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The commenter is referring to the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestant_work_ethic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestant_work_ethic which is the cultural

The commenter is referring to the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestant_work_ethic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestant_work_ethic which is the cultural handmaiden of contemporary american capitalism.

flexie 6y ago
No. "Silicon Valley money wants to remake people in their images, they have a Protestant zealotry associated with their money that makes any oligarch look straight up sympathetic in comparison" The comment literally suggests that Silicon Valley billionaires (which it juxtaposes with old money) have a Protestant fanaticism associated with their money.
- eevilspock 6y ago
  > The comment literally suggests There is the root of your misunderstanding.
- B1FF_PSUVM 6y ago
  I found insightful, and completely agree with, the original "Protestant zealotry" assessment - it's not a religious argument, it's a philosophical one. It has everything to do with a moral perspective - that righteousness and wealth go hand in hand, and it does indeed come from the culture of the European Reform. It's not a matter of Christianity, it's mostly absent from Catholicism, and I suppose other strains. Think of the meaning, the moral implications, of the phrase "the deserving poor". Try translating it into other languages, and see what happens.
- dukeyukey 6y ago
  No, it doesn't literally suggest those founders are Protestant, it suggests those founders are following certain cultural norms that originated in highly-Protestant parts of the Northeast US, sometimes called the 'Protestant work ethic'. It does not say you need to be Protestant to follow those norms.
- lordnacho 6y ago
  WADR you've read the comment wrong. It literally does say Protestant, but it doesn't mean they are Protestants. Someone can have a fanaticism associated with Protestants without actually being one, and that's what he means. I also think it's actually not that confusing, assuming you're experienced in reading English. It might be more subtle if you spend most of your time in other languages.

flexie 6y ago

No. "Silicon Valley money wants to remake people in their images, they have a Protestant zealotry associated with their money that makes any oligarch look straight up sympathetic in comparison" The comment literally suggests that Silicon Valley billionaires (which it juxtaposes with old money) have a Protestant fanaticism associated with their money.

eevilspock 6y ago
> The comment literally suggests There is the root of your misunderstanding.
B1FF_PSUVM 6y ago
I found insightful, and completely agree with, the original "Protestant zealotry" assessment - it's not a religious argument, it's a philosophical one. It has everything to do with a moral perspective - that righteousness and wealth go hand in hand, and it does indeed come from the culture of the European Reform. It's not a matter of Christianity, it's mostly absent from Catholicism, and I suppose other strains. Think of the meaning, the moral implications, of the phrase "the deserving poor". Try translating it into other languages, and see what happens.
dukeyukey 6y ago
No, it doesn't literally suggest those founders are Protestant, it suggests those founders are following certain cultural norms that originated in highly-Protestant parts of the Northeast US, sometimes called the 'Protestant work ethic'. It does not say you need to be Protestant to follow those norms.
lordnacho 6y ago
WADR you've read the comment wrong. It literally does say Protestant, but it doesn't mean they are Protestants. Someone can have a fanaticism associated with Protestants without actually being one, and that's what he means. I also think it's actually not that confusing, assuming you're experienced in reading English. It might be more subtle if you spend most of your time in other languages.