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Everyone knows the answer is _yes_ without clicking. The only qualification is to modify "startups" to "startup culture." Are there exceptions? Of course! But
by aaroninsf 10y ago
Everyone knows the answer is _yes_ without clicking. The only qualification is to modify "startups" to "startup culture."
Are there exceptions? Of course!
But the prevailing culture enshrines and celebrates a lot of the worst aspects of being young, male, and competitive.
It's absolutely non-unique in this respect, but honestly, there should be a much stronger countervailing voice flatly stating, _we can do and be better than this_.
- Bartweiss 10y agoThe counterpoint is that it's still true if I modify "startup culture" to "culture". It may be more in-your-face when it's about colleagues, but drinking-as-socialization is an American (and European) pattern, not a startup one. It goes for college parties, it goes for dinner with clients at big companies, it goes for 4th of July barbecues, and it goes for fancy Sonoma Valley wine tastings. At a certain point it feels like pretense to blame it on startup culture - startup culture is largely an intensified, sped-up version of everyday culture, and everyday culture is plenty focused on drinking.
- aaroninsf 10y agoI disagree, though living in San Francisco it's hard to remember how unique and relatively narrow the cultural spectrum of this industry and place are. The marriage of drinking and and alpha dominance displays of all kinds, are in my life experience dominant elements in contemporary US culture; they are not even tolerated in some circles. In many places I have lived what they call 'nightlife' is strictly demarcated by space and time. I'd wager this is just one more place where the work / life distinction has become very blurred or has vanished entirely, around here. :/ In any event on the brighter side, we can look forward to the hangover!