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Because we're all temporarily embarrassed startup founders who haven't exited yet.

by et-al 10mo ago

tt24 10mo ago
This attitude is what’s beautiful about the United States and is in large part responsible for why it’s so wealthy. There’s a widespread faith and believe in the idea that there’s opportunity in every corner, regardless of familial status or other shortcomings. This belief is largely factual, as the vast majority of unicorn founders and billionaires come from an upper middle class uninteresting background.
- jjj123 10mo ago
  Couldn’t you also say it’s largely unfactual, since the vast majority of strivers and grinders never escape their economic class? I guess it depends on what opportunity means to you. Does it mean something that’s “likely” or “less than one in a thousand”? To me, a “one in a thousand” chance to strike it rich is not good enough to justify the immense suffering our economic system causes.
  - tt24 10mo ago
    Our economic system is actually the only thing that reduces suffering to this extent. It’s basically eliminated poverty, hunger, and healthcare scarcity.
    - jjj123 10mo ago
      When I say “our economic system” I am not talking about capitalism generally, I’m talking about the US system specifically, where we are: 51st in percentage of the population that lives in poverty [1] Decent but worse than social democratic countries like France and Germany in hunger [2] Ranked below Canada, France, Germany, the UK in healthcare outcomes, which all have more socialized systems than we do [3] So I stand behind my broader point: the culture of individualism in the US benefits a select few and hurts us as a whole. 1: https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/poverty-rate-by-country https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/poverty-r... 2: https://journalistsresource.org/home/food-insecurity-health/#:~:text=The%20U.S.%20rate%20of%20food,data%20about%20world's%20largest%20problems. https://journalistsresource.org/home/food-insecurity-health/... 3: https://www.commonwealthfund.org/sites/default/files/2024-09/PDF_Blumenthal_mirror_mirror_2024_Exhibits.pdf https://www.commonwealthfund.org/sites/default/files/2024-09...
      - tt24 10mo ago
        Calling it "poverty" is a misnomer - in the United States, even the poorest get food, healthcare, and housing.

Because we're all temporarily embarrassed startup founders who haven't exited yet.

by et-al 10mo ago

Because we're all temporarily embarrassed startup founders who haven't exited yet.

tt24 10mo ago

This attitude is what’s beautiful about the United States and is in large part responsible for why it’s so wealthy. There’s a widespread faith and believe in the idea that there’s opportunity in every corner, regardless of familial status or other shortcomings. This belief is largely factual, as the vast majority of unicorn founders and billionaires come from an upper middle class uninteresting background.

jjj123 10mo ago
Couldn’t you also say it’s largely unfactual, since the vast majority of strivers and grinders never escape their economic class? I guess it depends on what opportunity means to you. Does it mean something that’s “likely” or “less than one in a thousand”? To me, a “one in a thousand” chance to strike it rich is not good enough to justify the immense suffering our economic system causes.
- tt24 10mo ago
  Our economic system is actually the only thing that reduces suffering to this extent. It’s basically eliminated poverty, hunger, and healthcare scarcity.
  - jjj123 10mo ago
    When I say “our economic system” I am not talking about capitalism generally, I’m talking about the US system specifically, where we are: 51st in percentage of the population that lives in poverty [1] Decent but worse than social democratic countries like France and Germany in hunger [2] Ranked below Canada, France, Germany, the UK in healthcare outcomes, which all have more socialized systems than we do [3] So I stand behind my broader point: the culture of individualism in the US benefits a select few and hurts us as a whole. 1: https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/poverty-rate-by-country https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/poverty-r... 2: https://journalistsresource.org/home/food-insecurity-health/#:~:text=The%20U.S.%20rate%20of%20food,data%20about%20world's%20largest%20problems. https://journalistsresource.org/home/food-insecurity-health/... 3: https://www.commonwealthfund.org/sites/default/files/2024-09/PDF_Blumenthal_mirror_mirror_2024_Exhibits.pdf https://www.commonwealthfund.org/sites/default/files/2024-09...
    - tt24 10mo ago
      Calling it "poverty" is a misnomer - in the United States, even the poorest get food, healthcare, and housing.