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A young black man with a single mother from East Orange, NJ getting into Princeton itself is the achievement. The avg houshold income is ~50k, and over 20% of

by codemac 10y ago

A young black man with a single mother from East Orange, NJ getting into Princeton itself is the achievement. The avg houshold income is ~50k, and over 20% of their residents are under the poverty line. Yes, he skipped Econ recitations, but I think you're being almost absurdly reductionist for a fairly decent reflection on how someone ended up in a job they never expected. Not to mention the last sentence where he even states he feels "ridiculously privileged".

parennoob 10y ago
I don't think this is absurdly reductionist. As someone born in a poor country, my family's income was barely $2000 per year. Even allowing for a conversion factor of 10 while going to the USA, that is less than half of 50k. So it might be worth mentioning that this young man has a lot of advantages merely by being born in an average household in a first world country, and being located close enough to Princeton so he could talk to professors there, etc. That should not detract from his achievements, but maybe it can help put them in some kind of perspective.
- wueiued 10y ago
  Dont waste your time. We have our white/male privilege, and that is golden ticket on its own. Btw my father paid whopping $60/month child support for 5 children.
  - dang 10y ago
    It sounds like you've faced some major challenges. That's something we can all respect. But please don't channel that experience into resentment-filled comments on Hacker News. You make the discussion and the community worse when you do so. Instead, find a way to share your experience that does it justice in its own right. That would be more constructive, more interesting, and more dignified.
RamshackleJ 10y ago
Not to diminish the accomplishment but... There are entire states with lower avg household incomes. 20% below the poverty line is also substantially lower than many rust belt cities (detroit metro: ~39%, flint: ~55%, gary: 48.5%). Pieces like this are dangerous because they distract us from the often insurmountable challenges many children in america are born into

by codemac 10y ago

parennoob 10y ago

I don't think this is absurdly reductionist. As someone born in a poor country, my family's income was barely $2000 per year. Even allowing for a conversion factor of 10 while going to the USA, that is less than half of 50k. So it might be worth mentioning that this young man has a lot of advantages merely by being born in an average household in a first world country, and being located close enough to Princeton so he could talk to professors there, etc. That should not detract from his achievements, but maybe it can help put them in some kind of perspective.

wueiued 10y ago
Dont waste your time. We have our white/male privilege, and that is golden ticket on its own. Btw my father paid whopping $60/month child support for 5 children.
- dang 10y ago
  It sounds like you've faced some major challenges. That's something we can all respect. But please don't channel that experience into resentment-filled comments on Hacker News. You make the discussion and the community worse when you do so. Instead, find a way to share your experience that does it justice in its own right. That would be more constructive, more interesting, and more dignified.

RamshackleJ 10y ago

Not to diminish the accomplishment but... There are entire states with lower avg household incomes. 20% below the poverty line is also substantially lower than many rust belt cities (detroit metro: ~39%, flint: ~55%, gary: 48.5%). Pieces like this are dangerous because they distract us from the often insurmountable challenges many children in america are born into