[jsmthrowaway]

That’s what you got? Calling out a very colonial, otherizing view of the world, and I’m upset he’s got money? The money is illustrative of the sentiment, not the call to arms. That’s twice now I’ve called out a serious cultural issue on HN and the reply has reinterpreted my meaning along an axis of wealth generation, which is a pattern I’m starting to notice (and it fits).

Literally, you replied the words “seriously poor” to me, while knocking me for calling him rich, in your interpretation. The best part of you saying that is that, like the guy you’re sticking up for, you fail to understand those cultures predate your opinion of economics. They’re not pursuing capitalism and dominating the world with tech, and instead fish to survive instead of $20 butter (horrors!) and somehow this is worth noting because the white people showed up, took everything, introduced currency, then started looking at them funny for not having currency. To buy the $20 butter THEY BROUGHT TO THEM. Pop quiz: do either of you, at this moment, understand the role of butter in Arctic First Nations cuisine? ARE THERE COWS IN THE ARCTIC? Christ, I’m almost emotional at the display of complete idiocy.

And now they’re cultural attractions for Cirrus owners on their way past the non-West where there are no Starbucks.

People who speak like him and you, and reinforce the idea that there’s weird shit outside of this bubble, are a significant contributor to the cancerous toxicity this community injects into the industry and the larger world. The problem is one you’ve spotted: it just sounds like a nice story. It isn’t. It reinforces a divisive view that a lot of wealthier white people have about people who aren’t them. And that comes across largely unconsciously in a lot of the economic output of this very community. So yeah, I call it out, and wait out the very people who need to understand that downvoting it to hide that unpleasantness rather than even acknowledge my side, and continue sighing.

[mikeash]

Ok, now I don’t understand what your point is at all. I know all of these words, but I can’t combine them into a coherent thought when arranged in this sequence.

The best I can figure out is, we’re not supposed to call people “poor” just because they live in bad conditions and have little money, because that is somehow imposing our values on a culture that doesn’t share them?