3 ms·
My theory: My initial reaction to your post is that it doesn't contribute anything useful: clearly you're sufficiently different from the Facebook-using masses
by ajkjk 11y ago
My theory:
My initial reaction to your post is that it doesn't contribute anything useful: clearly you're sufficiently different from the Facebook-using masses that statements about them have zero relevance to you and vice versa, and because the masses are, well, masses, it's still perfectly legitimate to talk about them.
Since your post (like the similar ones that appear on every submission about Facebook) doesn't contribute anything useful (and especially not anything novel), and since I (subconsciously) project onto you and assume you are probably aware of that, I find myself filling in blanks and concluding that you're posting for a different reason - something to the effect of "hey look at me, I don't use Facebook, I'm better than that, you're all wasting your time and I'm not".
And, unsurprisingly, that kind of gloating and attention-seeking, even subtextual, is annoying and elicits a negative response.
I'm not saying you necessarily meant it that way, and I think this is all half-subconscious, but I do think it's what's happening.
- Aelinsaar 11y agoSo you're not sure that's what I meant, but you're willing to read what I said in the worst possible light anyway, even if it means blaming my subconscious? Maybe don't spend so much energy on reading into things and making assumptions.
- ajkjk 11y agoNo, I'm telling you how I did in fact read it, but trying to be generous by saying that I'm not accusing you of meaning it that way.
- Aelinsaar 11y agoI think you've confused "Generosity" and "Passive Aggression".
- ajkjk 11y agoI don't think so. I'm being generous in the sense that I'm open to multiple interpretations of what happened and I'm going out of my way to not assume (and to express that I do not assume) that you were being intentionally unpleasant. I'm happy to interpret it as an error. But I still want to express that I think your top comment was unpleasant, regardless of how unhappy it makes you to hear that (which is apparently a lot). Sure, you can tell me I shouldn't bother saying any of this, but I'm not really doing it for you; I want other Hacker News comment-browsers to be reminded not to do unpleasant things like that, and about how exactly they're unpleasant, and to do that I have to write something that's pretty much going to piss you off regardless of how I phrase it.
- Aelinsaar 11y agoI'm not pissed off, I'm just engaged by your combination of intelligence and poor socialization.
- nicky0 11y agoThat is what you meant though, isn't it.
- Aelinsaar 11y agoNo, it isn't, which is why I didn't say it. This is the internet though, where there is always someone willing to be a prick to make a point though, and it's rarely worth the time to rebut.