@zenkat @soatok yeah, but "averages" are not great here. Read the 2 dollar a day book. It's absolutely brutal, and poverty and "real estate values" are NOT distributed anywhere close to equal in this country. I'll purchase you both a copy via whatever means you want, just ask. https://bookshop.org/p/books/2-00-a-day-living-on-almost-nothing-in-america-h-luke-shaefer/589712c6bfb34fa0
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@codinghorror @zenkat @soatok Just finished reading $2 a Day, thanks for the recommendation! It reinforced the idea that it's expensive and time consuming to be poor, in addition to so many other negative aspects in your life, especially your self worth and dignity. It's embarrassing to have such levels of poverty in our country. Sad read for sure 🙁
@codinghorror @zenkat @soatok The way “averages” are used to pave over massive inequality is really startling when you look for it. Claiming the “mean” is the “average” of a set with a Pareto distribution should be treated more harshly than plagiarism.
@secretgeek @codinghorror @zenkat Absolutely. It's statistical malpractice.
@codinghorror @zenkat @soatok I'm just finishing a book and I think I'll try to pick this up from the library. Sounds like something people should read. Have you read Poverty: By America? I have that one on my list as well. His earlier book Evicted was such a great read and I highly recommend it
ETA: It's available and I've got a hold on it 😄
@codinghorror @zenkat My childhood wasn't too removed from that kind of poverty, unfortunately.
Family friends routinely sold their plasma just to buy value menu meals at McDonald's because they couldn't afford the prices at Publix. We helped them where we could, but sometimes that was a car ride to donate said plasma.
@soatok @codinghorror @zenkat Not many years ago I myself lived off $50 a month. I had assistance (SNAP, medicaid, a roof), so it wasn't $50 + nothing. But ~$50 was my taxable income.
I could never sell plasma, because of some medical stuff, but I have friends still routinely sell plasma. This kind of poverty is very real and present. I'm actually really bothered by how much of the tech world (obviously not you three) are so completely shielded from it.