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In fact, the whole American system is built to prove the opposite. Space at the top is NOT limited. By definition, it is. The question is whether one focuses o

In fact, the whole American system is built to prove the opposite. Space at the top is NOT limited. By definition, it is. The question is whether one focuses on absolute or relative prosperity. Like you (I presume) I also prefer to focus on absolute prosperity because nothing can be done about relative prosperity's zero-sum nature. However, it would be good to see less inequality. I'm not a hard-line "everyone-should-have-the-same-amount" egalitarian because that's a terrible idea-- people would lose the incentive to do the work that society needs-- but inequality has gone far beyond the point of being valuable or productive. Now it's just self-perpetuating and exists for no other reason. Total wealth is NOT limited. Sure. Unfortunately, the vast majority of people (95+ percent) end up working below their ability (a loss to them, and to society) because they lack the scarce social resources, credentials, and connections that have congealed "at the top". There are also inefficiency problems in a low-mobility society where (as we now see in the US) the wrong people are making the decisions. Anybody who works hard (and smart!) can get there. Total bullshit.

sejje 13y ago
> Total bullshit. I come from a home that lived below poverty level for most of my life, though we maybe disguised it well--most of my friends were middle-class. I fell in love with computers at age 10, but I didn't have access to one outside of public school until age 16, when I bought one with money I earned at a job I took after school. After off-and-on dedication to programming over the past decade, I've been working as a developer for approximately 1 year, and I have a very solid chance to get "there" if I choose to continue down this path. I don't see what's preventing more-or-less anybody in America from taking these steps. I didn't do anything that is out-of-reach for any given person, nor did I, in any obvious manner, have a stroke of luck.
- michaelochurch 13y ago
  After off-and-on dedication to programming over the past decade, I've been working as a developer for approximately 1 year Write again when you raise a seed round, then. Maybe you'll get there. I hope you do. If you were from a rich background, you'd be turning investors away. You wouldn't even have to ask them for meetings and intros.
  - sejje 13y ago
    What are you talking about? I'm not, nor will I ever be, trying to raise funds. This whole discussion is about how tech-people are on the gravy train and the starving artists aren't getting their fair share of it.
- mercer 13y ago
  You had a stroke of luck by falling in love with computers. Did you do that because you knew it would pay off down the road? My story is similar, only I decided to study communications and didn't do much computer stuff for half a decade. I quit halfway through my master's because I hated what I'd seen of academia. Faced with the need to make a living, I started doing freelance webdesign/development. I've done very well for myself ever since. I didn't choose to go into web development because I knew it would be lucrative (more so than finishing my degree even). I also didn't choose to become a geek and tinker with computers at an early age. I got lucky, and I'd argue that you did too. We're lucky that our passion is in demand. That said, I worked really hard. I started out with clients that were way out of my league, and spent many nights frantically learning as much as I could. It wasn't just luck. But luck played a big role.

sejje 13y ago

> Total bullshit. I come from a home that lived below poverty level for most of my life, though we maybe disguised it well--most of my friends were middle-class. I fell in love with computers at age 10, but I didn't have access to one outside of public school until age 16, when I bought one with money I earned at a job I took after school. After off-and-on dedication to programming over the past decade, I've been working as a developer for approximately 1 year, and I have a very solid chance to get "there" if I choose to continue down this path. I don't see what's preventing more-or-less anybody in America from taking these steps. I didn't do anything that is out-of-reach for any given person, nor did I, in any obvious manner, have a stroke of luck.

michaelochurch 13y ago
After off-and-on dedication to programming over the past decade, I've been working as a developer for approximately 1 year Write again when you raise a seed round, then. Maybe you'll get there. I hope you do. If you were from a rich background, you'd be turning investors away. You wouldn't even have to ask them for meetings and intros.
- sejje 13y ago
  What are you talking about? I'm not, nor will I ever be, trying to raise funds. This whole discussion is about how tech-people are on the gravy train and the starving artists aren't getting their fair share of it.
mercer 13y ago
You had a stroke of luck by falling in love with computers. Did you do that because you knew it would pay off down the road? My story is similar, only I decided to study communications and didn't do much computer stuff for half a decade. I quit halfway through my master's because I hated what I'd seen of academia. Faced with the need to make a living, I started doing freelance webdesign/development. I've done very well for myself ever since. I didn't choose to go into web development because I knew it would be lucrative (more so than finishing my degree even). I also didn't choose to become a geek and tinker with computers at an early age. I got lucky, and I'd argue that you did too. We're lucky that our passion is in demand. That said, I worked really hard. I started out with clients that were way out of my league, and spent many nights frantically learning as much as I could. It wasn't just luck. But luck played a big role.