Meritocracy
If I work hard at it, I’ll be where I wanna be… . How true is meritocracy? What about chance?
| Random Link ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ | ||
| Jul 4, 2020 | » | On Socio-Economic Classes
13 min; updated Nov 24, 2023
#meritocracy #inequality #socioeconomics Our Lot in LifeNot recognizing your blessings feeds into the dark side of capitalism and meritocracy: success is a choice, and that those who haven’t achieved success are not unlucky, but unworthy. |
| Nov 22, 2018 | » | You Probably Won't Make it to the Top [DHH]
1 min; updated Nov 24, 2023
You Probably Won't Make it to the Top.
David Heinemeier Hansson (DHH).
Fallacy: If you really set your mind to it, you can do it… That’s how I did it. I just wanted it more, worked hard, and eventually all my dreams came true. I won’t say it’s easy, but it’s up to you! ... |
| Apr 26, 2020 | » | Philanthropy
4 min; updated Feb 19, 2023
Criticism/Defense Of Billionaire PhilanthropyTaxes will probably not go to the same causes, e.g. reforming the bail system, grassroot efforts for migrants, etc. Admittedly, these are things that the government should be doing, but it seems that the government doesn’t do enough. Furthermore, some of these issues so politicized, e.g. immigrants, that government support can be fickle. Foundations are more effective than governments as they do their due diligence, e.g. Bill Gates. Reforming the government is a long battle. ... |
| Jun 1, 2018 | » | The Psychology of Money [Morgan Housel]
1 min; updated Sep 5, 2022
The Psychology of Money.
Morgan Housel.
People underestimate the role played by luck. Given \(N\) investors, if \(N\) is large enough, a couple of them will luck their way into billions. But every investor seems to be doing due diligence. The successful ones will be more convinced that their methods really work. Considering the amount of investing books out there, we should be seeing a lot more Warren Buffets in the world. But that’s not the case. A believer might say those investors just don’t want success enough - if they did, they’d make billions. ... |
| Oct 28, 2021 | » | Socio-Economic Equity in Tech
7 min; updated Sep 5, 2022
When it comes to STEM diversity goals, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) tends to be excluded from the URMs under discussion, e.g. . However, AAPI as a blanket term obscures the struggles of member groups, e.g. \(62\%\) of AAPI adults aged 24 and older have an associate’s degree or higher, compared to 28% of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders of the same age. AA comprises \(\approx 50\) ethnic groups, while PI has \(\approx 20\). ... |
| May 21, 2018 | » | 06. Sunny
1 min; updated Mar 14, 2021
Elizabeth met Sunny in Stanford’s Mandarin program. She was 18, he was 19 years older and married. Elizabeth had struggled and gotten bullied and Sunny helped her out. Sunny was arrogant and demeaning to employees. Sunny was a sucker for #hours clocked in. 8 hours a day showed a lack of dedication. But Elizabeth had utmost confidence in him. That Sunny (COO) and Elizabeth (CEO) were dating wasn’t disclosed to the board. ... |
I’m relatively lucky. I don’t know how much of the techie hubris that I bear. I have unresolved feelings about meritocracy and fairness. Race is usually used as a proxy for bridging the gap, e.g. affirmative action at colleges. But who is affirmative action better suited for - a rich black kid or a poor white kid? I’m in the camp that believes wealth is a bigger divider than race.
...