@danluu This is completely anecdotal, but I’ve come across a fair amount of libertarian-leaning individuals in tech, more so than in my other social circles. I wonder if this plays hand-in-hand with your observation here of techies preferring a “simple set of concrete rules.”

@danluu When I started looking for programming languages to learn after my first one, all the forums hated on Javascript. Fast forward like 5 years, I was using js (technically ts) at an internship, and learned to really appreciate how productive you can be with it compared to other languages.

@danluu My family immigrated to the US when I was in elementary school, and I grew up relatively poor here (the CA gov considered our income "very low", some years, "extremely low"). I remember seeing classmates get picked up for doctor/dentist appointments, never realizing that periodic regular health checkups were a thing. I thought you only went to the doctor when you had a disease or something. (I didn't have insurance until my university gave me a grant)