All Hollowed Out: The lonely poverty of America’s white working class
This level of inequality makes me sad. Really sad. I know I can&#x27;t be the only working stiff in the valley whose poor siblings and family think they are rich for earning in the $100-150k range. Nevermind that I can&#x27;t afford to buy a house here. I can&#x27;t enjoy my success because of the near-desperate financial situations I see my relatives enduring.<p>My sister gave me a $50 gift for christmas, and it brought tears to my eyes because she&#x27;s a single mother making the federal minimum wage of $7.15&#x2F;hr. That comes out to $290&#x2F;wk, before taxes, if she&#x27;s lucky and gets a full week&#x27;s worth of hours. To earn that pittance, she is physically laboring and might have to work 7 days a week to get enough hours in the schedule.<p>It makes me feel like a douche every time I think about it. Me sitting there in my Aeron chair, eating free snacks while reading code. And making ~10x what she does. When I really think about it, from similar beginnings, only a relatively small number of key decisions separate our two economic outcomes.<p>I try to give generously to assuage my guilt. But I&#x27;ve found that there are limits to what can be given without stirring resentment, or provoking attempts at reciprocity. That&#x27;s how this $50 gift came about... I bought some nice stuff for her kid, and she wanted to show her gratitude.