I wanna share this and own up to something. I'm one of these haters they're talking about.
Those who pay attention know that I used to be a fan of lambda school. At least conceptually, I felt like there was promise in their ideas around funding alternative education. It is a problem I want to see solved.
But we can look at the mentality of men like Austen and Paul and take a moment to think critically about what's going on here. My critique is not for the ideas around lambda school. It is for the people involved and who they have shown themselves to be.
We can see a few things from these kinds of exchanges. Men like Paul serve to indoctrinate men like Austen into their way of thinking. You see the rhetoric everywhere once you understand it.
The first is "Don't listen to anybody. They just don't understand."
This serves to reassure the protege that they isn't any real danger of being held accountable. That there are mechanisms in place to shield them from any real consequences.
This serves to reassure the protege that they isn't any real danger of being held accountable. That there are mechanisms in place to shield them from any real consequences.
"Just keep going and eventually you'll win."
This one is much more insidious. This is how these white men learn that if they get away with the scam long enough, and make enough money at it, people will just decide to accept it. Money and power make problems go away.
This one is much more insidious. This is how these white men learn that if they get away with the scam long enough, and make enough money at it, people will just decide to accept it. Money and power make problems go away.
There is also the insidious part, where Paul reassures Austen that he's not doing anything wrong.
"These are small things! We have no idea why everyone is so upset, am I right?"
White men learn to gaslight the rest of us by labeling the harm they inflict on people as trivial.
"These are small things! We have no idea why everyone is so upset, am I right?"
White men learn to gaslight the rest of us by labeling the harm they inflict on people as trivial.
It's hard to overstate how important this is. White men do have feelings and morals. They just learn countless mechanisms to push them down and ignore them. People teach other to not care about doing harm to others. And white supremacist patriarchy is the absolute best at this.
There is an unspoken part that underlies Paul Graham's rhetoric.
"If you wanna be a billionaire, this is what it takes. Let me teach you how to lighten the burden."
All of these things are connected. It's why we say there are no ethical billionaires.
"If you wanna be a billionaire, this is what it takes. Let me teach you how to lighten the burden."
All of these things are connected. It's why we say there are no ethical billionaires.
In closing, I am a hater, and will continue to be. Because they are not to be trusted. And it has nothing to do with whether the world needs another coding bootcamp.
