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for a very rough analogy, consider how programming (especially hacking) is portrayed in popular film/tv. usually it looks very little like what we actually do a

for a very rough analogy, consider how programming (especially hacking) is portrayed in popular film/tv. usually it looks very little like what we actually do all day. it's not wrong per se (in the moral sense); it's just what people do to make entertaining content with a reasonable scope. at the same time, it's kind of a slap in the face to see this kind of content and realize that the makers either do not care enough about what we do to portray it accurately, or worse, they do understand and deliberately portray it differently because it would be boring for the audience otherwise. it's a vaguely similar sort of problem with this type of article. the author probably didn't harm anyone by taking a quick stint on a fishing boat. I don't think writing and publishing the article harms anyone either. but at the same time it raises uncomfortable questions. would someone who makes their livelihood from fishing choose to write this sort of article? if they did, would they have an audience?

zdragnar 6y ago
> consider how programming (especially hacking) is portrayed in popular film/tv. usually it looks very little like what we actually do all day That's because what we do would genuinely be boring to watch in a tv show or movie. I can think of exactly one time in my 12ish year career where a co-worker actively fought a malicious actor, and that was more entertaining than anything. This is true of most jobs, present and past. Ever see a soldier or warrior with a sword strapped on their back and draw it out to do battle? Yeah, thats not a thing. It looks cool, but is physically impossible to do smoothly or single handedly with all but the shortest of swords. Similar things can be said of archers, peasants, gypsies, police, journalists, etc. While I am on a rant, the term "bohemian" when used for artistic hippy types is blatantly racist, and we have ignorant young French aristocrats to thank for it, but nobody actually cares. Would a fisherman write such an article? No, because the article was about a transformative experience which defied expectations. A fisherman who has done naught else is not likely to have the same experience, but that doesnt change what the author did experience. I don't see what is uncomfortable about that at all. /end long winded meandering rant that probably missed the point
munificent 6y ago
I don't think your analogy holds up very well. A more direct one would be if some liberal arts major did a coding bootcamp and wrote about their experience. I wouldn't be morally offended that they shared their small window into programming with the world. Sure, it would be limited in many ways and colored by their own biases. But the latter makes it more interesting. I already know what programming is like for "real" programmers. Seeing what programming is like for someone outside of that tribe is actually pretty interesting.

zdragnar 6y ago

> consider how programming (especially hacking) is portrayed in popular film/tv. usually it looks very little like what we actually do all day That's because what we do would genuinely be boring to watch in a tv show or movie. I can think of exactly one time in my 12ish year career where a co-worker actively fought a malicious actor, and that was more entertaining than anything. This is true of most jobs, present and past. Ever see a soldier or warrior with a sword strapped on their back and draw it out to do battle? Yeah, thats not a thing. It looks cool, but is physically impossible to do smoothly or single handedly with all but the shortest of swords. Similar things can be said of archers, peasants, gypsies, police, journalists, etc. While I am on a rant, the term "bohemian" when used for artistic hippy types is blatantly racist, and we have ignorant young French aristocrats to thank for it, but nobody actually cares. Would a fisherman write such an article? No, because the article was about a transformative experience which defied expectations. A fisherman who has done naught else is not likely to have the same experience, but that doesnt change what the author did experience. I don't see what is uncomfortable about that at all. /end long winded meandering rant that probably missed the point

munificent 6y ago

I don't think your analogy holds up very well. A more direct one would be if some liberal arts major did a coding bootcamp and wrote about their experience. I wouldn't be morally offended that they shared their small window into programming with the world. Sure, it would be limited in many ways and colored by their own biases. But the latter makes it more interesting. I already know what programming is like for "real" programmers. Seeing what programming is like for someone outside of that tribe is actually pretty interesting.