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If we're going to upvote these things on Hacker News, can we try to stick to comments that are less butt-hurt and more constructive? Yes, the technology industr

If we're going to upvote these things on Hacker News, can we try to stick to comments that are less butt-hurt and more constructive? Yes, the technology industry is reeling from the fact that the preferred candidate did not win. However, we are supposed to be hackers here, not some whiny intelligentsia. Please take off your sad hat and put back on the hacker hat. Bend the rules. Enact the change that you can from the position you are in. Get involved in any way you can. We cannot change the results of the election, but we can work with the framework and try to improve it for the better. Embrace the suck, and let's step forward in any way possible.

ethbro 10y ago
Was going to post something similar myself. No offense, but a lot of my liberal-leaning colleagues/friends/HN users sound like whinier Republicans when Democrats were in power. Progress used to be made in the US through compromise. I want one thing, another person wants another, we sit down and bash out what's acceptable to both of us and the country is the better for that negotiation. There are Trump policies that I will fight possibly to my death should they ever be attempted, but there are also a non-zero number I think might be good for this country. As micaksica suggested, hackers act on the world they have, not on the world they wish existed.
- Bartweiss 10y ago
  And frankly, it seems to me that the easiest and most peaceful way to avoid the worst of Trump is to encourage the best of Trump. He has to do something, and he doesn't seem to particularly care what, so let's keep him busy. Already, he's announced several populist, nonpartisan goals which have been slapped down by Congressional Republicans. They're tame, approval-building pieces of legislation and they're infinitely more appealing than most of his campaign focuses. If Trump wants to spend a year and a lot of political capital forcing through a sensible infrastructure repair bill, I will be writing letters to help him do it. We could fight him at every turn, but I think we'll all be better off if we decide what we can support and make that an easy path to take.
- Overtonwindow 10y ago
  Hi! Former Congressional staffer here. Ten years in DC working on the Hill. There is no more compromise. Period. From any party, from any politician. Every single day is spent doing whatever is necessary to disagree, disparage, obstruct, and humiliate the other party. Compromise be damned: It's all about power, staying in power, and forcing the other part out of power. This is why I left. The two parties have personally and vindictively attacked one another for so long that nothing gets done. The next 2 years will be spent with Republicans ramming their agenda down the throats of Democrats, precisely the way Democrats did it in 2007-2009. Then, it was payback time. Now it's payback fro the Republicans. There is no more compromise in Congress, this is why it's so dysfunctional, and why nothing gets done. It does not appear to be changing any time soon, no matter the party in power.
  - leesalminen 10y ago
    This is the thing that people should actually be "scared" of.
  - ethbro 10y ago
    > It does not appear to be changing any time soon, no matter the party in power. Curious, would you agree or disagree with the statement that a majority of this is driven by the primary process, fundraising requirements, and the political media industry? If so, those seem like tractable problems we can absolutely work on.
    - Overtonwindow 10y ago
      To a certain extent. House elections being every 2 years is a migraine that never ends. House members of both parties fundraise like crazy, and they're constantly dialing for dollars. This means they're constantly a target by the opposing party. Certainly if House members did not have to spend so much time watching their backs, dialing for dollars, and campaigning, it might help. Curiously the Senate has something of a more collegiate body, even by those who despise one another, they tend to be more polite and respectful behind the scenes. I think this is because they know they have six years to drag things out, fundraise, and build relationships.
- Zikes 10y ago
  I've seen the word "bigot" thrown about more in the past week than in my entire life. It's incredible how few people seem to understand that the literal definition of bigotry is the complete disregard or ignorance of another person's beliefs, creeds, or opinions.

ethbro 10y ago

Was going to post something similar myself. No offense, but a lot of my liberal-leaning colleagues/friends/HN users sound like whinier Republicans when Democrats were in power. Progress used to be made in the US through compromise. I want one thing, another person wants another, we sit down and bash out what's acceptable to both of us and the country is the better for that negotiation. There are Trump policies that I will fight possibly to my death should they ever be attempted, but there are also a non-zero number I think might be good for this country. As micaksica suggested, hackers act on the world they have, not on the world they wish existed.

Bartweiss 10y ago
And frankly, it seems to me that the easiest and most peaceful way to avoid the worst of Trump is to encourage the best of Trump. He has to do something, and he doesn't seem to particularly care what, so let's keep him busy. Already, he's announced several populist, nonpartisan goals which have been slapped down by Congressional Republicans. They're tame, approval-building pieces of legislation and they're infinitely more appealing than most of his campaign focuses. If Trump wants to spend a year and a lot of political capital forcing through a sensible infrastructure repair bill, I will be writing letters to help him do it. We could fight him at every turn, but I think we'll all be better off if we decide what we can support and make that an easy path to take.
Overtonwindow 10y ago
Hi! Former Congressional staffer here. Ten years in DC working on the Hill. There is no more compromise. Period. From any party, from any politician. Every single day is spent doing whatever is necessary to disagree, disparage, obstruct, and humiliate the other party. Compromise be damned: It's all about power, staying in power, and forcing the other part out of power. This is why I left. The two parties have personally and vindictively attacked one another for so long that nothing gets done. The next 2 years will be spent with Republicans ramming their agenda down the throats of Democrats, precisely the way Democrats did it in 2007-2009. Then, it was payback time. Now it's payback fro the Republicans. There is no more compromise in Congress, this is why it's so dysfunctional, and why nothing gets done. It does not appear to be changing any time soon, no matter the party in power.
- leesalminen 10y ago
  This is the thing that people should actually be "scared" of.
- ethbro 10y ago
  > It does not appear to be changing any time soon, no matter the party in power. Curious, would you agree or disagree with the statement that a majority of this is driven by the primary process, fundraising requirements, and the political media industry? If so, those seem like tractable problems we can absolutely work on.
  - Overtonwindow 10y ago
    To a certain extent. House elections being every 2 years is a migraine that never ends. House members of both parties fundraise like crazy, and they're constantly dialing for dollars. This means they're constantly a target by the opposing party. Certainly if House members did not have to spend so much time watching their backs, dialing for dollars, and campaigning, it might help. Curiously the Senate has something of a more collegiate body, even by those who despise one another, they tend to be more polite and respectful behind the scenes. I think this is because they know they have six years to drag things out, fundraise, and build relationships.
Zikes 10y ago
I've seen the word "bigot" thrown about more in the past week than in my entire life. It's incredible how few people seem to understand that the literal definition of bigotry is the complete disregard or ignorance of another person's beliefs, creeds, or opinions.