5 ms·

I didn’t even begin to understand the patent system or even the business side of innovation until I was in my late 30s. Yet, I have noticed that the most financ

by afpx 9y ago

I didn’t even begin to understand the patent system or even the business side of innovation until I was in my late 30s. Yet, I have noticed that the most financially successful innovators that I know have had many family advisors and connections throughout their life. But, inequality is just a small piece. First, you need real education reform - educating kids on how the system operates. The current education system is broken and harmful. It teaches 99% of kids to become cogs in a system. And, after many years, they grow up to believe that being a cog is all there is. Instead, they need to learn how the system works and how to pull its levers and press its buttons to make it work for them. But, who is going to fund that? But, even that’s not enough. Smart kids also need access to capital (‘other people’s money’ as my very rich friends call it) and connections. Having those things makes a huge difference.

jcelerier 9y ago
> It teaches 99% of kids to become cogs in a system. working as intended then ?
- fudgepack99 9y ago
  >working as intended then ? Yes... the whole of education is to make society ignorant of reality. See here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYFxtNgOeiI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYFxtNgOeiI Then below... Our brains are much worse at reality and thinking than thought. Science on reasoning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYmi0DLzBdQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYmi0DLzBdQ Protectionism for the rich and big business by state intervention, radical market interference. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHj2GaPuEhY#t=349 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHj2GaPuEhY#t=349 Manufacturing consent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwU56Rv0OXM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwU56Rv0OXM https://vimeo.com/39566117 https://vimeo.com/39566117 "Intended as an internal document. Good reading to understand the nature of rich democracies and the fact that the common people are not allowed to play a role." Crisis of democracy http://trilateral.org/download/doc/crisis_of_democracy.pdf http://trilateral.org/download/doc/crisis_of_democracy.pdf Education as ignorance https://chomsky.info/warfare02/ https://chomsky.info/warfare02/ Testing theories of representative government https://scholar.princeton.edu/sites/default/files/mgilens/files/gilens_and_page_2014_-testing_theories_of_american_politics.doc.pdf https://scholar.princeton.edu/sites/default/files/mgilens/fi...
meri_dian 9y ago
1. We need "cogs" in the system. In a developed nation in the 21st century being a "cog" is a really great existence. 2. Profoundly gifted people generally do rise to the top as our system is already structured, assuming they want to, given the average amount of support. "The System" as it stands is doing a great job of the dual goals of helping the average live their lives to the fullest and also giving the gifted a chance to rise above the rest.
- afpx 9y ago
  I do agree that ‘cogs’ are necessary. However, shouldn’t the individual be able to decide that, not the educational system? The current system doesn’t enrich children in ways that allow kids to explore other options. Look up successful technology company founders - you’ll see that many went to alternative schools like Montessori. But, the vast majority of kids don’t have access to that type of exploratory education. I disagree about your second point based on my experiences. I grew up ‘gifted’ in a working class, rust belt city. Many of my schoolmates ended up with decent middle class jobs. And, a surprising number even went on to get PhDs. An even more surprising number didn’t make it to graduation. The majority of the PhDs ended up switching fields (with tremendous debt) after working for a few years. The few that went on to become professors, successful researchers, and innovatvators came from rich families with well-educated and successful parents. My main criticism of our system is that it doesn’t veer far from basic primate behavior. I would even bet that a general model of primate hierarchical system would do well in predicting human success. And, that’s an absurd model, especially today. Humans have given up or suppressed many primate behaviors in order to live in the modern world. But, we still hold on to familial hierarchical behavior - maybe because the dopamine rush of being at the top just feels so damn good. I am very curious to know your background and why you hold those opinions.
  - ataturk 9y ago
    Interesting comment. I grew up in a blue-ish collar rust-belt city, was "gifted" (whatever that means) and ended up getting a PhD (no debts, though) that I now arguably don't make money from. Everything you mentioned is very common, but I'm not sure that observation points to some kind of change we can make versus the underlying day to day realities of the US circa 2017. My big takeaway from years inside higher education both as a student and as staff and adjunct faculty is that the most successful people are those aligned with wealthy, connected families and despite my aptitude, I was always on the outside looking in. It's as though there are two colleges, two universities, which is the same in the "real world" also--a few get brought along because they're connected and the rest of us are encouraged to believe in the illusion, the lie, really, that we can have true upward mobility. I have been upwardly mobile, but only because where I came from was so low. In comparison to the insiders I am talking about, many of whom I would characterize as drooling idiots who would never make it on their own merits, my own arc is far less profound. The children of the wealthy and connected will always have the upper hand and there's nothing you can do about it other than take big risks to start your own business and build up wealth faster than working for someone else can accomplish. If you succeed, you will be "new money" and remain an outsider. You may improve the lot of your heirs, however. The biggest slap for me in my whole life of hard work and continuous improvement is the realization that I prospered more via marrying well than I have in my actual career and that even my relatively modest wealth does not compare to the most successful people because the bar has moved so incredibly far up.

by afpx 9y ago

jcelerier 9y ago

> It teaches 99% of kids to become cogs in a system. working as intended then ?

fudgepack99 9y ago
>working as intended then ? Yes... the whole of education is to make society ignorant of reality. See here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYFxtNgOeiI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYFxtNgOeiI Then below... Our brains are much worse at reality and thinking than thought. Science on reasoning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYmi0DLzBdQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYmi0DLzBdQ Protectionism for the rich and big business by state intervention, radical market interference. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHj2GaPuEhY#t=349 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHj2GaPuEhY#t=349 Manufacturing consent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwU56Rv0OXM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwU56Rv0OXM https://vimeo.com/39566117 https://vimeo.com/39566117 "Intended as an internal document. Good reading to understand the nature of rich democracies and the fact that the common people are not allowed to play a role." Crisis of democracy http://trilateral.org/download/doc/crisis_of_democracy.pdf http://trilateral.org/download/doc/crisis_of_democracy.pdf Education as ignorance https://chomsky.info/warfare02/ https://chomsky.info/warfare02/ Testing theories of representative government https://scholar.princeton.edu/sites/default/files/mgilens/files/gilens_and_page_2014_-testing_theories_of_american_politics.doc.pdf https://scholar.princeton.edu/sites/default/files/mgilens/fi...

meri_dian 9y ago

1. We need "cogs" in the system. In a developed nation in the 21st century being a "cog" is a really great existence. 2. Profoundly gifted people generally do rise to the top as our system is already structured, assuming they want to, given the average amount of support. "The System" as it stands is doing a great job of the dual goals of helping the average live their lives to the fullest and also giving the gifted a chance to rise above the rest.

afpx 9y ago
I do agree that ‘cogs’ are necessary. However, shouldn’t the individual be able to decide that, not the educational system? The current system doesn’t enrich children in ways that allow kids to explore other options. Look up successful technology company founders - you’ll see that many went to alternative schools like Montessori. But, the vast majority of kids don’t have access to that type of exploratory education. I disagree about your second point based on my experiences. I grew up ‘gifted’ in a working class, rust belt city. Many of my schoolmates ended up with decent middle class jobs. And, a surprising number even went on to get PhDs. An even more surprising number didn’t make it to graduation. The majority of the PhDs ended up switching fields (with tremendous debt) after working for a few years. The few that went on to become professors, successful researchers, and innovatvators came from rich families with well-educated and successful parents. My main criticism of our system is that it doesn’t veer far from basic primate behavior. I would even bet that a general model of primate hierarchical system would do well in predicting human success. And, that’s an absurd model, especially today. Humans have given up or suppressed many primate behaviors in order to live in the modern world. But, we still hold on to familial hierarchical behavior - maybe because the dopamine rush of being at the top just feels so damn good. I am very curious to know your background and why you hold those opinions.
- ataturk 9y ago
  Interesting comment. I grew up in a blue-ish collar rust-belt city, was "gifted" (whatever that means) and ended up getting a PhD (no debts, though) that I now arguably don't make money from. Everything you mentioned is very common, but I'm not sure that observation points to some kind of change we can make versus the underlying day to day realities of the US circa 2017. My big takeaway from years inside higher education both as a student and as staff and adjunct faculty is that the most successful people are those aligned with wealthy, connected families and despite my aptitude, I was always on the outside looking in. It's as though there are two colleges, two universities, which is the same in the "real world" also--a few get brought along because they're connected and the rest of us are encouraged to believe in the illusion, the lie, really, that we can have true upward mobility. I have been upwardly mobile, but only because where I came from was so low. In comparison to the insiders I am talking about, many of whom I would characterize as drooling idiots who would never make it on their own merits, my own arc is far less profound. The children of the wealthy and connected will always have the upper hand and there's nothing you can do about it other than take big risks to start your own business and build up wealth faster than working for someone else can accomplish. If you succeed, you will be "new money" and remain an outsider. You may improve the lot of your heirs, however. The biggest slap for me in my whole life of hard work and continuous improvement is the realization that I prospered more via marrying well than I have in my actual career and that even my relatively modest wealth does not compare to the most successful people because the bar has moved so incredibly far up.