51–60 of 101 posts
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He explicitly writes that he did not do drugs or alcohol. It would seem like it is some kind of felony charges that are the cause. Whatever they were. But all in all - the downside risk is huge in the US.
> He explicitly writes that he did not do drugs or alcohol > My public defender reminded me of a woman I did ayahuasca with in upstate New York. Well...
> A start-up I had been a part of in New York. Where I was the first employee. I had owned equity. They had eventually sold for $350 million. What happened to the author's equity?
Again, I don't know what happened in the author's specific case, but think it's important to know that lots of startups have exits that can look big on paper but still are a wipeout for common equity.
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Doesn’t change anything. In civilized world, people who are mentally ill are took care of by the society, not thrown in the streets.
He wasn't "thrown into the streets". He was offered food and shelter, and he declined it.
I do agree that if he was truly in need he would have stolen an iPhone or some designer purses.
How privileged to steal sleeping bags and food.
I get an incredible “narcism ick” from this writing. I wonder if other people feel the same way. It’s so gross contrasted with the theme. The very first paragraphs start with a poor attempt to humble brag his”credentials” as not just a “normal” homeless person. The self mythologising, the framing of negative things more like the weather than consequences of his choices. The fact that despite privileged upbringing and…
I think that's the whole shtick because most tech workers are so far removed from homelessness they don't even consider the possibility. It's not about the author being a narcist, it's about most people from higher social classes having some flavor of narcism.
> The fact that despite privileged upbringing and working in tech in the valley he has no one willing to offer him a couch.
Totally believable. There are very few people I'd offer a couch for more than two nights, and I imagine that in highly competitive environments, like the US tech sector, the typical situation is more grim. Look around and ask yourself - how many true friends does a typical corporate employee have? Someone they could realistically call "ay I'm going homeless can I get a bed for free for like, a few months". Most "friendships" turn out to be very superficial when tried.
> The most striking for me is the framing of his own grandmothers death as exceptional, proving his lineage is special.
This makes a lot of sense. From his point of view, his grandma was special. From your point of view, your grandma is special. The whole point of this post is the contrast between "I am special" and the world disagreeing.
Imagine a situation: someone steals all your money and frames you for pedophilia. Instantly you lose your job, all your friends distance themselves from you, you get evicted from your house. Suddenly, through sheer unbelievably bad luck, you have $5, an old jacket, and serious charges. You show up at soup kitchen in order not to starve and you see all these meth addicts, mentally ill, mentally ill meth addicts, and other types of folks from the lowest class of the society. Would you stand there thinking "ah yes, I'm equal to them, these are my homies, wassap nigga" or would your brain scream "no, this isn't happening, I'm only passing by, I'm different, why is this woman with rotting face staring at me, I need to get out of here ASAP".
Are people reading this or just up voting the title? Sounds like someone who screwed up their life, likely by being stubborn, and doing a lot of drugs, which doesn't take knowing how to code to pull off. Reads like a love letter to misery by someone who knew they would never be truly affected by it.
There's a good saying, "People become homeless not when they run out of money, but when they run out of relationships." This post reads to me like someone suffering from mental illness and/or personality disorder.
Sometimes people are just assholes, eh.
I don't have the data to say this is the case, but "just being an asshole" is a circumstance that is often under-considered.
What I probably never get: When somebody is capable and reasonable but jobless, why stay homeless in a city with one of the highest rents? Why not move to a cheaper place, get any job, even a bad paid job will pay a nice flat in a small town. It's always those large very expensive cities that have a huge amount of homelessness. Don't get me wrong, I do not want to play clever here, it's just a honest question.
San Francisco also has a climate you won't freeze to death in February, a government that won't bulldoze your tent, charities that give you free stuff. For better or worse. In this man's case, it is probably also the only place where he has a slimmer of personal connections left that may still lend a helping hand. Also, by the time he is already homeless homeless, he is likely no longer able to afford the fixed costs…
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> He explicitly writes that he did not do drugs or alcohol > My public defender reminded me of a woman I did ayahuasca with in upstate New York. Well...
Everyone does drugs or alcohol, even the pope, even Jesus himself.
This phrase is only true because you include alcohol, otherwise it would be false. Not everybody does drugs.
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It’s hard to respond to a call for “everyone to agree” in an online forum but yes. Even people who are self or outwardly destructive, do not deserve the outcome the author got. I think a harder to answer question is, assuming there are not enough resources to help everyone in need (in a practical sense) should we prioritise the “more deserving” over the less. Every human who is suffering deserves compassion, but shou…
> Every human who is suffering deserves compassion, but should we deprioritise those who are suffering partially because of their own choices? Opening the discussion about who is more worthy of assistance is a slippery slope towards some people not getting it due to personal biases and politics of those in power. Poor life choices can be consequences of poor upbringing, mental health, or simply bad luck. People can b…
You forget stupidity and ignorance. Sometimes people make poor life choices because they're stupid or ignorant (or both).
Yeah sure poor life choices can be consequences of poor upbringing, mental health, or simply bad luck, but that's not always the case.
Regarding this specific piece of writing and as a tech person myself, i wonder: why does this person not have some safety net savings?
Having worked in the highest-paying city (San Francisco) in the highest paying state (California) in the richest nation (USA)... Why didn't this guy build his own safety net?
I get an incredible “narcism ick” from this writing. I wonder if other people feel the same way. It’s so gross contrasted with the theme. The very first paragraphs start with a poor attempt to humble brag his”credentials” as not just a “normal” homeless person. The self mythologising, the framing of negative things more like the weather than consequences of his choices. The fact that despite privileged upbringing and…
I have never been homeless or close to being homeless, but it seems incredibly likely that under the stress of losing my job, not knowing where my next meal is from, where to sleep tonight, etc. – I would slowly lose the ability to make the kind of rational ethical decisions you’re criticizing him for.
Heck, even going a day or two without sleep is enough to make the average functional person incapable of pragmatic, rational thought.