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Comment by flexie | Hacker News Reader

Protestant zealotry? Seriously? When you bring religion into it, at least get the religion right:

The Google founders, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, had Jewish backgrounds but consider themselves non-religious. Facebook founder Zuckerberg had Jewish background and considered himself atheist at some point. Microsoft founder Bill Gates is Catholic. Paul Allen had Jewish parents. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was raised Catholic. Apple founder Steve Job's closest religious interest seems to have been Buddhism. Steve Wozniak describes himself as atheist.

So we don't find a single Protestant, certainly not a Protestant fundamentalist, among any of the founders of the 5 largest tech companies.

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American history and culture is heavily influenced by the Protestants that made up the early US. The Protestant work ethic is a commonly referenced aspect of American culture, and most Americans regardless of religion are not free of its influence.

When was the last time anyone overtly referenced the protestant work ethic except for the purposes of tearing down a straw man.

Many cultures, in the far east as well as Europe have similar "always be doing something productive" undertones.

I agree that the moralizing zealots that set the tone for early American culture were insufferable (and being so insufferable likely helped accelerate the settlement of the east coast states) but "muh protestant work ethic" isn't really unique to the US.

Yes, but when literally none of the founders of the largest IT-companies - the very richest of the "Nouveau riche" that we are talking about - are Protestant, whereas much of the old money is, the comment is quite off.

They might not be Protestants, but the cultural framework created by them the is still there.

It isn't a literal argument that tech founders are protestants and I think you know that.

He's comparing the zealotry they're displaying which is similar to Protestantism. It's not saying they are Protestants. I think you missed the metaphor. There's most certainly a cult-like religious element that's being displayed in silicon valley right now. That innate human behavior isn't relegated to old Abrahamic religions. People will get drawn into "worshiping" different things and there's a very specific "God" being worshipped by these companies.

The commenter is referring to the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestant_work_ethic which is the cultural handmaiden of contemporary american capitalism.

No.

"Silicon Valley money wants to remake people in their images, they have a Protestant zealotry associated with their money that makes any oligarch look straight up sympathetic in comparison"

The comment literally suggests that Silicon Valley billionaires (which it juxtaposes with old money) have a Protestant fanaticism associated with their money.

No, it doesn't literally suggest those founders are Protestant, it suggests those founders are following certain cultural norms that originated in highly-Protestant parts of the Northeast US, sometimes called the 'Protestant work ethic'. It does not say you need to be Protestant to follow those norms.

I found insightful, and completely agree with, the original "Protestant zealotry" assessment - it's not a religious argument, it's a philosophical one.

It has everything to do with a moral perspective - that righteousness and wealth go hand in hand, and it does indeed come from the culture of the European Reform. It's not a matter of Christianity, it's mostly absent from Catholicism, and I suppose other strains.

Think of the meaning, the moral implications, of the phrase "the deserving poor". Try translating it into other languages, and see what happens.

WADR you've read the comment wrong. It literally does say Protestant, but it doesn't mean they are Protestants. Someone can have a fanaticism associated with Protestants without actually being one, and that's what he means.

I also think it's actually not that confusing, assuming you're experienced in reading English. It might be more subtle if you spend most of your time in other languages.

> The comment literally suggests

There is the root of your misunderstanding.

He's using "protestant" as an adjective of zealotry, not as an adjective of the people themselves.

It's a metaphor.

If you prefer the literal, think "Ayn Randian / Objectivist zealotry".

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