the UK, it's not just that you didn't expose yourself, elite universities have their own stratification, between ones born rich who went to the most elite of private schools _before_ they went to university, where they likely _arrived_ with some connections already, and the ordinary public who got in through work and talent but can have anywhere from that level to absolutely nothing in terms of pre-existing connections and the learned social behaviours to then get them.

Re: Poor in Tech

#165

Post by MattRix »

jjdin14 wrote: post #110
muglug wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

“Less likely”, “more at the mercy”, it still comes down to the individuals choices, it’s not that hard to not be obese when poor.

“it’s not that hard to not be obese when poor.”

The statistics make it quite clear that it is hard, maybe your assumptions are wrong.

Re: Poor in Tech

#166

Post by kardianos »

DigitalSea wrote: post #46
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…

There are quite a few papers out there on the subject. As someone who has studied a little bit of sociology, I can tell you there are numerous sociological factors which basically determine that wealthier people have access to better food, better medical care and live healthier lives in comparison to lower-socioeconomic people. Where you live alone determines your health equity, if you live in a remote area or small…

> if you live in a remote area or small town away from a large city, your access to fresh and non-processed foods is heavily reduced.

Do you really think this? I know the sticks. You apparently don't. You can live off potatoes, eggs, and oatmeal and not be fat. Those are available anywhere.

There is a "poor" culture, there is an "elite" culture, and then there is a "responsibility" culture. I grew up financially poor in a manufactured home in the sticks, but my culture of my parents was that of "responsibility". Know the difference.

Re: Poor in Tech

#167

Post by isomorph »

Kalium wrote: post #142
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 th…

Thanks for the considered reply. I don’t think it would be cold and I don’t think I would have such a visceral reaction. I think the offhand tone implies a kind of misplaced confidence and shutting down of conversation - almost contempt - which is not a good way to start a conversation.

Re: Poor in Tech

#168

Post by ratww »

gadders wrote: post #122
est31 wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are food deserts in the USA, where you literally can't buy high quality food like vegetables in a large area, and have to resort to only eating the highly processed and highly unhealthy food. These food deserts usually are located in the poorer neighbourhoods. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_desert

Then eat less of it?

Eating healthy is not just about eating less, it's also about eating the right things.

If eating was just about quantity then nobody would eat salads, there would be no Keto diet, and nobody would complain about McDonalds.

Re: Poor in Tech

#169

Post by xyzelement »

TulliusCicero wrote: post #137
codegeek wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yea I mostly agree. For example not greeting cleaning lady has nothing to do with being rich or poor. It is just manners and some of us do it and some don't.

Manners? I don't say hi to the cleaning staff for the same reason I don't say hi to most people I see in the office: I don't know them. If I did, then I would say hi. Do others greet every single person they see in the building?

Yes. You are working late, someone comes by your desk to empty your trash. You say hi and thank you. Especially once to realize you see the same person every night.

Re: Poor in Tech

#170

Post by Kalium »

mcherm wrote: post #2

I've seen this before. Not often, because the companies I have worked at have rarely hired someone from this social strata. But in the cases where we have, I have seen the alienation. Aside from the obvious "be genuinely friendly", does anyone have suggestions of what to do as a coworker to support someone suffering from this cultural barrier?

Adopt a mentee. They need a teacher. Remember that when you offer guidance, it needs to be comprehensible and actionable and directed towards a coherent goal.

Telling someone to reflect, for example, is none of those. Instead, tell someone to remember that what people show and what people feel can be different when they assume about another's mental state based on appearances.

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