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'Increasingly, People in Silicon Valley Are Losing Touch With Reality' (500ish.com)
Longtime commentator MG Siegler writes: You can see it in the tweets. You can hear it at tech conferences. Hell, you can hear it at most cafes in San Francisco on any given day. People -- really smart people -- saying some of the most vacuous things. Words that if they were able to take a step outside of their own heads and hear, they'd be embarrassed by. Or, at least, these are stances, thoughts, and ideas that these people should be embarrassed by. But they're clearly not because they keep saying them. This isn't only about Facebook -- far from it. That's just the most high profile and timely example of a company suffering from some of this. And in that case, it's really more in their responses to the Cambridge Analytica situation, rather than the situation itself (which is another matter, though undoubtedly related). They don't know the right things to say because they don't know what to say, period. Because they've slipped out of touch.
But again, I feel like this is increasingly everywhere I look around tech. It's an industry filled with some of the most brilliant people in the world, which makes it all the more disappointing. I won't name names but also because I don't have to. I'd wager everyone reading this will have clear and obvious examples of what I'm talking about in their own circles -- even if only in their own virtual circles. This is everywhere. I don't know the cause of this. Perhaps we can blame part of it on Trump, even if only indirectly (a man who has gotten ahead in life by saying asinine things). If I had to guess, I'd say the root is an increasing sense of entitlement as the tech industry has grown in stature to become the most important from a fiscal perspective and arguably from a cultural perspective as well.
But again, I feel like this is increasingly everywhere I look around tech. It's an industry filled with some of the most brilliant people in the world, which makes it all the more disappointing. I won't name names but also because I don't have to. I'd wager everyone reading this will have clear and obvious examples of what I'm talking about in their own circles -- even if only in their own virtual circles. This is everywhere. I don't know the cause of this. Perhaps we can blame part of it on Trump, even if only indirectly (a man who has gotten ahead in life by saying asinine things). If I had to guess, I'd say the root is an increasing sense of entitlement as the tech industry has grown in stature to become the most important from a fiscal perspective and arguably from a cultural perspective as well.
This has got to be one of the worst articles I have read in a long time. There isn't a single example of what he's talking about.
"I won’t name names or give examples because I’m not an asshole. But also because I don’t have to. I’d wager everyone reading this will have clear and obvious examples of what I’m talking about in their own circles—even if only in their own virtual circles. This is everywhere."
Actually, I have no idea what you're talking about. Maybe you could write an article to explain yourself.
Joseph Elwell.
Another example of this is the phrase "SJW". No-one can agree on exactly what it means, which is why it's so successful. It means whoever the reader disagrees with and thinks is an idiot, basically a cheat code to make everyone agree with you.
I keep hearing people claim this, but it doesn't make any sense. It has a pretty specific and widely accepted definition.
From Urban Dictionary: "Social Justice Warrior. A pejorative term for an individual who repeatedly and vehemently engages in arguments on social justice on the Internet, often in a shallow or not well-thought-out way, for the purpose of raising their own personal reputation"
Now you may argue that some abuse the pejorative nature of the term to undermine legitimate advocacy for social causes, but the term itself is not poorly defined. And arguing about who should be considered an SJW is idiotic anyway. It's like trying to draw distinct boundaries around who is and who isn't a fuckwad.
Knowledge Brings Fear
He's NOT successful. He is a terrible businessman, who's declared bankruptcy six times.
Furthermore, he has a terrible reputation for stiffing his suppliers and creditors. And he has managed to lose money operating casinos. If he isn't an outright criminal, laundering money for the Mob (as is strongly suspected to be a de-facto member of Russian organised crime, having repeatedly failed as a legitimate businessman, only to find himself "bought" by the bratva), then he would have to be utterly useless as business.
What's Trump's edge? Balls-out shamelessness, a massive ego, and a total lack of self-awareness that would enable him to gamble (and lose) in a way no ordinary, rational person would. The only people who associate with him are oligarchs and gangsters (usually the Russian kind).
Charles Munger famously said that if Trump wasn't such a dickhead, and has put his inheritance into a passive stock fund, he'd be richer than he is today, with far less effort.
THAT'S how much of a fucking idiot Trump is. No credit where it isn't due, please.
Anyone blaming Trump still is stuck in the Silicon Valley bubble. Nothing that they said would happen has happened. Stocks did not drop, unemployment did not increase, economy did not tank, no one's civil rights have been taken away.
my karma will be here long after I'm gone
Says a commentator who despises everybody who doesn't fit his private little set of personal crotchets, none of which really relate to Silicon Valley. Who in hell is Nassim Taleb, anyway?
In the communities that I am involved with, this pretty much sums up the definition of SJW. The fastest way to tell if someone is fighting for rights and being a progressive or they are a SJW - If the words "internalized racism/misogyny" is ever used when a woman or POC disagrees with someone on how something should be handled, they are a SJW.
Trump didn't take away dreamers rights. They were already illegal aliens, whether they came here illegally at 10 or 50. Laws are just being enforced like they always have been. Even liberal media ABC admitted Obama deported more than any other president and Trump is continuing what Obama started http://abcnews.go.com/Politics...
my karma will be here long after I'm gone