4 ms·

This is a pretty poorly substantiated article with racist undertones. How is this on HN again?

DavidAdams 15y ago
I agree that it's short on hard data. But I'm not sure I'm getting "racist." Classist, maybe? But I guess you can't talk about class issues at all without someone getting their panties in a wad. It seems like there are some objective claims here that would be pretty easy to refute. Is it true that Blackberry handsets and plans have become inexpensive and are a good way for people without a lot of money to talk and message without the kind of big monthly bill that plagues more well-heeled people? Is it true that while richer people are not buying Blackberries anymore, poorer people are? Is it some kind of value judgement to point this out, as something that's interesting to people who are interested in the mobile computing market?
- keithpeter 15y ago
  Some numbers for uk http://kijamedia.com/2011/08/uk-mobile-phone-ownership-by-brand/ http://kijamedia.com/2011/08/uk-mobile-phone-ownership-by-br... Anecdotal http://urbanmashup.wordpress.com/2011/08/08/the-london-riots-and-blackberrys-bbm-part-2/ http://urbanmashup.wordpress.com/2011/08/08/the-london-riots...
benbscholz 15y ago
I don't believe there are any "racist undertones" in the article. The article is observing a shift in the user demographics of blackberries from business executives to a lower economic class because the blackberry currently provides cheap messaging.
- rabble 15y ago
  Yeah, i wanted to talk about race and class, looking at who uses them. I find it ironic that folks were calling me racist (i think they meant classist). I in fact chose the nick, rabble, in part because i identify with the unwashed masses. It's been all over the UK news that the rioters using their blackberries were the rabble. :-) Perhaps people are calling me racist because of the mad men clip. The biz execs in that clip are racist. That's not to imply that today the execs at RIM are racist. I don't know them, couldn't tell you either way. The whole transition for blackberries is about class, not race anyway.
icarus_drowning 15y ago
Because it isn't racist.

I agree that it's short on hard data. But I'm not sure I'm getting "racist." Classist, maybe? But I guess you can't talk about class issues at all without someone getting their panties in a wad. It seems like there are some objective claims here that would be pretty easy to refute. Is it true that Blackberry handsets and plans have become inexpensive and are a good way for people without a lot of money to talk and message without the kind of big monthly bill that plagues more well-heeled people? Is it true that while richer people are not buying Blackberries anymore, poorer people are? Is it some kind of value judgement to point this out, as something that's interesting to people who are interested in the mobile computing market?

keithpeter 15y ago
Some numbers for uk http://kijamedia.com/2011/08/uk-mobile-phone-ownership-by-brand/ http://kijamedia.com/2011/08/uk-mobile-phone-ownership-by-br... Anecdotal http://urbanmashup.wordpress.com/2011/08/08/the-london-riots-and-blackberrys-bbm-part-2/ http://urbanmashup.wordpress.com/2011/08/08/the-london-riots...

benbscholz 15y ago

I don't believe there are any "racist undertones" in the article. The article is observing a shift in the user demographics of blackberries from business executives to a lower economic class because the blackberry currently provides cheap messaging.

rabble 15y ago
Yeah, i wanted to talk about race and class, looking at who uses them. I find it ironic that folks were calling me racist (i think they meant classist). I in fact chose the nick, rabble, in part because i identify with the unwashed masses. It's been all over the UK news that the rioters using their blackberries were the rabble. :-) Perhaps people are calling me racist because of the mad men clip. The biz execs in that clip are racist. That's not to imply that today the execs at RIM are racist. I don't know them, couldn't tell you either way. The whole transition for blackberries is about class, not race anyway.

icarus_drowning 15y ago

Because it isn't racist.