4 ms·

Being offended does not give you the undeniable power to demand apologies.

blitzar 5y ago
They are as free to be offended or request an appology as the author is to say what they like. Everyone is quite litterally free. Everyone is also free to judge these people on their actions.
whoknew1122 5y ago
You can demand anything at any time. Doesn't mean you're getting one. He said something that people took offense to. They demanded an apology. He didn't apologize. I'm not sure why this necessitated a blog article, much less one circulated on Hacker News. For what it's worth, I'm a white guy who grew up in poverty and have seen more than one trap house. I'm uncomfortable about the use of trap house here, because it's ridiculous. Yale Law School is one of the most privileged places in the US. It demeans the experiences of people who have been subjected to actual poverty and drug-infested areas to equate anything at Yale with a trap house.
- unethical_ban 5y ago
  Was it such an offensive message that it deserved letters to administration claiming the author is racially insensitive? Was it so offensive, that it required school administrators to hurriedly draft a template apology to make it go away? As the author said, the term trap house has a common colloquial meaning among certain people; whether one finds it offensive from a "triggering" perspective, it is not in good faith to ignore that and have the person kicked out of a career, in my opinion.
- CodeGlitch 5y ago
  Don't forget that the administrators threatened that the situation "could escalate". Being in his position I would read that as being expelled. It's important and should be on hacker news because one day they'll come for you.
shadowgovt 5y ago
From the ancient human custom of group shunning to the modern dragging, when a person is outside the good graces of their community, they are under threat. When lots of people are offended, they have the power to refrain from interacting with an individual. And we are social creatures. Practically speaking, one's power to demand an apology is proportional to what happens to the demandee if you decide they aren't worth interacting with in the future. If you're a social, political, or corporate leader, or a member of a union (formal or informal / social), it can be quite a lot of power.

They are as free to be offended or request an appology as the author is to say what they like. Everyone is quite litterally free. Everyone is also free to judge these people on their actions.

whoknew1122 5y ago

You can demand anything at any time. Doesn't mean you're getting one. He said something that people took offense to. They demanded an apology. He didn't apologize. I'm not sure why this necessitated a blog article, much less one circulated on Hacker News. For what it's worth, I'm a white guy who grew up in poverty and have seen more than one trap house. I'm uncomfortable about the use of trap house here, because it's ridiculous. Yale Law School is one of the most privileged places in the US. It demeans the experiences of people who have been subjected to actual poverty and drug-infested areas to equate anything at Yale with a trap house.

unethical_ban 5y ago
Was it such an offensive message that it deserved letters to administration claiming the author is racially insensitive? Was it so offensive, that it required school administrators to hurriedly draft a template apology to make it go away? As the author said, the term trap house has a common colloquial meaning among certain people; whether one finds it offensive from a "triggering" perspective, it is not in good faith to ignore that and have the person kicked out of a career, in my opinion.
CodeGlitch 5y ago
Don't forget that the administrators threatened that the situation "could escalate". Being in his position I would read that as being expelled. It's important and should be on hacker news because one day they'll come for you.

shadowgovt 5y ago

From the ancient human custom of group shunning to the modern dragging, when a person is outside the good graces of their community, they are under threat. When lots of people are offended, they have the power to refrain from interacting with an individual. And we are social creatures. Practically speaking, one's power to demand an apology is proportional to what happens to the demandee if you decide they aren't worth interacting with in the future. If you're a social, political, or corporate leader, or a member of a union (formal or informal / social), it can be quite a lot of power.