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So you read this story. It's entirely written in the second person. You get annoyed by that, because the story isn't really about you, it's about someone else

So you read this story. It's entirely written in the second person. You get annoyed by that, because the story isn't really about you, it's about someone else. You keep reading anyway. You are appalled by the complexity of the social safety net and all of the needless bureaucracy, and how this makes people including you more vulnerable if something goes wrong.

ddorian43 9y ago
Where you come from, there's no safety net, they find you a shitty job to not pay you unemployment benefits. That's why you have to keep your own "personal safety cushion". You upvote on hacker news and move on.
to3m 9y ago
A personal bugbear for me too. The writer's story is theirs, and I wish they'd stop trying to tell me it's mine too. I typically assume that they're right, that I know what's going to happen, and stop reading. I don't know which is worse, though: this, or history programmes narrated in the present tense.
- andyjohnson0 9y ago
  > history programmes narrated in the present tense This is called "historical present" [1], and is a style derived from Latin. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_present https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_present
robmcm 9y ago
The concept is to make you see the world though someone else's eyes, to put you into someone else's shoes. You are highlighting your inability to do this, and proving how you only want to consider the impact directly on yourself.
duncan_bayne 9y ago
In fairness, I've known a number of English people who tell stories exactly like the author did in this case. It feels more authentic - I can imagine the subject of the tale speaking in exactly the same manner. Nah'mean? You pick up a book, see, and it's all written like the author's telling you how it happened. Gets under your skin, right? Makes it more personal somehow. You read some more, and you get sucked in, lose yourself like.
- dm319 9y ago
  Yes, it's an East-London working-class style.

ddorian43 9y ago

Where you come from, there's no safety net, they find you a shitty job to not pay you unemployment benefits. That's why you have to keep your own "personal safety cushion". You upvote on hacker news and move on.

to3m 9y ago

A personal bugbear for me too. The writer's story is theirs, and I wish they'd stop trying to tell me it's mine too. I typically assume that they're right, that I know what's going to happen, and stop reading. I don't know which is worse, though: this, or history programmes narrated in the present tense.

andyjohnson0 9y ago
> history programmes narrated in the present tense This is called "historical present" [1], and is a style derived from Latin. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_present https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_present

robmcm 9y ago

The concept is to make you see the world though someone else's eyes, to put you into someone else's shoes. You are highlighting your inability to do this, and proving how you only want to consider the impact directly on yourself.

duncan_bayne 9y ago

In fairness, I've known a number of English people who tell stories exactly like the author did in this case. It feels more authentic - I can imagine the subject of the tale speaking in exactly the same manner. Nah'mean? You pick up a book, see, and it's all written like the author's telling you how it happened. Gets under your skin, right? Makes it more personal somehow. You read some more, and you get sucked in, lose yourself like.

dm319 9y ago
Yes, it's an East-London working-class style.