3 ms·

I have no idea what the skin color or gender or sexual preferences of other users on HN are and you don't know mine. That's how I prefer it. The other day I un

I have no idea what the skin color or gender or sexual preferences of other users on HN are and you don't know mine. That's how I prefer it. The other day I unsubscribed from a popular Javascript mailing list, after the writer switched from writing about Javascript to writing about how white people and black people should interact. Or rather I didn't unsubscribe right away: I emailed the writer politely and mentioned how I prefer posts to be about the thing that unites us: Javascript. Their response: "my platform, my voice", "all tech is political", "this mailing list isn't for you", and later on Twitter: people who unsubscribed are racist and should "eat shit". I don't believe I'm racist. It's just that I signed up for Javascript tips and the writer switched to politics (in this case, the politics of a country and culture I don't live in). I'm no more interested in their political views than they are in mine. On the internet, nobody needs to know I'm a dog.

koheripbal 6y ago
In such a polarized emotionally charged environment, some people are unable to emotionally segregate world news from their personal and professional lives. These people have become paralyzed and unable to function normally. They allow world events to bleed into every conversation, and feel obligated to support their side and ostracizing anyone that disagrees - further isolating them in their bubble. I think that social media has increased society's emotional surface area to world events. We no longer isolate 30-60 minutes per day to watch balanced reports on the 6 o'clock news - now it's all the time, hyperbolic, and often deceptive. Our emotions are being weaponized - and November is going to be a real wake-up call where we will see the magnitude of disruptive power that these polarized social media messages can wield.
- newsbinator 6y ago
  Quite right! In this case, the mailing list writer has built a dichotomy into all their communications: either you say black lives matter or you say "all lives matter" and therefore you are his enemy. Whereas the third option, "I'm just here for Javascript tips", wasn't even under consideration. So unless you engage with and echo their politics, you fall into the enemy camp by default.
  - tomjen3 6y ago
    What a world it has come to where you are the enemy if you say all lives matters.
    - newsbinator 6y ago
      That's not what I meant. I'm saying the absence of any political statement at all makes one the enemy to the writer of this javascript mailing list.
    - triplea9 6y ago
      If the statement is to be taken at face value, then yes I would agree. But it it shouldn’t be, it’s used a way of denigrating and minimising the concerns of BLM as well as painting the movement as supposed black supremacists when they naturally take offence at the subtext behind the statement.
      - _curious_ 6y ago
        You are in complete control of how you choose to interpret a statement..and choose you will.
      - maceurt 6y ago
        While I disagree with the BLM movement, I think that All Lives Matter was an obvious attempt to rile up people and create unneeded conflict. I don't know what you are referring to when it comes to subtext, as it seems that the ALM movement really started to counter the idea that only black people get killed by police or are victims of hate crimes.
jcims 6y ago
Andreas Antonopoulos does this on twitter all the time, drives me crazy - https://twitter.com/aantonop/status/1268576565912363008 https://twitter.com/aantonop/status/1268576565912363008
_curious_ 6y ago
"I have no idea what the skin color or gender or sexual preferences of other users on HN are and you don't know mine. That's how I prefer it." This aspect of HN is specifically WHY I feel welcome here and WHY the content + conversation is consistently of higher quality relative to other forums...It's actually one of the few places left online where this feature remains.

koheripbal 6y ago

In such a polarized emotionally charged environment, some people are unable to emotionally segregate world news from their personal and professional lives. These people have become paralyzed and unable to function normally. They allow world events to bleed into every conversation, and feel obligated to support their side and ostracizing anyone that disagrees - further isolating them in their bubble. I think that social media has increased society's emotional surface area to world events. We no longer isolate 30-60 minutes per day to watch balanced reports on the 6 o'clock news - now it's all the time, hyperbolic, and often deceptive. Our emotions are being weaponized - and November is going to be a real wake-up call where we will see the magnitude of disruptive power that these polarized social media messages can wield.

newsbinator 6y ago
Quite right! In this case, the mailing list writer has built a dichotomy into all their communications: either you say black lives matter or you say "all lives matter" and therefore you are his enemy. Whereas the third option, "I'm just here for Javascript tips", wasn't even under consideration. So unless you engage with and echo their politics, you fall into the enemy camp by default.
- tomjen3 6y ago
  What a world it has come to where you are the enemy if you say all lives matters.
  - newsbinator 6y ago
    That's not what I meant. I'm saying the absence of any political statement at all makes one the enemy to the writer of this javascript mailing list.
  - triplea9 6y ago
    If the statement is to be taken at face value, then yes I would agree. But it it shouldn’t be, it’s used a way of denigrating and minimising the concerns of BLM as well as painting the movement as supposed black supremacists when they naturally take offence at the subtext behind the statement.
    - _curious_ 6y ago
      You are in complete control of how you choose to interpret a statement..and choose you will.
    - maceurt 6y ago
      While I disagree with the BLM movement, I think that All Lives Matter was an obvious attempt to rile up people and create unneeded conflict. I don't know what you are referring to when it comes to subtext, as it seems that the ALM movement really started to counter the idea that only black people get killed by police or are victims of hate crimes.

jcims 6y ago

Andreas Antonopoulos does this on twitter all the time, drives me crazy - https://twitter.com/aantonop/status/1268576565912363008 https://twitter.com/aantonop/status/1268576565912363008

_curious_ 6y ago

"I have no idea what the skin color or gender or sexual preferences of other users on HN are and you don't know mine. That's how I prefer it." This aspect of HN is specifically WHY I feel welcome here and WHY the content + conversation is consistently of higher quality relative to other forums...It's actually one of the few places left online where this feature remains.