In yet another tone-deaf ejaculation of mind-blowing idiocy, member of the tech elite Hadi Partovi declared that recession could be good for Seattle. Read it here, faithfully reported by Geekwire.
I mean you can’t make this stuff up. Think of the number of levels on which this statement is asinine.
“Wait,” you say, “Let’s hear what he really meant by that.” Okay, so read the article and you’ll see. His point, basic at best, callous at worst, and risible either way was that recession hurts companies with “shaky” balance sheets and that, clearly, this is not the case with Microsoft or Amazon. Voila.
So let’s think about this and the assumptions behind it:
1) The tech sector, in fact these two companies, are equivalent to Seattle.
2) That these two companies won’t let people go or reduce investment during recession.
3) That what is good for Amazon and Microsoft is good for Seattle.
4) That those who suffer during recessions, those who can’t afford food, healthcare, or education, those who live in precarity anyways and who are therefore pushed over the brink by recession don’t matter.
One can go on and on.
The technology elite, swollen by super-profits, massive egos, and a lack of any sociological sensibilities, have every right to say what they think but why should media outlets repeat their inanities and why should any of us continue to pay them any heed?
Now, clearly, there are members of this club who are not tone-deaf and who don’t harbor such anti-human thoughts. But the rest of the world has had enough of this callous nonchalance about the world outside the bubble.
I myself make my living in the technology sector and I’ve met wonderful people in it. I’ve been able to work on incredible projects and whatever little philanthropy I’ve been able to do has been funded by my roles in technology. But I don’t recognize what we’ve become.
Let’s reclaim our sense, humanity, and general civic sense and not continue to indulge in fantasies of self-love and callous indifference to those not fortunate enough to be part of the club.
Romi Mahajan in an Author, Marketer, Investor, and Activist
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