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As a practical experiment in Inequality, I invite YC to expand your incredible program into a third group : invite some college graduates from the poorest and m

by jgord 11y ago

As a practical experiment in Inequality, I invite YC to expand your incredible program into a third group : invite some college graduates from the poorest and most violent neighborhoods in america, fund them to work in small teams on their startup.

tim333 11y ago
Though I don't think they are dissuading people from poor and violent neighborhoods from applying at the moment.
- erikpukinskis 11y ago
  True, but they're not marketing to them. They're marketing to rich people, by using HN, the tech sphere, etc. If YC was interested in poor people they wouldn't do marketing the way they do. They also gear the application to rich people by making it just a form on the Internet. That's perfect for people who have enough privilege to figure out what an application should look like but it doesn't work for people who don't yet know what to say to someone like YC, or that YC even exists. That suggests YC only wants applicants who are already connected to their social network, or have close cultural ties to the YC community. Of course a poor person could technically apply. YC just isn't doing the work to make that probable. It's the difference between mechanical possibility and psycho-social possibility.
  - chaostheory 11y ago
    Young poor people have access to the Internet, with that they also would have access to YC; even a lot of homeless people have Internet access. The only poor people without Internet access are poor, older people, which is due to a combination of ignorance and indifference. > YC just isn't doing the work to make that probable. I could be wrong but regardless of background, YC is looking for people who overcome obstacles. Internet access in the 1st world is one of the easier obstacles to overcome.
    - erikpukinskis 11y ago
      I'm not talking about Internet access. You can get that for free at the library. I'm talking about cultural knowledge and norms required to become aware of, and then signal competency to, YC.
      - chaostheory 11y ago
        > cultural knowledge and norms required to become aware of, and then signal competency to, YC. If the core problem is the poor's lack of skill in signally competency, how would it matter if the application was online or not (e.g. a mail in form)? I feel that YC programs that target specific minorities also already try to account for this issue in an efficient way, though I may wrong.
    - jgord 11y ago
      I wonder that even if these (talented but poor) people have internet access, they just wouldn't be thinking of even looking for these kinds of opportunities - I assume they would be spending all their time hunting for more traditional jobs.
- jgord 11y ago
  no, no I didnt mean they were excluding them - I just assume that those people are not spending their time on HN, and are unaware of YC [ and other funding / investment / scholarships generally ] due to their surrounding environment.

by jgord 11y ago

tim333 11y ago

Though I don't think they are dissuading people from poor and violent neighborhoods from applying at the moment.

erikpukinskis 11y ago
True, but they're not marketing to them. They're marketing to rich people, by using HN, the tech sphere, etc. If YC was interested in poor people they wouldn't do marketing the way they do. They also gear the application to rich people by making it just a form on the Internet. That's perfect for people who have enough privilege to figure out what an application should look like but it doesn't work for people who don't yet know what to say to someone like YC, or that YC even exists. That suggests YC only wants applicants who are already connected to their social network, or have close cultural ties to the YC community. Of course a poor person could technically apply. YC just isn't doing the work to make that probable. It's the difference between mechanical possibility and psycho-social possibility.
- chaostheory 11y ago
  Young poor people have access to the Internet, with that they also would have access to YC; even a lot of homeless people have Internet access. The only poor people without Internet access are poor, older people, which is due to a combination of ignorance and indifference. > YC just isn't doing the work to make that probable. I could be wrong but regardless of background, YC is looking for people who overcome obstacles. Internet access in the 1st world is one of the easier obstacles to overcome.
  - erikpukinskis 11y ago
    I'm not talking about Internet access. You can get that for free at the library. I'm talking about cultural knowledge and norms required to become aware of, and then signal competency to, YC.
    - chaostheory 11y ago
      > cultural knowledge and norms required to become aware of, and then signal competency to, YC. If the core problem is the poor's lack of skill in signally competency, how would it matter if the application was online or not (e.g. a mail in form)? I feel that YC programs that target specific minorities also already try to account for this issue in an efficient way, though I may wrong.
  - jgord 11y ago
    I wonder that even if these (talented but poor) people have internet access, they just wouldn't be thinking of even looking for these kinds of opportunities - I assume they would be spending all their time hunting for more traditional jobs.
jgord 11y ago
no, no I didnt mean they were excluding them - I just assume that those people are not spending their time on HN, and are unaware of YC [ and other funding / investment / scholarships generally ] due to their surrounding environment.