This is a great article! Oh man, I had a similar issue at my current job shortly after I started. We were doing some work that involved testing out a bunch of high-end cameras. One day one of the...
This is a great article!
I knew I was the only poor person at my tech startup because when the billionaire CEO told us that he saw people taking free snacks from the kitchen to-go, I was the only one who looked ashamed and I had never dared to do it.
Oh man, I had a similar issue at my current job shortly after I started. We were doing some work that involved testing out a bunch of high-end cameras. One day one of the cameras went missing. After emails were sent asking if anyone had taken one but forgotten to sign it out and nobody responded, the police were called and reports were made. While I hadn't stolen any equipment, I kept thinking, "I'm the new guy. Everyone thinks I did it." I don't know why I thought that, but that's what it felt like. Eventually insurance paid out and everyone moved on with their lives. About 6 months later, the boss realized he had borrowed the camera and left it in the bottom drawer of his desk.
That said, some of what the author experienced isn't due to people being wealthy, it's due to them being assholes. For example this:
I knew I was the only poor person at my tech startup because I was the only person who would say hello to the cleaning lady as she meekly made her rounds around us when we worked late. Everyone else had a long habit of ignoring anyone like her.
That's not because they're rich, it's because they're terrible people. I work with many wealthy people, and we frequently talk with our cleaning people. We know their names and as much about their lives as we do about each other. It doesn't take much to say hi. Even when our main cleaning guy mostly spoke only Spanish, we still interacted quite a bit.
It seems like the ability to connect and not being socially awkward with people unlike you are underrated skills and easy to take for granted. The main thing I got out of this article is sadness...
It seems like the ability to connect and not being socially awkward with people unlike you are underrated skills and easy to take for granted.
The main thing I got out of this article is sadness at the inability of anyone to break the ice. It’s not something I’ve ever been good at. I have a lot of memories of not being able to think of anything to say and being afraid of saying the wrong thing.
Maybe sometimes people did try, but the story wasn’t about that? So I’m reluctant to conclude that they’re all terrible people, even if it does sound that way based on the many incidents she shared of clueless alienation.
These in particular are relatable to my experience: Fellow GED holder! And the only reason I don’t have student loans is because I did not attend university. I still have paychecks on my calendar...
These in particular are relatable to my experience:
I knew I was the only poor person at my tech startup because they thought I was kidding when I said I had a GED.
Fellow GED holder! And the only reason I don’t have student loans is because I did not attend university.
I knew I was the only poor person at my tech startup because nobody ever wished me a happy payday. Payday was marked in all caps on my calendar, every biweekly occurrence, forever.
I still have paychecks on my calendar and meticulously divvy up my money into different categories every time. At all other jobs, we spoke about payday like it was a religious holiday.
A lot of these really are a culture clash that even well meaning people could unknowingly perpetuate. But some of the examples make me think about how toxic that workplace must be. Most...
A lot of these really are a culture clash that even well meaning people could unknowingly perpetuate. But some of the examples make me think about how toxic that workplace must be.
She admonished me for using bleached cotton products in my vagina.
one time everyone else in my department quit or was fired in the space of six months
I was the only person who would say hello to the cleaning lady as she meekly made her rounds around us when we worked late
Gym membership was included in my benefits. I went half a dozen times before it was made crystal clear to me that I did not belong.
Most fundamentally, they were straight up taking advantage of her.
I was, in fact, the lowest-paid person in the building including the interns.
I'm not sure what to think here. I like to have some actionable thought, but really I just feel sorry for her.
This is a great article!
Oh man, I had a similar issue at my current job shortly after I started. We were doing some work that involved testing out a bunch of high-end cameras. One day one of the cameras went missing. After emails were sent asking if anyone had taken one but forgotten to sign it out and nobody responded, the police were called and reports were made. While I hadn't stolen any equipment, I kept thinking, "I'm the new guy. Everyone thinks I did it." I don't know why I thought that, but that's what it felt like. Eventually insurance paid out and everyone moved on with their lives. About 6 months later, the boss realized he had borrowed the camera and left it in the bottom drawer of his desk.
That said, some of what the author experienced isn't due to people being wealthy, it's due to them being assholes. For example this:
That's not because they're rich, it's because they're terrible people. I work with many wealthy people, and we frequently talk with our cleaning people. We know their names and as much about their lives as we do about each other. It doesn't take much to say hi. Even when our main cleaning guy mostly spoke only Spanish, we still interacted quite a bit.
It seems like the ability to connect and not being socially awkward with people unlike you are underrated skills and easy to take for granted.
The main thing I got out of this article is sadness at the inability of anyone to break the ice. It’s not something I’ve ever been good at. I have a lot of memories of not being able to think of anything to say and being afraid of saying the wrong thing.
Maybe sometimes people did try, but the story wasn’t about that? So I’m reluctant to conclude that they’re all terrible people, even if it does sound that way based on the many incidents she shared of clueless alienation.
These in particular are relatable to my experience:
Fellow GED holder! And the only reason I don’t have student loans is because I did not attend university.
I still have paychecks on my calendar and meticulously divvy up my money into different categories every time. At all other jobs, we spoke about payday like it was a religious holiday.
A lot of these really are a culture clash that even well meaning people could unknowingly perpetuate. But some of the examples make me think about how toxic that workplace must be.
Most fundamentally, they were straight up taking advantage of her.
I'm not sure what to think here. I like to have some actionable thought, but really I just feel sorry for her.