I agree with you. I think I am saying that I don't mind if discussions about "is tech hiring down 40%" also include discussions about "tech hiring sure feels li

I agree with you. I think I am saying that I don't mind if discussions about "is tech hiring down 40%" also include discussions about "tech hiring sure feels like it's down because here's my experience ...". They are "relevant" in the sense that it provides a logical repository for information about how the job market feels, both factually and emotionally. I don't see much benefit in asserting such a need to keep the topics separate that even a comment thread on Hacker News cannot mix the two kinds of assessments together.