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The benefits of not belonging

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Re: The benefits of not belonging

#41

Post by MisterBastahrd »

RobertRoberts wrote: post #22
dnissley wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a very rosy view of rural America, to which I am a frequent visitor. Just a few dysfunctions off the top of my head: - Reactionary politics were born in rural America, urban America is just catching up these days. - The value system of rural America is dismissive of nerdy/intellectual pursuits, and so it drives out talent that was already enticed by the opportunities present in cities. - More broadly there is…

Come live out here for a while, talk with people, understand them. I've lived all over, including LA, east coast, south, Chicago, near the border of Mexico (I worked with illegals there even in sweat shops). Rural America is garden of peace and contentment compared to the urban areas. Your views are admitedly from a visitor... and there is no way you can compare them equally that way. Ignore Foxnews & CNN and get to…

No it isn't. People in rural America assume that if you're in rural America then you already believe the exact same things that they do, based largely on skin color. Try living there and going against that grain and see how "peaceful and contented" they are.

Re: The benefits of not belonging

#42

Post by anon9001 »

pedalpete wrote: post #16
IAmWorried wrote: post #3

Honestly does anybody NOT feel alienated in our current society? The US is overly hostile, we imported the whole world and all its cultural hangups with it. I mean if you're white people are shitting on you, if you're black people are shitting on you, if you're male people are shitting on you, if you're female people are shitting on you... like what exactly is this country FOR? Does anybody REALLY feel like they belo…

I am not in the US, but I'm a white male in Australia, so very similar culturally, and no, I don't feel alienated in the least. So, I'm hoping you are not a white male, as I don't think we can have the tiniest inkling of what it feels like to be a minority. Even travelling in Asia, where we're clearly a minority, I feel like we know on a global scale that even though we may not be the majority of the population, we h…

>> Honestly does anybody NOT feel alienated in our current society?

> So, I'm hoping you are not a white male, as I don't think we can have the tiniest inkling of what it feels like to be a minority.

So GP is suggesting that everyone feels isolated, regardless of race or gender.

You reply with "hoping you are not a white male" to this observation.

We all know that if GP is a white male, his comment borders on white supremacy. He's saying we've lost what makes America great, and it's all because we opened our borders and gave up cultural homogeneity. What a racist xenophobe! Good on you for calling him out!

But if GP is a woman of color, the US being a hostile place makes so much sense. And of course she's trying to figure out who the country is really for, because her experience makes it feel like it's not built for her. It's so brave to be asking these tough questions and challenging the system.

Also, are you a white male? Why do you even feel that it's ok for you to weigh in on this topic?

The way I see it, your "hoping you are not a white male" comment is culturally expected, and you said it anyway, even though we both know it causes acceleration of conflict.

Maybe you're a right-wing accelerationist, but I suspect you're not, which makes your comment even worse, because you're reinforcing their narrative unintentionally.

I think that is why IAmWorried is actually worried.

Re: The benefits of not belonging

#43

Post by calt »

pedalpete wrote: post #16
IAmWorried wrote: post #3

Honestly does anybody NOT feel alienated in our current society? The US is overly hostile, we imported the whole world and all its cultural hangups with it. I mean if you're white people are shitting on you, if you're black people are shitting on you, if you're male people are shitting on you, if you're female people are shitting on you... like what exactly is this country FOR? Does anybody REALLY feel like they belo…

I am not in the US, but I'm a white male in Australia, so very similar culturally, and no, I don't feel alienated in the least. So, I'm hoping you are not a white male, as I don't think we can have the tiniest inkling of what it feels like to be a minority. Even travelling in Asia, where we're clearly a minority, I feel like we know on a global scale that even though we may not be the majority of the population, we h…

You’re not wrong, but…

You’re completely talking past the parent and telling them that they are wrong to feel alienated.

“You’re privileged so buck up son,” is all I hear, and it’s a ridiculous sentiment.

Re: The benefits of not belonging

#44

Post by sqldba »

bxparks wrote: post #14

I wonder if there is a bit of survivorship bias in this article. Some kids grow up in a non-friendly environment, but develop the skills to deal with the adversity, and when they grow up, those skills become highly advantageous. Other kids whither and fall apart in such an adverse environment, suffer from low self-esteem, substance abuse, and other mental illnesses, and never get the chance to reap the benefits of be…

Yeah I mean for starters the author appear to have been rich as hell from the very beginning. I’m sure that helps soothe the sting of being an “outsider”.

But I decided not to take the article personally because they’re not claiming something universal about outsiders.

Re: The benefits of not belonging

#45

Post by ilaksh »

cblconfederate wrote: post #29

I was just wondering, are there disconnected internets that i can join? I d rather stay in a limited sector that is not overpopulated and oversaturated with the mainstream, even if it has huge downsides. Just like how biology uses membranes to build the useful stuff , i think we need harder borders between internet communities to increase the variance. Everyone moving around like a giant mob and lashing at each other…

Right, so the solution to information bubbles fighting is to create more reinforced bubbles. Makes perfect sense.

Re: The benefits of not belonging

#46

Post by MisterBastahrd »

xvedejas wrote: post #10
Svperstar wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>There are minorities out here and we all get along just fine. I wonder if we talked to minorities in rural communities if they would agree with your assessment.

I think they would, but mostly just because of selection effects. There aren't so many minorities in rural areas, and the ones that end up there probably had better-than-usual reasons to end up in rural parts.

I've lived in rural areas and they would say that when you get called "the good colored folk" by the white people in the area that there's a reason for that "good" description and it's not because they believe in racial equality.

Re: The benefits of not belonging

#47

Post by musingsole »

IAmWorried wrote: post #3

Honestly does anybody NOT feel alienated in our current society? The US is overly hostile, we imported the whole world and all its cultural hangups with it. I mean if you're white people are shitting on you, if you're black people are shitting on you, if you're male people are shitting on you, if you're female people are shitting on you... like what exactly is this country FOR? Does anybody REALLY feel like they belo…

Only those too oblivious or occupied to notice we're all getting smaller by the day.

Re: The benefits of not belonging

#48

Post by Barrin92 »

Given the authors biography and work in the VC / startup ecosystem, isn't "not belonging" just... normal? There's probably one blog post per denizen of San Francisco and surroundings on the internet by now about how different they are.

Eccentricity is basically performative at this point, I've seen a lot of people just trying to be edgy to get attention in the sector.

Honestly I think if you're actually looking for advice fitting-in (although not mindlessly), being conscientious and reliable serve the average person better.

Re: The benefits of not belonging

#50

Post by golemiprague »

pedalpete wrote: post #16
IAmWorried wrote: post #3

Honestly does anybody NOT feel alienated in our current society? The US is overly hostile, we imported the whole world and all its cultural hangups with it. I mean if you're white people are shitting on you, if you're black people are shitting on you, if you're male people are shitting on you, if you're female people are shitting on you... like what exactly is this country FOR? Does anybody REALLY feel like they belo…

I am not in the US, but I'm a white male in Australia, so very similar culturally, and no, I don't feel alienated in the least. So, I'm hoping you are not a white male, as I don't think we can have the tiniest inkling of what it feels like to be a minority. Even travelling in Asia, where we're clearly a minority, I feel like we know on a global scale that even though we may not be the majority of the population, we h…

I wouldn't compare Australia to the US, the cultural pressure on white people there is another level. Even the definition of what is "white" is different in America to Australia. Australia doesn't have two very dominant groups, blacks and hispanics competing for hegemony. Maybe some Asians but they are more isolated in their private life and integrated in the professional life, exactly like in the US, so there is no pressure from them.

You are a bit delusional if you think white people considered to be the ones holding global power these days where China hold the world in the balls and Australian kids listen to K-pop and watch anime more than local Australian music and TV shows.

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