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We're auctioning off a chance for your kid to come to a YC dinner

biddingforgood.com

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Re: We're auctioning off a chance for your kid to come to a YC dinner

#71

Post by morgante »

pg wrote: post #18

Since there will no doubt be a lot of the predictable complaint that this gives an advantage to the kids of people rich enough to buy it, I want to make it clear that this auction is to fund scholarships to the Bing nursery school. Since going to Bing helps kids a lot more than going to a YC dinner would, it's a net win for parents with less money. We knew when we decided to offer this item for auction that people wo…

That's all well and good, but couldn't even more net social utility be created by a better auction? This perpetuates generational wealth rather than giving an opportunity to someone who earned it for themselves.

At the very least, couldn't you auction off a seat to adults? At least that would be people using their own money to buy themselves advantages rather than yet another example of parents buying significant advantages for their children.

Maybe I'm just bitter because I'm 20 and my parents could never afford to pay $20,000. I don't see why you should purposefully give someone else whose parents could yet another advantage in life.

PS. To put my money where my mouth is, I'd donate $1,000 of my own money to Watsi or another charity of your choice if it buys a seat.

Re: We're auctioning off a chance for your kid to come to a YC dinner

#73

Post by moocowduckquack »

pg wrote: post #63
swalkergibson wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you feel that the concerns expressed are not legitimate? If attending Bing is more beneficial than a YC dinner, why not make an unconditional donation to Bing and then open up these dinners to teenagers willing to apply/write an essay for them, regardless of ability to pay? It would have the added benefit of self-selecting out those people whose parents think it is a good idea for them to go to such a dinner and r…

I do make unconditional donations to Bing as well, and larger amounts than this auction is likely to generate. Yes, frankly, I feel like the concerns expressed here are a kind of moral bikeshedding. What harm does it do if one rich kid gets to come to a YC dinner? It's too much trouble to armor oneself against cheap shots. People who want to misunderstand you have an almost endless ability to do so, so you'd have to…

One kid getting dinner is obviously no big deal, there is however something percieved to be wrong with it being normal for the rich to buy access for their kids to business opportunities. You are probably right that it is massive overanalysis considering the subject, though at least it wasn't a free lunch.

Re: We're auctioning off a chance for your kid to come to a YC dinner

#74

Post by michaelochurch »

pg wrote: post #63
swalkergibson wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you feel that the concerns expressed are not legitimate? If attending Bing is more beneficial than a YC dinner, why not make an unconditional donation to Bing and then open up these dinners to teenagers willing to apply/write an essay for them, regardless of ability to pay? It would have the added benefit of self-selecting out those people whose parents think it is a good idea for them to go to such a dinner and r…

I do make unconditional donations to Bing as well, and larger amounts than this auction is likely to generate. Yes, frankly, I feel like the concerns expressed here are a kind of moral bikeshedding. What harm does it do if one rich kid gets to come to a YC dinner? It's too much trouble to armor oneself against cheap shots. People who want to misunderstand you have an almost endless ability to do so, so you'd have to…

I used to hate when conservatives and Republicans made Real Americans arguments but this issue is a litmus test for whether one is on or not on the hot air balloon of the current, out-of-touch, Silicon Valley elite, or whether one is down here with the rest of us for whom gravity and reality apply.

The New 1%, the out of touch types, look at things like this and think they are somehow progressive, based on an Econ-101 understanding of "efficiency" (which is not well-defined for sociological problems). The rest of us, who've actually had struggle in our lives, find it disgusting and perverse, because it makes a mockery of the hard work of such a massive number of people out there.

Also, that scholarship is probably going to go to some middle-income-but-highly-connected child of a Stanford professor or a diplomat, and not an actual poor person. Just sayin'.

Re: We're auctioning off a chance for your kid to come to a YC dinner

#75

Post by michaelochurch »

moocowduckquack wrote: post #73
pg wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I do make unconditional donations to Bing as well, and larger amounts than this auction is likely to generate. Yes, frankly, I feel like the concerns expressed here are a kind of moral bikeshedding. What harm does it do if one rich kid gets to come to a YC dinner? It's too much trouble to armor oneself against cheap shots. People who want to misunderstand you have an almost endless ability to do so, so you'd have to…

One kid getting dinner is obviously no big deal, there is however something percieved to be wrong with it being normal for the rich to buy access for their kids to business opportunities. You are probably right that it is massive overanalysis considering the subject, though at least it wasn't a free lunch.

One kid getting dinner is obviously no big deal, there is however something percieved to be wrong with it being normal for the rich to buy access for their kids to business opportunities. You are probably right that it is massive overanalysis considering the subject

Correct. I don't think anyone here thinks Paul Graham is a bad man. I've never met him, but he seems like a good person who didn't intend to become a lightning rod. However, this was a dick move.

If they're going to give away spots at a YC dinner to teenagers-- and I think that's a good idea-- then they should give them to winners of a computing, math, or science competition. Or young people in the computing field who overcame some disadvantage.

This just proves that Silicon Valley has nothing left that can't be sold. Even the purr of a cat will eventually be metered and priced if these people can find a way.

Let's assume that most people in YCombinator are among the best and the brightest. Well, now the time of top talent is a just another resource to be sold off to rich, entitled Joffreys. Speaking for top talent here, I'm fucking offended.

Re: We're auctioning off a chance for your kid to come to a YC dinner

#76

Post by moocowduckquack »

michaelochurch wrote: post #75
moocowduckquack wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One kid getting dinner is obviously no big deal, there is however something percieved to be wrong with it being normal for the rich to buy access for their kids to business opportunities. You are probably right that it is massive overanalysis considering the subject, though at least it wasn't a free lunch.

One kid getting dinner is obviously no big deal, there is however something percieved to be wrong with it being normal for the rich to buy access for their kids to business opportunities. You are probably right that it is massive overanalysis considering the subject Correct. I don't think anyone here thinks Paul Graham is a bad man. I've never met him, but he seems like a good person who didn't intend to become a lig…

Even the purr of a cat will eventually be metered and priced if these people can find a way.

Hey, isn't that the Uber kittens thing?

Re: We're auctioning off a chance for your kid to come to a YC dinner

#77

Post by rajeevk »

michaelochurch wrote: post #75
moocowduckquack wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One kid getting dinner is obviously no big deal, there is however something percieved to be wrong with it being normal for the rich to buy access for their kids to business opportunities. You are probably right that it is massive overanalysis considering the subject, though at least it wasn't a free lunch.

One kid getting dinner is obviously no big deal, there is however something percieved to be wrong with it being normal for the rich to buy access for their kids to business opportunities. You are probably right that it is massive overanalysis considering the subject Correct. I don't think anyone here thinks Paul Graham is a bad man. I've never met him, but he seems like a good person who didn't intend to become a lig…

I agree with michaelochurch. I think this is less important that where the money will be spent than what kind of culture your are creating.

In my observation, here in India (I am from India) that a child born in a poor family remains poor for whole of his life . There are exceptions, but this is true for most of the cases. In my opinion, the reason behind is that the society and culture makes feel a child of poor family that he/she is poor in all aspect of life. This goes to un-conscious mind of children that they are poor and they never come out this thought when they grow up and even if they are very very talented.

Please do make such kind of culture where kids feel bad simply because their parent can't afford something for them. Please do not make kids feel that they belong to a poor family. I can see the current bid is $20K which is a big amount even for a middle class family.

I know that world is not perfect, but we can try making it better at least by not playing the money games in kids matter. If you think further, this kind of culture is a way to society where only children of rich people will get proper healthcare, education etc.

Re: We're auctioning off a chance for your kid to come to a YC dinner

#78

Post by mindslight »

michaelochurch wrote: post #75
moocowduckquack wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One kid getting dinner is obviously no big deal, there is however something percieved to be wrong with it being normal for the rich to buy access for their kids to business opportunities. You are probably right that it is massive overanalysis considering the subject, though at least it wasn't a free lunch.

One kid getting dinner is obviously no big deal, there is however something percieved to be wrong with it being normal for the rich to buy access for their kids to business opportunities. You are probably right that it is massive overanalysis considering the subject Correct. I don't think anyone here thinks Paul Graham is a bad man. I've never met him, but he seems like a good person who didn't intend to become a lig…

> winners of a computing, math, or science competition

Because parental resources don't have extreme effects on these competitions as well? Or is it just an easy-to-propose feel-good alternative?

Sheesh. pg obviously foresaw negative reactions, but this entire thread is simply ridiculous. Please just step back and ask yourselves how your comments affect yourselves. Is it really healthy to view access to YC as some kind of golden ticket? The YC application must basically be a free-to-enter lottery! (I must be pretty foolish for not playing all these years.)

To the extent that silly valley is currently a bubble-fueled casino, complaining isn't going to put a stop to that, and dinner for a not-fully-formed teenager fulfilling their parents' expectations does little to augment that. And to the extent that there are still real companies being built on technological merit, some inspiration and accelerated social connections will do little to further disrupt that.

Re: We're auctioning off a chance for your kid to come to a YC dinner

#79

Post by TheMakeA »

throwaway7808 wrote: post #64
TheMakeA wrote: post #5

As a 22 year old, I'd happily give $1000 to go to a YC dinner.

And how would you feel about chatting with startup founders there when you yourself is not one of them?

I don't think it's about being in their social circle, but about the high concentration of smart people and being able to absorb their knowledge.

Re: We're auctioning off a chance for your kid to come to a YC dinner

#80

Post by michaelochurch »

mindslight wrote: post #78
michaelochurch wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One kid getting dinner is obviously no big deal, there is however something percieved to be wrong with it being normal for the rich to buy access for their kids to business opportunities. You are probably right that it is massive overanalysis considering the subject Correct. I don't think anyone here thinks Paul Graham is a bad man. I've never met him, but he seems like a good person who didn't intend to become a lig…

> winners of a computing, math, or science competition Because parental resources don't have extreme effects on these competitions as well? Or is it just an easy-to-propose feel-good alternative? Sheesh. pg obviously foresaw negative reactions, but this entire thread is simply ridiculous. Please just step back and ask yourselves how your comments affect yourselves . Is it really healthy to view access to YC as some k…

Because parental resources don't have extreme effects on these competitions as well? Or is it just an easy-to-propose feel-good alternative?

I took part in those competitions. There were plenty of winners from humble backgrounds and non-coastal regions. Plenty of years, the winner would be from some no-name town in the Midwest. Sure, being privileged helped, but there was real diversity, and most people with the talent had a chance.

Sheesh. pg obviously foresaw negative reactions, but this entire thread is simply ridiculous.

Does someone foreseeing negative reactions to something, and then doing it anyway, mean those negative reactions should not occur? If I steal something, I'm pretty sure I'll get negative reactions (social disapproval, risk of physical harm, jail time, etc.) because, as it were, it's actually the wrong thing to do. If I do it, I can't dismiss people's hatred for that action as somehow invalid by saying, "yeah, I knew that would piss you off." The fact that I knew beforehand that people would find the action offensive doesn't mitigate it's general wrongness.

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