Comment by eulers_secret | Hacker News Reader

Comment by eulers_secret | Hacker News Reader

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I responded because I am empathetic.

> What part resonates with you?

Her losing her job, not being able to be re-hired at a similar salary, spending her savings, and winding up in poverty despite doing everything 'right'. At 55, she has an uphill battle to get another job. Why hire her when someone with 15 YOE costs less and will work for more than 5 years? Employees are not that unique.

Ageism is also a large problem in tech, but we just don't talk about it much. How common is it to be on track to retire for 25+ years after aging out? What if someone forgot to change their 401(K) investment strategy and happen to be 'retired' (laid off due to age) during a market downturn? Does everyone know that's a thing you should do about 5 years before retirement?

There are too many 'gotchas' that can seriously alter retirement plans. I think it is cruel to treat people this way, and I can see it happening to myself. Even if I do everything 'right' (and I certainly have not). That is what I respond to - the warning that even if you play your hand well, you can still lose and have miserable twilight years.

I am also empathetic, but I find the author's writing in poor taste. She's still able to afford eating at expensive restaurants, but writes with the tone of a martyr because she has to get seltzer water instead of chardonnay.

I grew up quite poor and still have loved ones who are poor, often even more than I was. Poor in the sense of born poor, a life of labor into age 60 or 70 poor. I'm also aware that this isn't unique, lots of people out there are anywhere between very poor to obscenely indigent, so I and other poor or formerly poor people don't generally tend towards unabashed self pity. Because of that, this author's story just makes me roll my eyes. Here are some examples of what I mean:

> WHITE: You know, I have all the props and credentials. I have a Harvard MBA. I have a master's in international studies from Hopkins. I went to Oberlin undergraduate. You know, I worked at the World Bank.

> But if you paid attention, you would see the sadness in my eyes, hear that hint of fear in my otherwise self-assured voice.

> You invite me to the same expensive restaurants that the two of us have always enjoyed. But I order mineral water now with a twist of lemon instead of the $12 glass of chardonnay.

> There are no media stories about me. My slide out of the middle class is not sensational enough

I can empathize that the change is difficult, but I won't cry for her having to skip a chardonnay that's worth more than what many people spend on food (or earn) in a day. She's obviously a very intelligent and accomplished person and almost certainly has connections; I'd rather save my attention and empathy for the people who don't have a list of degrees and accomplishments. So when I see people do respond to this kind of story, I can't help but wonder if they have ever personally experienced poverty, let alone the lifelong and encompassing poverty (in the sense that everyone around you is poor and you have no connections somewhere higher up) that I saw so often growing up.

Yeah I felt similarly at parts.

I’ve been in way worse situations and I don’t think I’ve ever been exceptionally poor.

Reading her account especially that Chardonnay instance made my eyes roll all the way back.

That's why I'm for a career replacement income measure. That way, obsolete/aged out individuals would still get paid in full.

Employers could continue the status quo, but would have a portion going to obsolete/aged out individuals. The only alternative would be for them to outcompete the replacement income with a better job.

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