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> Typically, “considered harmful” essays gets written because someone has an axe to grind, and they feel like making that grinding process both public and dogma
by karaterobot 4y ago
> Typically, “considered harmful” essays gets written because someone has an axe to grind, and they feel like making that grinding process both public and dogmatic.
Well and concisely put. I agree.
Personally, what bothers me most about "X considered harmful" essays is the unspoken subject of the sentence. Who is it that considers X harmful? The title is structured to imply a broad consensus that is well beyond the point where anyone could possibly disagree with it. They want you to read it as "X considered harmful by all experts you should trust", but it's almost never that. The author is making up an authority, then telling you the authority is on their side.
- AnimalMuppet 4y agoOr making up themselves to be the authority, without actually having earned that. At least Dijkstra had some earned cred before he published "Goto Considered Harmful".
- midoridensha 3y agoDjikstra never wrote anything titled "Goto Considered Harmful". His paper had an entirely different title, and some publisher made up that title and published it with that title, without asking Djikstra first.
- spacechild1 3y ago> some publisher That publisher happened to be Niklaus Wirth.
- layman51 4y agoWhat really tickles me about this “X Considered Harmful” title is that in its first famous appearance, it was an editor who rewrote the title of Dijkstra’s letter which was something like “A case against the Go To statement.” So in that original case, it was clear that the author of the letter was the person/authority in question. Now, to me, one isn’t supposed to use that passive voice title for one’s own writing unless you want it to be taken as a joke.
- cachvico 4y agoThat's a damn good point!
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- sovietswag 3y agoIt wasn't just any editor, it was Niklaus Wirth ;).
- abdulhaq 3y agoPassive Voice Considered Harmful