Not only that, but I hate to be the bearer of bad news...
It has always been that way. Science was the domain of wealthy white men who came from thoroughbred backgrounds. It's more of a meritocracy than ever, in some ways, in that you can pay to attend a university and you can shoehorn your way into the system. I'm a scientist, I grew up in a single parent family with zero academic background. However, this is not the norm, and it's a rough road full of petty bullshit and gatekeeping... choose accordingly.
I don't know what it is with HN and this fetishism for the past and its superior ethical and technical state. It's, as a general rule, entirely false. Any time you read "things aren't like they used to be" it should trigger intense skepticism. In fact, things used to be awful. It was just accepted as the norm and poorly documented in their reasons for being awful and now we have forums where the public can easily and openly discuss such issues.
It has always been that way. Science was the domain of wealthy white men who came from thoroughbred backgrounds. It's more of a meritocracy than ever, in some ways, in that you can pay to attend a university and you can shoehorn your way into the system. I'm a scientist, I grew up in a single parent family with zero academic background. However, this is not the norm, and it's a rough road full of petty bullshit and gatekeeping... choose accordingly.
I don't know what it is with HN and this fetishism for the past and its superior ethical and technical state. It's, as a general rule, entirely false. Any time you read "things aren't like they used to be" it should trigger intense skepticism. In fact, things used to be awful. It was just accepted as the norm and poorly documented in their reasons for being awful and now we have forums where the public can easily and openly discuss such issues.