from Hacker News

How Selling My Startup Led Me to Take a Vow of Middle Class Poverty

by flardinois on 12/21/11, 4:47 PM with 21 comments

  • by ohyes on 12/21/11, 5:49 PM

    > But as I contemplated every purchase I realized that each one would pull me further and further away from the common experience of my fellow human beings. I would be operating in the world of Paris Hilton ("What’s Walmart, do they sell like wall stuff?”) instead of the world of grime, dirt, and soot inhabited by the vast majority of humanity.

    As a person living in a very wealthy city in the united states you already operate far removed from the grim, dirt, and soot (not to mention the disease and starvation) inhabited by the rest of humanity.

    I suggest joining the peace core.

  • by kevinh on 12/21/11, 5:24 PM

    He strikes me as being completely out of touch with the value of money. He's living as a single man on the median income of a family of four and he's acting like he can't have a single luxury? It's ridiculous.

  • by panzerboy on 12/21/11, 5:24 PM

    The dude is a hypocrite. What is he actually hoping to accomplish by doing this? Who is he going to help? Instead of this BS, he should either live his life an enjoy his money, or, if he's feeling guilty or something, he should consider donating some of his money or volunteering for something he believes in.

  • by scrozier on 12/21/11, 5:21 PM

    This hits me like the most elaborate humblebrag ever.

  • by sparkygoblue on 12/21/11, 11:25 PM

    This may be one of the most self-absorbed, egotistical, and subtly offensive things I've seen posted on HN.

    Here's something to think about: Being connected with your fellow man has nothing to do with how much money you make or putting arbitrary limits on yourself. If you think limiting your income and taking away "luxuries" in your life is going to somehow change your connections with humanity, you have no sense of what connecting with the common human even entails.

    It sounds to me like you're very out of touch with humanity, and that has nothing to do with money IMO.

  • by Geekette on 12/21/11, 7:58 PM

    "middle class poverty"?

    Privileged bollocks is all that comes to mind.

  • by meow on 12/21/11, 5:51 PM

    I think he is seriously missing out on one thing both the rich and poor need - "a goal". Without that, people tend to go around in circles.