Comment by simplestman | Hacker News Reader

Comment by simplestman | Hacker News Reader

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This is very unsettling comment for me.

I have participated in same behavior but in the tech industry. I joined my managers at strip clubs for lunches, I introduced fresh grads and H1Bs to endless buffets at strip clubs. Happy hour were pretty much required work activity everyday.

But I never thought it was bad, I mean strip clubs are sleazy, but I always considered happy hours to be part of team bonding. The best teams, I have worked in, also drank heavily.

Not sure if it is age or if it is because I don't go to happy hours that much anymore but I also don't have a strong bond for my team.

But I sort of feel bad for all those reluctant H1Bs who I introduced to strip clubs. I wonder if they really enjoyed hanging out with us or if they were pretending.

Well if you end up in a toxic workplace there are limits to what you can do as ''the new one'', and unfortunatly you often have to follow along if you don't want to loose your job.

In my view there are two ways to understand this problem.

1) As a feminist issue. And it is, since no women will feel good in this kind of workplace where strip clubs are the norm. On the long run its counterproductive for society to allow these behaviours at the workplace.

2) As a creativity issue. Even in a hypothetical where women/minorities don't exist, these behaviours would still be an issue from a business point of view. The ''sport team mentality'' kills intellectual creativity. Try to sell these guys an idea which is alien to their monkey-culture... impossible. While working in these environments, I think I've read up to 10 books about ''how to pitch your idea'', not understanding what was wrong. True creativity is impossible in these circles, and their business usually fails at some point. It happened two times in my life, and I'm not 35 yet.

Getting in touch with your subconscious is like loosing your virginity ; it wont happen if you alway group with similar peers.

Between endless buffets at the strip club + happy hour after, how did you get any work done?

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