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"Sorry, but you need to do better, you pathetic sad-sack snowflake! Right now you sound like not just part of the problem, but happily part of the problem. Fix
by tanseydavid 7y ago
"Sorry, but you need to do better, you pathetic sad-sack snowflake! Right now you sound like not just part of the problem, but happily part of the problem. Fix yourself."
This comment is totally unnecessary and really not appropriate for HN.
- lidHanteyk 7y agoThis is tone-policing; if "pathetic" is not appropriate here, then it's not appropriate in the (great-grand)parent's post, either. But I will unpack exactly what I meant. "pathetic" is literal, and used in the same sense that the parent used it; it connotes that their comment evokes pathos, and lacks ethos, logos, or bathos. A "sad-sack" is somebody who ruins the tone or vibe of a conversation with their attitude, usually by making people feel uncomfortable and sad. A "snowflake" is somebody who cannot stand being criticized, and erupts in anger whenever confronted with evidence which contradicts their beliefs. "part of the problem" is an old rhetorical idea relating to good-faith argumentation; the idea is that if somebody repeatedly admits to all of the premises but not the conclusion, over and over, then eventually we must conclude that they are refusing to engage with the argument in good faith. "fix yourself" is pretty direct; I want the parent to read the links that I provided and reconsider their beliefs, and optionally to then re-read the original linked article and commentary and see if they come to a better understanding.