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Comment by maximinus_thrax | Hacker News Reader

I don't understand the point of this comment. Are Google employees not workers as well? Do they not experience suffering or what exactly is the point you are trying to make here?

Your insensitive comment is probably showcasing the fallacy of relative privation, but these are real people you're talking about, some are on work visas or are from single income families. Their lives have changed in an instant and instead of empathizing, your reaction is a sarcastic 'those poor ex-Google employees'? Shame on you.

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The dude is a troll.

"I have no counter-argument, so I'm just going to call the person I disagree with a silly name, because I'm upset and it is all I can do"

Losing an at-will employment position is suffering? It's unfortunate, maybe, even a little sad. But to say this is "suffering" borders on entitled lunacy. Especially considering ex-Google employees can land virtually any job with it on their resume.

The risks of working at-will are well known, and one would be well served to understand them to avoid disappointment. Actually, the shame is on them for failing to adequately prepare for an obvious inevitability, especially if others are depending on them for support.

I've seen ex-Google employees passed on the resume pile based on assumptions about what that experience means and what sort of salary they may demand. There are no guarantees in this job market.

Google employees are just like any other tech sector employee. They are neither "lucky" nor "unlucky". There's not much difference, even if they managed to land a job at Google. After Google, their struggles are similar to other tech sector employees. At this point, many of them are uncertain about the future. Layoffs are demoralizing regardless of where one works.

I didn't say they're lucky.

I said they're not suffering, in the true sense of the word.

I am beginning to suspect the coddled and entitled readers of this forum are quite ignorant of what it really means to suffer. A trip to India or any other third-world country would quickly change that attitude.

> I am beginning to suspect the coddled and entitled readers of this forum are quite ignorant of what it really means to suffer.

I am beginning to suspect that readers of this forum don't know how to read, considering I called you out on this fallacy in my original comment. Here's a lesson about it: https://s28543.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2020/04/F...

Unfortunately, there is no originality in your comment, here or elsewhere in this thread. Just sad and meaningless self-flagellation (now also with weird condescension) with no actual regard for what suffering means to billions of other people.

I sincerely hope you find the maturity required to expand your worldview outside of the sheltered, entitled microcosm it presently is.

> A trip to India or any other third-world country would quickly change that attitude.

I don't suggest telling someone who just lost their job that they should keep a stiff upper lip. I certainly don't suggest you tell them that they should spend some time in a "third-world country" because, well, for one thing, that's rather crass.

But, also, I don't think you quite understand what "third-world" means. It's not based on economic status. It's based on NATO / Warsaw Pact neutrality. Any use beyond that is pejorative at best. Perhaps you mean a "developing nation" or an "economically disadvantaged" nation. Even then, it's complicated.

I love that you manage to insult an entire country by implying that it's a shit hole nobody would want to live in then use it as an excuse to tell us we shouldn't demand better conditions from our employers because you personally think we're "coddled".

> Especially considering ex-Google employees can land virtually any job with it on their resume.

Hilarious and false.

It is false that working for the 4th largest company in the world does not give your resume an advantage?

What evidence will you present in support of this conclusion?

What evidence are you presenting to support this?

> Especially considering ex-Google employees can land virtually any job with it on their resume

It's only fair to present your evidence before asking other people for evidence when they contradict you.

Common sense and reason, to name two.

Now it's your turn!

I don’t disagree that you get an advantage, I disagree with the conclusion that you’ll be able to land virtually any job as a result.

It’s simply false.

So you're just contesting the meaning of the world "virtually"?

Sounds like a "fun" discussion. Enjoy!

> Losing an at-will employment position is suffering? It's unfortunate, maybe, even a little sad. But to say this is "suffering" borders on entitled lunacy.

How would you define "suffering?"

Merriam Webster includes "to endure death, pain, or distress" or "to sustain loss or damage" as part of the definition, which definitely seems to include getting laid off.

So suffering is a binary dichotomy? Or are there perhaps varying degrees of it?

If I stub my toe and claim I'm "suffering", any intelligent person would laugh at the proposition, because relative to a starving person, for example, it could not be considered a hardship or even mild distress.

I posit getting laid off from at-will employment at one of the most prestigious companies in the history of the world is not suffering, and characterizing it as such is tone-deaf and entitled.

> Losing an at-will employment position is suffering?

Yes. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/updates/upd-11-18-21.html

At-will employment has nothing to do with anything. Losing your job is a very stressful event.

The linked reference does not support your argument, only that losing healthcare equates to worse health outcomes. Care to try again?

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