Hey Isabella, it's obvious that you write clearly and think deeply. I've been doing my own writing on similar subjects and would be very interested in your thoughts. I trust that this won't come off as too adversarial, but it concerns me that elites like you and I (and that is what we are) are very comfortable calling out issues of identity (race, gender, etc.) but are much more uncomfortable addressing the power and privilege derived from our careers. For example, it's important to help your friend who grew up poor navigate ordering at a restaurant, but how much did Bain play a role in the fact that she grew up poor at all? MBB consulting arguably helped to shrink the middle class in the West, and Bain disproportionately serves the private equity industry that has caused so much damage to working class people. Are we so focused on micro-aggressions over macroeconomics that we blind ourselves to the systems of economic extraction that we enthusiastically participate in every day? What can we do to counter the negative impact of our careers, not just our words and actions?
I have to admit, my personal experience – and that of many friends with whom I am closest – is that of a second generation immigrant. There is a very unique second generation immigrant set of challenges that doesn't necessarily overlap with the working class challenges that are so prominent in North America today. I can immediately think of many ways in which "the Bains of the world" (so to speak) impact the working class in North America, but the impact of "the Bains of the world" on the second generation immigrant population is a bit less clear in my mind. I'm not sure that I can speak to the challenges of the working class, particularly as the second generation immigrant narrative that I am most intimately familiar with often entails having educated parents who met the bar to qualify to immigrate to North America.
That said, I wholeheartedly believe that there are ways to build a company that is profitable and otherwise financially healthy, while also doing good in the world. It's something we talk a lot about TestBox and it's one of our core values - to give back. It's not always easy to find ways to do that without compromising the business model but we try not to get discouraged from doing anything we can, no matter how small. One example is that when we thank our users for participating in user testing, we offer to make a donation of $x to a charity of their choice OR a giftcard of a smaller amount to a retailer of their choice. We try to create incentives to get everyone we touch to give back rather than just funnelling money back to certain giants who may not take corporate social responsibility as seriously.
Hey Isabella, it's obvious that you write clearly and think deeply. I've been doing my own writing on similar subjects and would be very interested in your thoughts. I trust that this won't come off as too adversarial, but it concerns me that elites like you and I (and that is what we are) are very comfortable calling out issues of identity (race, gender, etc.) but are much more uncomfortable addressing the power and privilege derived from our careers. For example, it's important to help your friend who grew up poor navigate ordering at a restaurant, but how much did Bain play a role in the fact that she grew up poor at all? MBB consulting arguably helped to shrink the middle class in the West, and Bain disproportionately serves the private equity industry that has caused so much damage to working class people. Are we so focused on micro-aggressions over macroeconomics that we blind ourselves to the systems of economic extraction that we enthusiastically participate in every day? What can we do to counter the negative impact of our careers, not just our words and actions?
Hi Omar - you raise a fascinating point.
I have to admit, my personal experience – and that of many friends with whom I am closest – is that of a second generation immigrant. There is a very unique second generation immigrant set of challenges that doesn't necessarily overlap with the working class challenges that are so prominent in North America today. I can immediately think of many ways in which "the Bains of the world" (so to speak) impact the working class in North America, but the impact of "the Bains of the world" on the second generation immigrant population is a bit less clear in my mind. I'm not sure that I can speak to the challenges of the working class, particularly as the second generation immigrant narrative that I am most intimately familiar with often entails having educated parents who met the bar to qualify to immigrate to North America.
That said, I wholeheartedly believe that there are ways to build a company that is profitable and otherwise financially healthy, while also doing good in the world. It's something we talk a lot about TestBox and it's one of our core values - to give back. It's not always easy to find ways to do that without compromising the business model but we try not to get discouraged from doing anything we can, no matter how small. One example is that when we thank our users for participating in user testing, we offer to make a donation of $x to a charity of their choice OR a giftcard of a smaller amount to a retailer of their choice. We try to create incentives to get everyone we touch to give back rather than just funnelling money back to certain giants who may not take corporate social responsibility as seriously.
Appreciate the response and the angle on 2nd gen immigrant vs. American working class! More to explore for me...