4 ms·

This is good perspective and i think it's good to keep this in mind, but let's not forget the other end of the spectrum: Right now, somewhere in the world, a c

This is good perspective and i think it's good to keep this in mind, but let's not forget the other end of the spectrum: Right now, somewhere in the world, a child is being born in a farm house with a dirt floor. That child will grow up to die in a civil war before age 14. Right now, somewhere in the world, there are people waiting in line to get food from a charity. Right now, somewhere in the world, someone is suffering from a disease because they can't afford the cure. Right now, somewhere in the world, a man goes to work carrying bricks for 10 hours a day to feed his 3 children. Right now, somewhere in the world, a woman rides her bike to work in polluted air at 6am, to a factory job where she will work 12 hours a day putting together tablets that all the "unlucky people who have to work" trying to be dot com millionaires will buy one day on a whim and then discard less than 6 months later. And this is good, because she has a job. The real interesting thing is these people generally don't complain much, not nearly as much as we do.

Zimahl 14y ago
The bell curve is a harsh mistress.
- andreasvc 14y ago
  Poverty is not normally distributed on a bell curve, more like a power law distribution; cf. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]
pm90 14y ago
Actually, I've come to believe that complaining is an inherent aspect of human nature. Everybody complains; its just that you don't hear much from the above-mentioned as they do not write blogs which make the frontpage on Reddit or HN (let alone popular media) and/or are not part of your immediate circle of friends (to whom we usually air our grievances)
hluska 14y ago
My Mom grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. Her biological father had a habit of staying at home just long enough to get my Grandma pregnant, then taking off. Life for single mothers (especially French Canadians) in the late 1940s/early 1950s was hard. Consequently, my Grandma worked multiple jobs just to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. Grandma was always an incredibly hard worker - she eventually remarried and her and my Grandpa started a cleaning business. She ran that business and worked incredibly hard up until the day she died. My life was very different from my Mom's. My Dad was a police officer and, though we weren't wealthy, I never went without. But, I got to grow up in a household where two things were valued - hard work and education. Consequently, I'd spend summers working in my Grandma and Grandpa's business - I had my first job (with an actual hourly wage) when I was 8 years old and worked every single summer and during Easter break. Grandma never complained because she got herself in that mess and by golly, she'd get herself out. That sense of resilience carried through the generations and now, finally, my generation has the benefits of a middle class upbringing, combined with the work ethic that only comes from having been very poor one generation ago. I think that it's wonderful you're concerned with people who are less fortunate and I respect what you wrote. However, poverty is a great motivator and frankly, I'd rather hire someone who knows hunger than someone who went to prep schools and fancy Universities with billion dollar endowments...
- cgio 14y ago
  You would rather hire someone who knows hunger because it is part of your story. I know what you mean, my family story is very similar. But the truth is that people making hiring decisions are usually from that different background. Example. When I was in Greece and the crisis and unemployment was starting to explode, I had secured a huge implementation project and convinced the bosses to hire someone in addition to the current team. They did hire an LSE graduate and a Columbia one. I was telling them that it does not make sense when so many people are getting poor to give all jobs to people who do not have a money issue, but alas it is not how it works.
- beachstartup 14y ago
  i think you are projecting some point that i wasn't trying to make.

Zimahl 14y ago

The bell curve is a harsh mistress.

andreasvc 14y ago
Poverty is not normally distributed on a bell curve, more like a power law distribution; cf. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]

pm90 14y ago

Actually, I've come to believe that complaining is an inherent aspect of human nature. Everybody complains; its just that you don't hear much from the above-mentioned as they do not write blogs which make the frontpage on Reddit or HN (let alone popular media) and/or are not part of your immediate circle of friends (to whom we usually air our grievances)

hluska 14y ago

My Mom grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. Her biological father had a habit of staying at home just long enough to get my Grandma pregnant, then taking off. Life for single mothers (especially French Canadians) in the late 1940s/early 1950s was hard. Consequently, my Grandma worked multiple jobs just to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. Grandma was always an incredibly hard worker - she eventually remarried and her and my Grandpa started a cleaning business. She ran that business and worked incredibly hard up until the day she died. My life was very different from my Mom's. My Dad was a police officer and, though we weren't wealthy, I never went without. But, I got to grow up in a household where two things were valued - hard work and education. Consequently, I'd spend summers working in my Grandma and Grandpa's business - I had my first job (with an actual hourly wage) when I was 8 years old and worked every single summer and during Easter break. Grandma never complained because she got herself in that mess and by golly, she'd get herself out. That sense of resilience carried through the generations and now, finally, my generation has the benefits of a middle class upbringing, combined with the work ethic that only comes from having been very poor one generation ago. I think that it's wonderful you're concerned with people who are less fortunate and I respect what you wrote. However, poverty is a great motivator and frankly, I'd rather hire someone who knows hunger than someone who went to prep schools and fancy Universities with billion dollar endowments...

cgio 14y ago
You would rather hire someone who knows hunger because it is part of your story. I know what you mean, my family story is very similar. But the truth is that people making hiring decisions are usually from that different background. Example. When I was in Greece and the crisis and unemployment was starting to explode, I had secured a huge implementation project and convinced the bosses to hire someone in addition to the current team. They did hire an LSE graduate and a Columbia one. I was telling them that it does not make sense when so many people are getting poor to give all jobs to people who do not have a money issue, but alas it is not how it works.
beachstartup 14y ago
i think you are projecting some point that i wasn't trying to make.