7 ms·

(Author here) Just wanted to clarify, since it seems a lot of people seem to think I'm frustrated with being discriminated against. I'm not. It's a fact of lif

by kneath 14y ago

(Author here) Just wanted to clarify, since it seems a lot of people seem to think I'm frustrated with being discriminated against. I'm not. It's a fact of life. I got over it pretty early in life. I love being short, it's fucking awesome. If ever you meet me, you'd probably agree I don't have an issue with it. I wrote this article to illustrate the power of the internet and this industry we work in. I used two examples of actual stories that I've lived through to show a dichotomy. This is not to say there were people set out on destroying me because I was short. That's crazy. I wanted to point out an amazing thing the internet has brought on, and especially how amazing it can be for people who deal in pixels for a living. That being said, if ever you find yourself telling someone who talks of discrimination that it's their problem, you should probably re-evaluate your stance. This is why discrimination is so difficult to counteract — it's rarely a conscious or malicious process. I discriminate against people every day, and I'm discriminated against every day. To think otherwise is absurd.

callmevlad 14y ago
Hey Kyle, great post! Not sure if you remember, but we worked at that same company at exactly the same time (and I'm pretty sure we're exactly the same height). I was more on the programming side of things at the time, but when I found out the difference between what I was paid and how my hours were billed to clients (also around 20x), I had the same sort of reaction. Since I was just barely starting college at the time (so no degree, but had the skills), I really think this was mostly just a function of the labor market around that area. I had younger/taller/thicker/balder/older co-workers who were similarly 'discriminated' with respect to their salaries as they were starting out there. The high multiple probably had a lot to do with the type of clients this company was able to land. If I remember correctly, they charged something like 10x market rate for managed hosting, and clients happily paid because of the nature of the product. Also, I'd say the unique thing about you that made (makes) you really stand out is not just the pixels, it's the glorious combination of both pixels and bits [1]. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unicorn http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unicorn
kysol 14y ago
> I discriminate against people every day, and I'm discriminated against every day. First thing I thought of when I read that line was: Well yes, dropping support for older IE versions could be called discrimination, but its needed, and justified :)
sneak 14y ago
I secretly cringed after that time we were in Berlin and I told that terrible "Have you guys... SEEN KYLE??! (He's about this tall.)" joke. (For those that don't know it, you extend your right arm out, palm down, horizontally, while saying the last part loudly.) It wasn't until after I'd said it that a) I realized that it was totally and absolutely illegal to tell there and b) that I was calling attention to the height of someone named Kyle. Herpity derp.
- anonymous 14y ago
  That's a common misconception. Making fun of nazism is allowed. Spreading propaganda that nazism is the best thing since sliced bread is not.
  - tucson 14y ago
    > "Making fun of nazism is allowed." Making jokes using the word "Nazi" is common in America and England but is not well received by German people. I would recommend not making this type of jokes in Germany.
    - fghh45sdfhr3 14y ago
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xnNhzgcWTk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xnNhzgcWTk
    - bhaak 14y ago
      Depends on the German. I know Germans that are faster in telling Nazi jokes than I am. :-) Of course, only do that with those you know well enough. For the rest, the Fawlty Towers advice is golden.
  - watt 14y ago
    "seen kyle" might fall on the wrong side of "making fun of nazism" line however. To reiterate, it is illegal to make the Nazi salute in Germany. It is possible however to use the nazi salute in ironic/mocking way, but you would get arrested and the court would decide what is what. Few people have tried to make this defense, but ended up losing.
sitong 14y ago
Great post. I love that this industry is more a meritocracy than many others. One note: your ENTP link is https://entp.com/ https://entp.com/ when it should be http://entp.com/ http://entp.com/

by kneath 14y ago

callmevlad 14y ago

Hey Kyle, great post! Not sure if you remember, but we worked at that same company at exactly the same time (and I'm pretty sure we're exactly the same height). I was more on the programming side of things at the time, but when I found out the difference between what I was paid and how my hours were billed to clients (also around 20x), I had the same sort of reaction. Since I was just barely starting college at the time (so no degree, but had the skills), I really think this was mostly just a function of the labor market around that area. I had younger/taller/thicker/balder/older co-workers who were similarly 'discriminated' with respect to their salaries as they were starting out there. The high multiple probably had a lot to do with the type of clients this company was able to land. If I remember correctly, they charged something like 10x market rate for managed hosting, and clients happily paid because of the nature of the product. Also, I'd say the unique thing about you that made (makes) you really stand out is not just the pixels, it's the glorious combination of both pixels and bits [1]. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unicorn http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unicorn

kysol 14y ago

> I discriminate against people every day, and I'm discriminated against every day. First thing I thought of when I read that line was: Well yes, dropping support for older IE versions could be called discrimination, but its needed, and justified :)

sneak 14y ago

I secretly cringed after that time we were in Berlin and I told that terrible "Have you guys... SEEN KYLE??! (He's about this tall.)" joke. (For those that don't know it, you extend your right arm out, palm down, horizontally, while saying the last part loudly.) It wasn't until after I'd said it that a) I realized that it was totally and absolutely illegal to tell there and b) that I was calling attention to the height of someone named Kyle. Herpity derp.

anonymous 14y ago
That's a common misconception. Making fun of nazism is allowed. Spreading propaganda that nazism is the best thing since sliced bread is not.
- tucson 14y ago
  > "Making fun of nazism is allowed." Making jokes using the word "Nazi" is common in America and England but is not well received by German people. I would recommend not making this type of jokes in Germany.
  - fghh45sdfhr3 14y ago
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xnNhzgcWTk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xnNhzgcWTk
  - bhaak 14y ago
    Depends on the German. I know Germans that are faster in telling Nazi jokes than I am. :-) Of course, only do that with those you know well enough. For the rest, the Fawlty Towers advice is golden.
- watt 14y ago
  "seen kyle" might fall on the wrong side of "making fun of nazism" line however. To reiterate, it is illegal to make the Nazi salute in Germany. It is possible however to use the nazi salute in ironic/mocking way, but you would get arrested and the court would decide what is what. Few people have tried to make this defense, but ended up losing.

sitong 14y ago

Great post. I love that this industry is more a meritocracy than many others. One note: your ENTP link is https://entp.com/ https://entp.com/ when it should be http://entp.com/ http://entp.com/