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Re:Entrepreneurs who regret starting businesses by coldtea on Tuesday April 04, 2023 @02:19PM (#35443858)
>This is cynicism disguising itself as wisdom

Nope, just reality described as is.

>Of course people with privilege have it easier. (...) Until you can fully accept that truth and do things despite that, you're stuck.

That, on the other hand, is fatalism described as realism.

Nothing ever changed without outrage about how things are.

And even less by people accepting them and trying to get by "despite that".

Re:Entrepreneurs who regret starting businesses by JohnFen on Tuesday April 04, 2023 @03:13PM (#35444548)
"Every pessimist thinks themself a realist."
Re:Entrepreneurs who regret starting businesses by coldtea on Tuesday April 04, 2023 @03:31PM (#35444790)
Realists also think of themselves as realists, so there's that.

Plus, every starry-eyed, la-la land, Polyanna thinks themselves not naive!

Re:Entrepreneurs who regret starting businesses by JohnFen on Tuesday April 04, 2023 @04:42PM (#35445621)
Agreed. Very nearly 100% of people think their point of view is correct and reasonable and everyone who doesn't share their point of view is wrong. The point of the quote, to me, is to remind us of that.

It goes along with another of my favorite quotes: everyone seems crazy when you don't understand their point of view.

Re:Entrepreneurs who regret starting businesses by Hermitian909 on Tuesday April 04, 2023 @03:35PM (#35444839)
There's an interesting tension in between aggregate problems and what's possible for you as an individual.

As an example, in the aggregate people with non-CS or math backgrounds are very unlikely to make $400k+ a year as a software developer. On an individual level, I have repeatedly been able to get others to that level inside 5 years if those people are willing to do straightforward but difficult work. However, this is only possible because so many people won't do the work, if everyone was aware of the opportunity and had the gumption to pursue it diligently the opportunity would quickly be exhausted.

This same pattern of "plenty of opportunity for individuals, but not enough for the group" seems common in many other ventures. Talking to very successful people it seems to be one of the reasons so many people who make it view lack of success as a failing, they've acquired the skillset to see these opportunities and wonder why no one is taking them (but often fail to notice there aren't enough for everyone).