3 ms·

I've been on HN for years, and lately some of the downvotes have really been blowing my mind. See this post I made a couple of months ago: https://news.ycombin

I've been on HN for years, and lately some of the downvotes have really been blowing my mind. See this post I made a couple of months ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18937864 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18937864. Someone actually downvoted and argued against me that their dog's life is more valuable than "a stranger's". I have no doubt it's the same people downvoting your comment. I can't tell if these people are just really good trolls, or they truly don't value human life (including loss of life in an airplane crash).

darkpuma 8y ago
I think you probaby struck a raw nerve with that dog issue in particular. Some people have family and dogs, but other people have no family (or not the one they want) and use dogs as surrogates. Pointing out the difference between family and dogs can provoke an intense emotional reaction, not rooted in their feelings towards dogs but rather rooted in the phantom pain they feel where their family should be. So what seems to be an irrational emotional outburst in defense of dogs is in fact their sense of familiar longing or loss. Viewed this way, maybe you can see some common ground. (I'm sure somebody might want to tell me about how they have a family and a dog, and love both. That's great, but I'm quite sure losing a child would be a greater blow to you than losing a dog. The point here is that somebody who already feels pain from missing family might try to ameliorate that pain with dog ownership.)
- objektif 8y ago
  Anyone who equates human life and dog needs to be evaluated immediately. I am not kidding, it means they have lost touch with the society.
matz1 8y ago
This value are relative to the individual, not everyone value human life and dog life the same way. That's just reality.
internetzzzzzz 8y ago
Quit gettin' mad at video games.

darkpuma 8y ago

I think you probaby struck a raw nerve with that dog issue in particular. Some people have family and dogs, but other people have no family (or not the one they want) and use dogs as surrogates. Pointing out the difference between family and dogs can provoke an intense emotional reaction, not rooted in their feelings towards dogs but rather rooted in the phantom pain they feel where their family should be. So what seems to be an irrational emotional outburst in defense of dogs is in fact their sense of familiar longing or loss. Viewed this way, maybe you can see some common ground. (I'm sure somebody might want to tell me about how they have a family and a dog, and love both. That's great, but I'm quite sure losing a child would be a greater blow to you than losing a dog. The point here is that somebody who already feels pain from missing family might try to ameliorate that pain with dog ownership.)

objektif 8y ago
Anyone who equates human life and dog needs to be evaluated immediately. I am not kidding, it means they have lost touch with the society.

matz1 8y ago

This value are relative to the individual, not everyone value human life and dog life the same way. That's just reality.

internetzzzzzz 8y ago

Quit gettin' mad at video games.