7 ms·

Unpacking my knapsack: the privileges of a Hispanic male in tech

115 points by danilocampos 14y ago

GuiA 14y ago
Thanks for sharing. You'll probably like this essay¹, which made it big on HN² a few weeks ago. ¹: http://whatever.scalzi.com/2012/07/23/a-self-made-man-looks-at-how-he-made-it/ http://whatever.scalzi.com/2012/07/23/a-self-made-man-looks-... ²: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4965041 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4965041
incision 14y ago
Interesting way of looking at things. Take away the stability, college-educated parent, examples of success, spare time and replace Caguas with Washington D.C. and we've had a similar experiences. I've been known to expound to anyone who will listen about the amazing opportunity that I believe a career in tech presents for "climbing out". I could certainly be wrong, but given my circumstances it's hard to imagine coming as far as I have doing anything else.
- danilocampos 14y ago
  How'd you get started on that climb out?
  - incision 14y ago
    Like you demonstrate, there were a number of privileges that laid the foundation, but the earliest pivotal point probably came when I was teenager somewhere around '93. I started spending all my free time reading about computers (I didn't own one) at the public library, later extending that to used books and eventually saving up to buy a used IBM XT. I managed to teach myself enough to impress the office folks at my landscaping job, gained some part time experience there, landed an internship and had my first "real" IT job by late '97.
    - danilocampos 14y ago
      So many feels as I read this. That's fantastic – you make me feel like I was doing my run on easy mode. A great argument in favor of funding for public libraries, or their 21st-century equivalent. Way to get it done.
      - incision 14y ago
        >A great argument in favor of funding for public libraries, or their 21st-century equivalent. Yeah, I think about this often. The public library was a huge part of my life from as early as I can remember - my window to the world. That hasn't changed for a lot of people, but the method of delivery is different. The library is now a place to access the Internet. It puts things in perspective to see people line up at the library for a time-limited shot at the kind of access to information I've grown to take for granted. This leads to be a strong supporter of efforts to spread cheap/free Internet access.
        winter_blue 14y ago
        Not just cheap internet, but also more free/open books. Also less restricted access to journals, research papers, etc.
alts 14y ago
I met Danilo (briefly) at a Grubwithus dinner a while back in the SF. It's strange to type, but I never suspected he was Latino based on appearance. I'm in a similar boat, where I pass as white. There have been a number of times in my (so far) short career where it's been made evidently clear that if I didn't pass as white, things would be very different for me. I appreciate this post though. It's from a perspective I don't hear too often, and I've been slow to contribute my own. So, thanks.
- danilocampos 14y ago
  Hi again! Wow, I forgot about that part. I've done that thought experiment a couple times myself, how it would affect things if I looked markedly different. It's always a little scary, honestly.
- malandrew 14y ago
  I'm in the same boat. Brazilian born to a Brazilian father and British mother. Lived in the US since 4 years of age. I also pass as a white American (but still have to deal with DHS and immigration bullshit because bureaucratic red tape has delayed my ability to apply for citizenship). Like Danilo said, there is no replacement for having lived and grown up in the United States. I'm a native English speaker, but Portuguese was my first language. I'm fully fluent in Portuguese, but I wish I spoke at native fluency. However I would not trade my native English fluency for native Portuguese fluency. English is simply way too valuable.
- ced 14y ago
  There have been a number of times in my (so far) short career where it's been made evidently clear that if I didn't pass as white, things would be very different for me. Can you expand on that?
  - Yoms 14y ago
    Please do expand. I look very Hispanic, and have a marked accent. What have I been missing in life?
rabialam 14y ago
Very interesting take, especially at the end in enumerating privileges. I had a similar experience with my own Mom's Macintosh SE being the gateway to my life in tech, and I don't know what I would done if she didn't introduce me to that at such a young age. I have been so lucky. Born in the States (even though mom's a foreigner which was a blessing in a lot of ways on account of the work ethic she tried to bestow upon me), college educated male with tech skills that were developed sort of circumstantially but very intensely at a very early age -- I feel so lucky, as if I "had a winning lottery ticket" for sure. And now, even as I am finally able to enjoy the the excitement and passion of a career that is exactly what I want to be doing -- I find myself so often feeling so incredibly anxious about why I am not doing more to help others gain access to my world. Frankly, I think that it's rare that (and sad that it's rare that) we have open discussions in the tech community about that word "privilege" where there isn't an INTENSE amount of denial, apathy, minimization, skepticism and disbelief (which, sadly, are some of the most common results of such privilege). For me, this post was a breath of fresh air that adequately expressed a lot of what I feel everyday -- I feel so lucky, but I feel so torn. Yes, I think I worked really hard to make good on my skills and develop them. No, I do not think that makes the world even remotely fair. Yes, I still feel like it is so unfair that in a lot of respects it is almost CERTAINLY a lottery. Yes, it continues to bother me that I feel sort of powerless about that divide, but yes, I would like to bridge that. Perhaps part of that is to start blogging as you have. I think that's what I like so much about this post: you are really leading by example in a way that is rare and yet quite needed. Good on you, and I look forward to reading more.
- danilocampos 14y ago
  > Frankly, I think that it's rare that (and sad that it's rare that) we have open discussions in the tech community about that word "privilege" where there isn't an INTENSE amount of denial, apathy, minimization, skepticism and disbelief (which, sadly, are some of the most common results of such privilege) Thank you for your comment – I'm glad you appreciated it, and that you mentioned the hostility a lot of this conversation can breed. Part of the problem, I think, is that it feels like an accusation to tell someone about their privileges. No one likes to be confronted, no one likes to feel like their hard work is being short-changed. So I decided to try and turn the conversation around. Maybe it'll be better received.
anewguy999 14y ago
I don't like including values in "privilege" because it removes the normative force behind such values. While luck plays a role in success, especially great success, it is well within the reach of many people to get ahead by adopting the right values. Furthermore, adopting these values will make the world a better place and reduce the burden on public services. I know that non-judgment is the default modern moral stance. But there ought to be a way that we can advertise and support the values of self-reliance and respect for others without sounding accusative. Yes, luck plays a part in success, but why are we so focused on that part and not the easily repeatable values that will help out most poor people who adopt them?
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
- danilocampos 14y ago
  What you may be missing is that values must be taught. And not everyone gets that tutelage. The values may be universal, but the opportunity to learn them is less so.
  - jerrya 14y ago
    Hey, I don't know you at all, and I'm truly only pulling your chain, and maybe I am missing your natural humor but shortly before you write of the privilege of values, and how you knew Anthony was wrong in thieving candy, you were using "a pirated copy of Photoshop".
    - danilocampos 14y ago
      I had no one to teach me the values of intellectual property. :) But I think we can agree that while I harmed Adobe not at all through my transgression (they have been more than paid back in licenses bought since), that store lost real money.
      - rz2k 14y ago
        Though it would be a real challenge to quantify, I bet that Adobe ultimately made more money in the end out of the arrangement than if you had simply foregone learning the software, using those skills with legitimately purchased tools later, and indirectly through contributions to the wider industry. However, that just means that in this case where the alternative was no use Adobe wasn't hurt by pirating. However, in another situation when the alternative to pirating is the sale of software, the loss isn't any less real than the loss to the candy store of not selling candy because it was stolen. -- On another topic, do you believe that there would be significantly more opportunity in Puerto Rico with statehood?
andyl 14y ago
So many others just wallow in grievances - I'm grateful to read this piece. Inspires me make the best of gifts that come for free, and pass it on when I can.
- pekk 14y ago
  So many other whats?
rey 14y ago
I love how you articulate the privileges you've had in your life, which buoyed your career. It's a rare exercise and one that I encourage people to do. All too often, we take for granted these "invisible stepping-stones" that brought us to where we are now (I recently wrote about these invisible privileges for the Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rey-faustino/the-empathy-gap_b_2498952.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rey-faustino/the-empathy-gap_b...). I also was an immigrant to the US, and it sounds like we have a similar immigration story. I wonder what it would be like to be born in a low-income community in the US where social mobility is difficult. Do you think you would be where you are now if you grew up in that kind of environment?
- incision 14y ago
  >I wonder what it would be like to be born in a low-income community in the US where social mobility is difficult. I fit that description. In short, my personal, anecdotal experience says immigrants often place a greater value on education, recognize more viable options for success, are more supportive of each other and have less fear of stepping out of their comfort zone. I saw no shortage of people hamstrung by each of those things growing up, particularly the de-valuing of education.
  - rey 14y ago
    Yes, immigrant communities historically have been known to be more collaborative and to have more upward social mobility because of that. When I worked in East Palo Alto, which is a low-income community in the heart of Silicon Valley, I sometimes felt like it was like living and working in a bucket full of lobsters. Instead of being helped up out of the bucket, we'd get clawed down. But slowly and surely, the work of community leaders, nonprofits and community organizers are changing this landscape and building up a new generation of kids who think differently.
  - superflit 14y ago
    The main reason is: 'Immigrants' do not have 'welfare' support. Mostly are 'undocumented'. Yes.. we can get at ER and school. but no stamps, disability or unemployment checks. So we have to help each other and never rely on gov...
cantastoria 14y ago
That list doesn't really contain many privileges in the "unpacking the knapsack" sense, in that they aren't advantages you have just because of your race/class/gender. If anything it shows that these opportunities/advantages are available to those to who pursue them whether it be you or your parents or your country. Perhaps you are underestimating the impact that hard work has had on your life and over-estimating the impact of "privileges" you list. Certainly, you were born into such favorable circumstances (although your parents/family seemed to have been very intentional in creating that for you) but you wouldn't be successful in tech without the hard work part. I wonder what motivates you to emphasize the former and not the latter?
- danilocampos 14y ago
  > in that they aren't advantages you have just because of your race/class/gender. Clearly not – they are advantages that are atypical to my race and starting class, but entirely typical to a great many of the people I've encountered in my work. That's what was interesting to me about the exploration. > but you wouldn't be successful in tech without the hard work part. I completely agree. I'll put it to you like this: I may have run in the race, and that was all my effort, but someone needed to first put me on plane for me to even compete.
  - cantastoria 14y ago
    I'll put it to you like this: I may have run in the race, and that was all my effort, but someone needed to first put me on plane for me to even compete. Sure, but they worked hard to be able to put on that plane. That you recognized the opportunity and took it is a tribute to you and them. It sounds like you're the product of a lot of hard work (and maybe a little luck). Why minimize that by calling it privilege? It does a disservice to you and those who've helped you.
    - danilocampos 14y ago
      Well, that's the important point about this. It is privilege because not everyone got parents who gave a damn. Not everyone got parents who would bother to teach them things or buy them a computer. Some people just aren't getting those things in their lives. And as long as that's true, these things are privileges. So I am grateful. But I know that you can't universally pick up any given person with my background, tell them to work hard, and have that be enough.
denzil_correa 14y ago
Thanks for sharing! I loved the way you sum up everything So I stand upon the shoulders of giants. Holding a winning lottery ticket. It made me realize the "giant shoulders" I stood on to make me reach where I am today. It is a humbling experience to put life in perspective.
zeteo 14y ago
>I saw breathtaking houses that gave me pole stars for what I could achieve in my life. Geez Louise. I sure hope you will use all your advantages in life for better purposes than acquiring a fancy mansion. There are so many difficult, but worthwhile problems out there.
- danilocampos 14y ago
  Poorly stated, I agree. I meant only to contrast that with the squalor of where I might have grown up instead.
- mahmud 14y ago
  Isn't that, like, the "American Dream"? Don't tell people how to spend their time and money.
  - danilocampos 14y ago
    He's right, though, buying McMansions is dumb.
    - mahmud 14y ago
      Why are you blogging when you could be out there curing cancer? It's a much more worthwhile undertaking. See? I am also right, in a vague, generic sense. But it's the sort of advice that doesn't contribute anything to your life, and only makes me feel slightly superior.
      - danilocampos 14y ago
        Partly because I'm too dumb to cure cancer. ;) But I do take your point. And I am pleased to make your acquaintance, I enjoy your comments.
    - vecinu 14y ago
      I know there is no point in continuing this useless debate but I wanted to bring to light that if it was financially feasible and I had 6 children, a mansion might actually be USEFUL.
dfamorato 14y ago
It is a nice perspective to see that other people also live "The American Dream". I am brazilian, born and raised in Brazil, but had the privilege of coming here twice (Disney) when I was a teenager. This was when I decided to eventually move to US at my first opportunity (20 years old). It was for sure, the best decision of my life since the opportunities and lifestyle that I have here in US are simply just short of impossible back in Brazil. 7 Years in US gave me the opportunity to really grow professionally and personally. I think my story is the similar to Danilo's…. Great parents, great support and education when growing up but ultimately, after age 17, "you are by yourself", which also includes paying for you college education if you want one. For enabling me to get amazing education with scholarships and free content made available by US Colleges and Universities, also to accepting me as one of your own, THANK YOU AMERICA !
jtreminio 14y ago
> I know with certainty that having access to America – the mainland, the honest-to-god US of A – was the most crucial part of my privilege. Simply being an American, even if from a non-state, was your biggest advantage and privilege. I was an illegal immigrant living in Texas until I turned 19 or so, when Nicaraguans were granted amnesty. Since then, my quality of life has only gone up and up.
ivzar 14y ago
For more on the effect of hereditary privilege, read Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell.
mxuribe 14y ago
Big kudos for this post, and to you danilocampos!
Yoms 14y ago
I think your post lays out a clear case that it comes down to parenting, hard work, and access to the USA. And as an American (Puerto Rican) you had access to the only one ordinary people can't control. But I feel your article gets derailed with too many anecdotal stories. Some rub me the wrong way, but maybe I'm just reading it wrong... I was also born in Puerto Rico and grew up in Caguas (Bairoa). But that wasn't a bad thing... I have a horrible accent (which seems will never disappear) and would probably not pass the Texas State Trooper test. But that has not impacted my career... My family was religious, but the first person I met who believed the world was only a few thousand years old was in Florida. I find it irritating that you would insinuate Puerto Ricans don't believe in Science... I don't think being or not being Hispanic has anything to do with it. There are plenty of people, minorities or not, stuck in crappy areas. With good parenting, they can at least ensure their kids have a chance at hard work. It's what helped you, and what helped me. I was also the first person in my family with a six figure salary. We should chat though, boricuas in tech has to be a very small group ;).
- vladsanchez 14y ago
  Same boat, Boricua in tech, same traits. Read the article the right way, and liked the anecdotes. Take care.
- Jayschwa 14y ago
  vladsanchez 3 hours ago | link [dead] Same boat, Boricua in tech, same traits. Read the article the right way, and liked the anecdotes. Take care.
ebf 14y ago
I wonder if the same commentators who disagree with the author's usage of "privilege," also believe Silicon Valley is a meritocracy.
gfosco 14y ago
It's amazing how far back, and how complicated a chain of events can be that lead to a specific outcome. Similarly, I look back in awe at the luck and good fortune I've had. I owe my entire life-path of technology to my grandfather on my fathers side. He was an electrical engineer, far ahead of his time, and when he was done playing with something he sent it to us. I was privileged to receive a TI-99 at age 5, a C64 at age 6, and an 8088 after that. I was hooked from the start, and computers have been the single most important constant in my life ever since.
- enneff 14y ago
  I, too, owe my technological career to my father's father, who was an engineer. He died recently and I wrote about it here: https://plus.google.com/106356964679457436995/posts/dcPPziC1ajt https://plus.google.com/106356964679457436995/posts/dcPPziC1...
confluence 14y ago
You know what I always find so hilarious. How people always seem to qualify luck - even when they show us how lucky they have actually been. I continuously hear statements like "it's partly luck", or "luck is obviously a component of it", or "luck is clearly a factor", or "luck plays a role" [1] - all attempting to downplay the enormous magnitude random chance has on our daily lives. Hell, they might even put numbers on it like "it's probably 50% luck", or "90% luck". Nobody seems willing to go all they way to and just come out and say "Yeah - I got really lucky and that's about all there is to the story". The just world fallacy is a very, very strong illusion. Life's a crapshoot. It's all luck. [1] - http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5174488 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5174488
- Jayschwa 14y ago
  Are you suggesting that outcomes are purely the result of random chance, and that an individual's values and behavior have no bearing?
  - confluence 14y ago
    Where you do think your values and behaviours came from in the first place? Your values/behaviours are given to you via both your genes and your environment - which are effectively random. If your parents were prone to addictive behaviour in an environment that provides addictive substances - you will probably do the same. This reminds me of thing I've always found highly curious about how the religious think. They can't seem to understand that their choice in religion is relatively arbitrary and geographically dependent. Born in America you're Christian. Born in Pakistan now you're Muslim. Born in India now you're Hindu. Born in Israel now you're Jewish. The fact that people can't seem to understand that the reason they believe in X god instead of Y is merely a question of a few hundred miles. Life is particularly arbitrary. For example: I'm an atheist because of my environment (middle-class male, western country, studies science and technology, with access to freedom of speech). This is irrelevant as to whether atheism is actually the right option (which I believe it is - but then of course I would :) - the key fact to understand here is how the environment determined it. Finally, physics eliminates the case for free will. So yes - you do what you do because you were set up to do it. We're all just biological machines.
orangethirty 14y ago
I live in the same town you were born. Conditions are still hard. Unemployment is through the roof. The few programming jobs available pay around $10/hr. And they are mostly doing maintenance on old C#/Visual Basic systems.But that's better than what most of the population gets. Minimum wage is the norm. People make around 12K per year, and have to deal with very high costs of living. Plus the shitty infrastructure. I had it rough, too. Grew up in a barrio. Where most of my childhood friends are either dead, in jail, or crackheads. Few ever managed to make it into college (I did not). I'm the only one who has actually made something out of himself. But not without a lot of hardships. Not long ago (less than 5 years ago) I was completely broke, no transportation, no job, nothing. But somehow I kept moving forward. Throwing punches whenever I could. Like you, I was lucky. My parents got me a computer ( a C64) early on. No one else in a radius of 5 sq. miles had a computer. It was the best thing to ever happen to me. It gave something for me to hold on to when all my friends were busy learning how to sell drugs. It kept me safe at home when drive-by-shootings started to happen. It also helped me not get a young lady pregnant (which was the norm). Nowdays, I am an accomplished engineer, marketing consultant, and entrepreneur. I work remotely, with a great team, building a very tough system (that has me writing code like crazy in different languages). Also help great people build their businesses into powerhouses. Best of all, I get to build my own businesses, which I find extremely fun (to the point of even doing some as a hobby). Who knows what would have happened to me had I not discovered my love for code? I know that I would not be able to say how proud I am of reading about a fellow puertorican who has made it. Good luck, and let me know if you ever visit. I know a place who makes great frituras.
- danilocampos 14y ago
  Wow, what a story. Thank you for sharing it. I always had some notion of the depressing realities I'd have faced if I stuck around on the island – but your testimony takes it to a new level. It's amazing. Education really is the silver bullet. And computers are the most revolutionary education tool ever devised. Way to climb out of a tough spot, my fellow boricua.
  - intended 14y ago
    Education is a good bullet, but its part of an arsenal. Not everyone can make of the tools the same house you have fashioned, which follows from people themselves being massively varied. I suspect that many tools in your tool case would be used in a variety of manners for people who wanted to get out. --- Side note - I've heard "education is the silver bullet for our problems" and seen it applied with very disappointing results. On one hand it has definitely given several people a path to move up in life. But its also been terrible for the rest of the populace. It ended up creating legions of people who are literate but not 'educated'. A curious situation where people can say they know about rationality without having to be rational. It produces legions of people who can perform mental athletics like rote memorization, or mental calculus and other tricks, but about poor understanding of the logic of the underlying principles they apply. The number of people who grow up to be like the two of you is few and far between.
0xfaded 14y ago
tldr; Won the birth lottery, currently in Ukraine doing some soul searching, arrived at same conclusion that I want to give back but don't know how. I can't deny I did well in birth lottery, and due to similar circumstances I wound up a programmer with an amazing job and even more amazing opportunities. That's not the point of this post however. I am currently on holidays in Europe and am spending a month in Ukraine. I can't even begin to describe how the people I've met and the conversions I've had with them have changed me. To sum it up briefly, Ukraine is one of the most corrupt countries in the world. Kiev looks like a modern European capital, and there is obviously money around judging by the number of luxury SUVs on the road. Yet $400/month is considered a good wage, unless one has the appropriate connections. In short, European costs of living coupled with developing world wages. The post's ending about somehow giving back is what resonated most to me. When I was a student I was fortunate enough to have free time and the money to explore my outside interests; fast forward 4 years and I have taught myself Japanese to fluency and have lived in the country on 3 separate occasions. I've met a student here that who I see a lot of my self in, she gets top grades and has an inexplicable interest in Japan. It is her dream to work there and she studies the language in her spare time. The only difference is that she works a full time job to pay for her studies (unrelated to Japanese) which are also full time. The reality is that she doesn't have the free time I did to learn Japanese, let alone the funds to visit independently. It kills me inside knowing that two weeks of my salary would give her a year of free time and the same opportunity I had to pursue my interest in Japan. There are a lot of posts below about how education could be a silver bullet. I know what has affected my life most, however, was the ability to pursue my own interests. Competencies in any area will open doors, maybe not doors as wide as those available to programmers, but doors to better places none the less. In her case Japanese language competency would make her eligible for the MEXT scholarships paid for by the Japanese government. Honestly, I have debated offering to loan her a year's salary to be paid back if and when it is ever convenient for her. My conclusion is that the same could also be used to sponsor a child through to high school, and something else tells me its just not the right thing to do. Yet I arrive at the same internal conflict that you do, how to give back after winning the lottery. For the record there are no romantic interests at stake here.

115 points by danilocampos 14y ago

GuiA 14y ago

Thanks for sharing. You'll probably like this essay¹, which made it big on HN² a few weeks ago. ¹: http://whatever.scalzi.com/2012/07/23/a-self-made-man-looks-at-how-he-made-it/ http://whatever.scalzi.com/2012/07/23/a-self-made-man-looks-... ²: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4965041 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4965041

incision 14y ago

Interesting way of looking at things. Take away the stability, college-educated parent, examples of success, spare time and replace Caguas with Washington D.C. and we've had a similar experiences. I've been known to expound to anyone who will listen about the amazing opportunity that I believe a career in tech presents for "climbing out". I could certainly be wrong, but given my circumstances it's hard to imagine coming as far as I have doing anything else.

danilocampos 14y ago
How'd you get started on that climb out?
- incision 14y ago
  Like you demonstrate, there were a number of privileges that laid the foundation, but the earliest pivotal point probably came when I was teenager somewhere around '93. I started spending all my free time reading about computers (I didn't own one) at the public library, later extending that to used books and eventually saving up to buy a used IBM XT. I managed to teach myself enough to impress the office folks at my landscaping job, gained some part time experience there, landed an internship and had my first "real" IT job by late '97.
  - danilocampos 14y ago
    So many feels as I read this. That's fantastic – you make me feel like I was doing my run on easy mode. A great argument in favor of funding for public libraries, or their 21st-century equivalent. Way to get it done.
    - incision 14y ago
      >A great argument in favor of funding for public libraries, or their 21st-century equivalent. Yeah, I think about this often. The public library was a huge part of my life from as early as I can remember - my window to the world. That hasn't changed for a lot of people, but the method of delivery is different. The library is now a place to access the Internet. It puts things in perspective to see people line up at the library for a time-limited shot at the kind of access to information I've grown to take for granted. This leads to be a strong supporter of efforts to spread cheap/free Internet access.
      - winter_blue 14y ago
        Not just cheap internet, but also more free/open books. Also less restricted access to journals, research papers, etc.

alts 14y ago

I met Danilo (briefly) at a Grubwithus dinner a while back in the SF. It's strange to type, but I never suspected he was Latino based on appearance. I'm in a similar boat, where I pass as white. There have been a number of times in my (so far) short career where it's been made evidently clear that if I didn't pass as white, things would be very different for me. I appreciate this post though. It's from a perspective I don't hear too often, and I've been slow to contribute my own. So, thanks.

danilocampos 14y ago
Hi again! Wow, I forgot about that part. I've done that thought experiment a couple times myself, how it would affect things if I looked markedly different. It's always a little scary, honestly.
malandrew 14y ago
I'm in the same boat. Brazilian born to a Brazilian father and British mother. Lived in the US since 4 years of age. I also pass as a white American (but still have to deal with DHS and immigration bullshit because bureaucratic red tape has delayed my ability to apply for citizenship). Like Danilo said, there is no replacement for having lived and grown up in the United States. I'm a native English speaker, but Portuguese was my first language. I'm fully fluent in Portuguese, but I wish I spoke at native fluency. However I would not trade my native English fluency for native Portuguese fluency. English is simply way too valuable.
ced 14y ago
There have been a number of times in my (so far) short career where it's been made evidently clear that if I didn't pass as white, things would be very different for me. Can you expand on that?
- Yoms 14y ago
  Please do expand. I look very Hispanic, and have a marked accent. What have I been missing in life?

rabialam 14y ago

Very interesting take, especially at the end in enumerating privileges. I had a similar experience with my own Mom's Macintosh SE being the gateway to my life in tech, and I don't know what I would done if she didn't introduce me to that at such a young age. I have been so lucky. Born in the States (even though mom's a foreigner which was a blessing in a lot of ways on account of the work ethic she tried to bestow upon me), college educated male with tech skills that were developed sort of circumstantially but very intensely at a very early age -- I feel so lucky, as if I "had a winning lottery ticket" for sure. And now, even as I am finally able to enjoy the the excitement and passion of a career that is exactly what I want to be doing -- I find myself so often feeling so incredibly anxious about why I am not doing more to help others gain access to my world. Frankly, I think that it's rare that (and sad that it's rare that) we have open discussions in the tech community about that word "privilege" where there isn't an INTENSE amount of denial, apathy, minimization, skepticism and disbelief (which, sadly, are some of the most common results of such privilege). For me, this post was a breath of fresh air that adequately expressed a lot of what I feel everyday -- I feel so lucky, but I feel so torn. Yes, I think I worked really hard to make good on my skills and develop them. No, I do not think that makes the world even remotely fair. Yes, I still feel like it is so unfair that in a lot of respects it is almost CERTAINLY a lottery. Yes, it continues to bother me that I feel sort of powerless about that divide, but yes, I would like to bridge that. Perhaps part of that is to start blogging as you have. I think that's what I like so much about this post: you are really leading by example in a way that is rare and yet quite needed. Good on you, and I look forward to reading more.

danilocampos 14y ago
> Frankly, I think that it's rare that (and sad that it's rare that) we have open discussions in the tech community about that word "privilege" where there isn't an INTENSE amount of denial, apathy, minimization, skepticism and disbelief (which, sadly, are some of the most common results of such privilege) Thank you for your comment – I'm glad you appreciated it, and that you mentioned the hostility a lot of this conversation can breed. Part of the problem, I think, is that it feels like an accusation to tell someone about their privileges. No one likes to be confronted, no one likes to feel like their hard work is being short-changed. So I decided to try and turn the conversation around. Maybe it'll be better received.

anewguy999 14y ago

I don't like including values in "privilege" because it removes the normative force behind such values. While luck plays a role in success, especially great success, it is well within the reach of many people to get ahead by adopting the right values. Furthermore, adopting these values will make the world a better place and reduce the burden on public services. I know that non-judgment is the default modern moral stance. But there ought to be a way that we can advertise and support the values of self-reliance and respect for others without sounding accusative. Yes, luck plays a part in success, but why are we so focused on that part and not the easily repeatable values that will help out most poor people who adopt them?

deleted 14y ago
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danilocampos 14y ago
What you may be missing is that values must be taught. And not everyone gets that tutelage. The values may be universal, but the opportunity to learn them is less so.
- jerrya 14y ago
  Hey, I don't know you at all, and I'm truly only pulling your chain, and maybe I am missing your natural humor but shortly before you write of the privilege of values, and how you knew Anthony was wrong in thieving candy, you were using "a pirated copy of Photoshop".
  - danilocampos 14y ago
    I had no one to teach me the values of intellectual property. :) But I think we can agree that while I harmed Adobe not at all through my transgression (they have been more than paid back in licenses bought since), that store lost real money.
    - rz2k 14y ago
      Though it would be a real challenge to quantify, I bet that Adobe ultimately made more money in the end out of the arrangement than if you had simply foregone learning the software, using those skills with legitimately purchased tools later, and indirectly through contributions to the wider industry. However, that just means that in this case where the alternative was no use Adobe wasn't hurt by pirating. However, in another situation when the alternative to pirating is the sale of software, the loss isn't any less real than the loss to the candy store of not selling candy because it was stolen. -- On another topic, do you believe that there would be significantly more opportunity in Puerto Rico with statehood?

andyl 14y ago

So many others just wallow in grievances - I'm grateful to read this piece. Inspires me make the best of gifts that come for free, and pass it on when I can.

pekk 14y ago
So many other whats?

rey 14y ago

I love how you articulate the privileges you've had in your life, which buoyed your career. It's a rare exercise and one that I encourage people to do. All too often, we take for granted these "invisible stepping-stones" that brought us to where we are now (I recently wrote about these invisible privileges for the Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rey-faustino/the-empathy-gap_b_2498952.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rey-faustino/the-empathy-gap_b...). I also was an immigrant to the US, and it sounds like we have a similar immigration story. I wonder what it would be like to be born in a low-income community in the US where social mobility is difficult. Do you think you would be where you are now if you grew up in that kind of environment?

incision 14y ago
>I wonder what it would be like to be born in a low-income community in the US where social mobility is difficult. I fit that description. In short, my personal, anecdotal experience says immigrants often place a greater value on education, recognize more viable options for success, are more supportive of each other and have less fear of stepping out of their comfort zone. I saw no shortage of people hamstrung by each of those things growing up, particularly the de-valuing of education.
- rey 14y ago
  Yes, immigrant communities historically have been known to be more collaborative and to have more upward social mobility because of that. When I worked in East Palo Alto, which is a low-income community in the heart of Silicon Valley, I sometimes felt like it was like living and working in a bucket full of lobsters. Instead of being helped up out of the bucket, we'd get clawed down. But slowly and surely, the work of community leaders, nonprofits and community organizers are changing this landscape and building up a new generation of kids who think differently.
- superflit 14y ago
  The main reason is: 'Immigrants' do not have 'welfare' support. Mostly are 'undocumented'. Yes.. we can get at ER and school. but no stamps, disability or unemployment checks. So we have to help each other and never rely on gov...

cantastoria 14y ago

That list doesn't really contain many privileges in the "unpacking the knapsack" sense, in that they aren't advantages you have just because of your race/class/gender. If anything it shows that these opportunities/advantages are available to those to who pursue them whether it be you or your parents or your country. Perhaps you are underestimating the impact that hard work has had on your life and over-estimating the impact of "privileges" you list. Certainly, you were born into such favorable circumstances (although your parents/family seemed to have been very intentional in creating that for you) but you wouldn't be successful in tech without the hard work part. I wonder what motivates you to emphasize the former and not the latter?

danilocampos 14y ago
> in that they aren't advantages you have just because of your race/class/gender. Clearly not – they are advantages that are atypical to my race and starting class, but entirely typical to a great many of the people I've encountered in my work. That's what was interesting to me about the exploration. > but you wouldn't be successful in tech without the hard work part. I completely agree. I'll put it to you like this: I may have run in the race, and that was all my effort, but someone needed to first put me on plane for me to even compete.
- cantastoria 14y ago
  I'll put it to you like this: I may have run in the race, and that was all my effort, but someone needed to first put me on plane for me to even compete. Sure, but they worked hard to be able to put on that plane. That you recognized the opportunity and took it is a tribute to you and them. It sounds like you're the product of a lot of hard work (and maybe a little luck). Why minimize that by calling it privilege? It does a disservice to you and those who've helped you.
  - danilocampos 14y ago
    Well, that's the important point about this. It is privilege because not everyone got parents who gave a damn. Not everyone got parents who would bother to teach them things or buy them a computer. Some people just aren't getting those things in their lives. And as long as that's true, these things are privileges. So I am grateful. But I know that you can't universally pick up any given person with my background, tell them to work hard, and have that be enough.

denzil_correa 14y ago

Thanks for sharing! I loved the way you sum up everything So I stand upon the shoulders of giants. Holding a winning lottery ticket. It made me realize the "giant shoulders" I stood on to make me reach where I am today. It is a humbling experience to put life in perspective.

zeteo 14y ago

>I saw breathtaking houses that gave me pole stars for what I could achieve in my life. Geez Louise. I sure hope you will use all your advantages in life for better purposes than acquiring a fancy mansion. There are so many difficult, but worthwhile problems out there.

danilocampos 14y ago
Poorly stated, I agree. I meant only to contrast that with the squalor of where I might have grown up instead.
mahmud 14y ago
Isn't that, like, the "American Dream"? Don't tell people how to spend their time and money.
- danilocampos 14y ago
  He's right, though, buying McMansions is dumb.
  - mahmud 14y ago
    Why are you blogging when you could be out there curing cancer? It's a much more worthwhile undertaking. See? I am also right, in a vague, generic sense. But it's the sort of advice that doesn't contribute anything to your life, and only makes me feel slightly superior.
    - danilocampos 14y ago
      Partly because I'm too dumb to cure cancer. ;) But I do take your point. And I am pleased to make your acquaintance, I enjoy your comments.
  - vecinu 14y ago
    I know there is no point in continuing this useless debate but I wanted to bring to light that if it was financially feasible and I had 6 children, a mansion might actually be USEFUL.

dfamorato 14y ago

It is a nice perspective to see that other people also live "The American Dream". I am brazilian, born and raised in Brazil, but had the privilege of coming here twice (Disney) when I was a teenager. This was when I decided to eventually move to US at my first opportunity (20 years old). It was for sure, the best decision of my life since the opportunities and lifestyle that I have here in US are simply just short of impossible back in Brazil. 7 Years in US gave me the opportunity to really grow professionally and personally. I think my story is the similar to Danilo's…. Great parents, great support and education when growing up but ultimately, after age 17, "you are by yourself", which also includes paying for you college education if you want one. For enabling me to get amazing education with scholarships and free content made available by US Colleges and Universities, also to accepting me as one of your own, THANK YOU AMERICA !

jtreminio 14y ago

> I know with certainty that having access to America – the mainland, the honest-to-god US of A – was the most crucial part of my privilege. Simply being an American, even if from a non-state, was your biggest advantage and privilege. I was an illegal immigrant living in Texas until I turned 19 or so, when Nicaraguans were granted amnesty. Since then, my quality of life has only gone up and up.

ivzar 14y ago

For more on the effect of hereditary privilege, read Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell.

mxuribe 14y ago

Big kudos for this post, and to you danilocampos!

Yoms 14y ago

I think your post lays out a clear case that it comes down to parenting, hard work, and access to the USA. And as an American (Puerto Rican) you had access to the only one ordinary people can't control. But I feel your article gets derailed with too many anecdotal stories. Some rub me the wrong way, but maybe I'm just reading it wrong... I was also born in Puerto Rico and grew up in Caguas (Bairoa). But that wasn't a bad thing... I have a horrible accent (which seems will never disappear) and would probably not pass the Texas State Trooper test. But that has not impacted my career... My family was religious, but the first person I met who believed the world was only a few thousand years old was in Florida. I find it irritating that you would insinuate Puerto Ricans don't believe in Science... I don't think being or not being Hispanic has anything to do with it. There are plenty of people, minorities or not, stuck in crappy areas. With good parenting, they can at least ensure their kids have a chance at hard work. It's what helped you, and what helped me. I was also the first person in my family with a six figure salary. We should chat though, boricuas in tech has to be a very small group ;).

vladsanchez 14y ago
Same boat, Boricua in tech, same traits. Read the article the right way, and liked the anecdotes. Take care.
Jayschwa 14y ago
vladsanchez 3 hours ago | link [dead] Same boat, Boricua in tech, same traits. Read the article the right way, and liked the anecdotes. Take care.

ebf 14y ago

I wonder if the same commentators who disagree with the author's usage of "privilege," also believe Silicon Valley is a meritocracy.

gfosco 14y ago

It's amazing how far back, and how complicated a chain of events can be that lead to a specific outcome. Similarly, I look back in awe at the luck and good fortune I've had. I owe my entire life-path of technology to my grandfather on my fathers side. He was an electrical engineer, far ahead of his time, and when he was done playing with something he sent it to us. I was privileged to receive a TI-99 at age 5, a C64 at age 6, and an 8088 after that. I was hooked from the start, and computers have been the single most important constant in my life ever since.

enneff 14y ago
I, too, owe my technological career to my father's father, who was an engineer. He died recently and I wrote about it here: https://plus.google.com/106356964679457436995/posts/dcPPziC1ajt https://plus.google.com/106356964679457436995/posts/dcPPziC1...

confluence 14y ago

You know what I always find so hilarious. How people always seem to qualify luck - even when they show us how lucky they have actually been. I continuously hear statements like "it's partly luck", or "luck is obviously a component of it", or "luck is clearly a factor", or "luck plays a role" [1] - all attempting to downplay the enormous magnitude random chance has on our daily lives. Hell, they might even put numbers on it like "it's probably 50% luck", or "90% luck". Nobody seems willing to go all they way to and just come out and say "Yeah - I got really lucky and that's about all there is to the story". The just world fallacy is a very, very strong illusion. Life's a crapshoot. It's all luck. [1] - http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5174488 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5174488

Jayschwa 14y ago
Are you suggesting that outcomes are purely the result of random chance, and that an individual's values and behavior have no bearing?
- confluence 14y ago
  Where you do think your values and behaviours came from in the first place? Your values/behaviours are given to you via both your genes and your environment - which are effectively random. If your parents were prone to addictive behaviour in an environment that provides addictive substances - you will probably do the same. This reminds me of thing I've always found highly curious about how the religious think. They can't seem to understand that their choice in religion is relatively arbitrary and geographically dependent. Born in America you're Christian. Born in Pakistan now you're Muslim. Born in India now you're Hindu. Born in Israel now you're Jewish. The fact that people can't seem to understand that the reason they believe in X god instead of Y is merely a question of a few hundred miles. Life is particularly arbitrary. For example: I'm an atheist because of my environment (middle-class male, western country, studies science and technology, with access to freedom of speech). This is irrelevant as to whether atheism is actually the right option (which I believe it is - but then of course I would :) - the key fact to understand here is how the environment determined it. Finally, physics eliminates the case for free will. So yes - you do what you do because you were set up to do it. We're all just biological machines.

orangethirty 14y ago

I live in the same town you were born. Conditions are still hard. Unemployment is through the roof. The few programming jobs available pay around $10/hr. And they are mostly doing maintenance on old C#/Visual Basic systems.But that's better than what most of the population gets. Minimum wage is the norm. People make around 12K per year, and have to deal with very high costs of living. Plus the shitty infrastructure. I had it rough, too. Grew up in a barrio. Where most of my childhood friends are either dead, in jail, or crackheads. Few ever managed to make it into college (I did not). I'm the only one who has actually made something out of himself. But not without a lot of hardships. Not long ago (less than 5 years ago) I was completely broke, no transportation, no job, nothing. But somehow I kept moving forward. Throwing punches whenever I could. Like you, I was lucky. My parents got me a computer ( a C64) early on. No one else in a radius of 5 sq. miles had a computer. It was the best thing to ever happen to me. It gave something for me to hold on to when all my friends were busy learning how to sell drugs. It kept me safe at home when drive-by-shootings started to happen. It also helped me not get a young lady pregnant (which was the norm). Nowdays, I am an accomplished engineer, marketing consultant, and entrepreneur. I work remotely, with a great team, building a very tough system (that has me writing code like crazy in different languages). Also help great people build their businesses into powerhouses. Best of all, I get to build my own businesses, which I find extremely fun (to the point of even doing some as a hobby). Who knows what would have happened to me had I not discovered my love for code? I know that I would not be able to say how proud I am of reading about a fellow puertorican who has made it. Good luck, and let me know if you ever visit. I know a place who makes great frituras.

danilocampos 14y ago
Wow, what a story. Thank you for sharing it. I always had some notion of the depressing realities I'd have faced if I stuck around on the island – but your testimony takes it to a new level. It's amazing. Education really is the silver bullet. And computers are the most revolutionary education tool ever devised. Way to climb out of a tough spot, my fellow boricua.
- intended 14y ago
  Education is a good bullet, but its part of an arsenal. Not everyone can make of the tools the same house you have fashioned, which follows from people themselves being massively varied. I suspect that many tools in your tool case would be used in a variety of manners for people who wanted to get out. --- Side note - I've heard "education is the silver bullet for our problems" and seen it applied with very disappointing results. On one hand it has definitely given several people a path to move up in life. But its also been terrible for the rest of the populace. It ended up creating legions of people who are literate but not 'educated'. A curious situation where people can say they know about rationality without having to be rational. It produces legions of people who can perform mental athletics like rote memorization, or mental calculus and other tricks, but about poor understanding of the logic of the underlying principles they apply. The number of people who grow up to be like the two of you is few and far between.

0xfaded 14y ago

tldr; Won the birth lottery, currently in Ukraine doing some soul searching, arrived at same conclusion that I want to give back but don't know how. I can't deny I did well in birth lottery, and due to similar circumstances I wound up a programmer with an amazing job and even more amazing opportunities. That's not the point of this post however. I am currently on holidays in Europe and am spending a month in Ukraine. I can't even begin to describe how the people I've met and the conversions I've had with them have changed me. To sum it up briefly, Ukraine is one of the most corrupt countries in the world. Kiev looks like a modern European capital, and there is obviously money around judging by the number of luxury SUVs on the road. Yet $400/month is considered a good wage, unless one has the appropriate connections. In short, European costs of living coupled with developing world wages. The post's ending about somehow giving back is what resonated most to me. When I was a student I was fortunate enough to have free time and the money to explore my outside interests; fast forward 4 years and I have taught myself Japanese to fluency and have lived in the country on 3 separate occasions. I've met a student here that who I see a lot of my self in, she gets top grades and has an inexplicable interest in Japan. It is her dream to work there and she studies the language in her spare time. The only difference is that she works a full time job to pay for her studies (unrelated to Japanese) which are also full time. The reality is that she doesn't have the free time I did to learn Japanese, let alone the funds to visit independently. It kills me inside knowing that two weeks of my salary would give her a year of free time and the same opportunity I had to pursue my interest in Japan. There are a lot of posts below about how education could be a silver bullet. I know what has affected my life most, however, was the ability to pursue my own interests. Competencies in any area will open doors, maybe not doors as wide as those available to programmers, but doors to better places none the less. In her case Japanese language competency would make her eligible for the MEXT scholarships paid for by the Japanese government. Honestly, I have debated offering to loan her a year's salary to be paid back if and when it is ever convenient for her. My conclusion is that the same could also be used to sponsor a child through to high school, and something else tells me its just not the right thing to do. Yet I arrive at the same internal conflict that you do, how to give back after winning the lottery. For the record there are no romantic interests at stake here.