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Are you gatekeeping? Really? If you are dependent on something to a degree that it has an adverse effect on your life, it's an addiction. Full stop. The degree
by VortexDream 5y ago
Are you gatekeeping? Really?
If you are dependent on something to a degree that it has an adverse effect on your life, it's an addiction. Full stop. The degree or the effects will differ, but it feels like you're dismissing the suffering of one group of people because another group of people has it so much worse. But if both groups of people are suffering, even severely (even if it's "just" Internet addiction), who the fuck are you to decide its not valid suffering or addiction?
This isn't a fucking competition. Both groups of people deserve to have their suffering recognized and both groups deserve to be helped in the ways that are necessary.
Your comment is despicable and inhumane.
Edit: In absolute clarity, obviously physical and psychological addictions are different. Nobody is arguing otherwise. But that doesn't mean psychological addiction isn't an addiction. It just means it has different effects and symptoms. It doesn't mean it isn't real or that the people suffering aren't actually suffering, even if it is suffering of a different kind.
So OPs comment is just needlessly critical of psychological addiction, to the point of implying it isn't "real" addiction like people hooked on cocaine.
Honestly, it's sickening that people here are so eager to invalidate the suffering of some in favor of others, but HN doesn't surprise me in its lack of empathy for other human beings.
- kowlo 5y agoThis sounds like quite the emotionally charged comment... I understand the point made by the comment you're replying to, whether I agree with it or not. Perhaps you could argue your perspective without the hostility? It may encourage a worthwhile dialogue where both you and others may come to understand your difference in opinion.
- VortexDream 5y agoI've stated my case clearly, even if it is emotionally charged.
- Engineering-MD 5y agoI would prefer a case stated vaguely but with empathy and understanding. It encourages discussion and effective conversation.
- denton-scratch 5y agoI don't like words with perfectly clear meanings being hijacked. You end up with a word that has two meanings, and can no longer be used unambiguously. "Decimate" used to mean to kill one in ten. It now seems to be used to mean either that one sports team soundly beat another one; or that a fighting unit was completely wiped out. The word is now useless. "Exponential" used to be a particular mathematical function; nowadays seems to mean "grows quickly". "Addiction" used to mean "dependent on a substance to the extent that withdrawal would result in serious symptoms". If it now means the condition of liking something so much that one is unwilling to forgo it, that's a shame. Now we need a new word for the physical condition. I don't want anyone to have to endure suffering; but not all suffering is the result of addiction.
- denton-scratch 5y ago> Are you gatekeeping? Really? I don't know what "gatekeeeping" means. I guess you're saying that I'm trying to control how other people describe their experience. If that's what you're saying, then I suppose I have to put my hands up: I don't think words mean whatever you want them to mean. And when you change the meaning of a word, then forever after people will need to know which version of the word is being used whenever they encounter it. [Version-controlled semantics? I think so. You saw it here first.]