3 ms·

For what it’s worth, I really loved this relaxed style of writing. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen you seem to enjoy yourself. > It used to be a truism that

For what it’s worth, I really loved this relaxed style of writing. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen you seem to enjoy yourself. > It used to be a truism that one should "think for oneself" (and even "question authority"!)—not so much anymore—but although we all tell ourselves we do that, most of us don't. We get beaten up when we do. The part that people envy isn’t his money, it’s his freedom. Incidentally, if you really want an answer to your question, you can see this phenomenon in yourself. Run a thought experiment. If pg said X was a good idea, are you more or less likely to believe it than if I’d said it? You could say this isn’t a fair comparison, since you have a lot of data about pg, so you’re using different priors. Still, even when he was Lisp-famous —- an era I miss —- he had the freedom to say whatever he wanted. He didn’t need to care whether you care what he thinks. His recent rebellion against Twitter was especially notable. That’s what happens when you think for yourself. He can do that. The rest of us have to pick our battles. So, the answer to your question of “Why are people dismissive of pg?” is undoubtedly related to the think-for-yourself aspect. It’s an aspect forced out of most of us, either by our parents or by authority. And that lack of freedom seems to be the underlying emotion. Interestingly, you seem to imply that any of us can be like pg. Just think for ourselves, have good ideas, and don’t say dumb things. But when people actually try to do that, they risk far more than someone in pg’s position. So the “rich motherfucker” aspect is merely an extension of the same reaction that always tended to pop up. It’s a bit like a prisoner watching someone talk openly about how wonderful it is to walk outside whenever you want; of course they’d be jealous.

dang 4y ago
I think you're right that lack of freedom (or perceived lack of it) is at the root of the "how dare he" reaction. But I'm convinced that pg was always this way. It's a big mistake to think "he's free because he's well off". No; he's well off because, for whatever reason, he behaves as if he's free. I don't think pg was always "in pg's position". I bet if we had known him at 10 he would have been the same way. The important question is to figure out what one needs to do to become free (i.e. to feel free) oneself. How do you get from your initial conditions to that state? I've basically devoted my life, so far, to that question and I'm still at it. p.s. I comment like this on HN pretty regularly; those comments are just drowned out by "if you'd please review https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and stick to the rules in the future, we'd sure appreciate it lol xoxo"
- sillysaurusx 4y ago
  Perhaps, but you don’t write about lisp the way you write about pg. The enthusiasm is infectious. If you met yourself at 10 and wanted to transmit some advice about what you need to do to feel free, what would you say? (I’m curious if you’ve made progress towards answering the question, or if it’s as elusive as it sounds.)
  - dang 4y ago
    I've made progress but it's not easy to gauge how much. 10 is too early for the "what would you tell yourself" question. At 10 you don't yet have a self that can be retroactively told things to. I suppose I would say "it's all ok and you're ok and it's all happening for a reason". To my 15 year-old self and later, I would say: it's not going to be anything like you expect, so trust what happens and try not to resist.

dang 4y ago

I think you're right that lack of freedom (or perceived lack of it) is at the root of the "how dare he" reaction. But I'm convinced that pg was always this way. It's a big mistake to think "he's free because he's well off". No; he's well off because, for whatever reason, he behaves as if he's free. I don't think pg was always "in pg's position". I bet if we had known him at 10 he would have been the same way. The important question is to figure out what one needs to do to become free (i.e. to feel free) oneself. How do you get from your initial conditions to that state? I've basically devoted my life, so far, to that question and I'm still at it. p.s. I comment like this on HN pretty regularly; those comments are just drowned out by "if you'd please review https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and stick to the rules in the future, we'd sure appreciate it lol xoxo"

sillysaurusx 4y ago
Perhaps, but you don’t write about lisp the way you write about pg. The enthusiasm is infectious. If you met yourself at 10 and wanted to transmit some advice about what you need to do to feel free, what would you say? (I’m curious if you’ve made progress towards answering the question, or if it’s as elusive as it sounds.)
- dang 4y ago
  I've made progress but it's not easy to gauge how much. 10 is too early for the "what would you tell yourself" question. At 10 you don't yet have a self that can be retroactively told things to. I suppose I would say "it's all ok and you're ok and it's all happening for a reason". To my 15 year-old self and later, I would say: it's not going to be anything like you expect, so trust what happens and try not to resist.