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I found the original comment unclear and hard to follow. It has some garden-path elements… like “partially fossilized”, which most people will parse as an adjec

I found the original comment unclear and hard to follow. It has some garden-path elements… like “partially fossilized”, which most people will parse as an adjective, but here is used as a transitive verb (unusual / surprising usage). The sentence has lots of clauses in it. The key idea in the next sentence is shoved into a clause behind “it is inarguable that”, which readers will stumble over like a pile of children’s toys sitting in front of the door. The multiple ideas in the paragraph are presented without connecting phrases. There are some phrases which seem nonsensical, like “fast-growing stasis”. It’s not like such a phrase is wrong, but it’s nonsensical at a surface level, which forces readers to stop and think about alternative readings. It is just a comment on HN. I don’t think it’s fair to ask authors to edit or carefully craft HN comments. However, there are some problems with the way that comment is written.

roenxi 3y ago
Thanks for the helpful feedback; it is hard to get that on the internet. Although... > There are some phrases which seem nonsensical, like “fast-growing stasis”. It’s not like such a phrase is wrong, but it’s nonsensical at a surface level, which forces readers to stop and think about alternative readings. That was intentional, and catches what I meant. The English speaking world is improving everything with unprecedented speed. Simultaneously, there seems to be an extreme amount of political tension that is linked to stagnation of a few key measures like wages and per capita energy use. It is a weird situation of stasis (really more decline these days) and change for the better. Without observing both, the political situation wouldn't make sense.
- klodolph 3y ago
  Yes, and I also think that we should expect readers here to respond to the most coherent reading of a comment, but I know a lot of us don’t spend the time to figure out what someone means. In “fast-growing stasis”, because it’s an unexpected phrase, you could follow it closely with an explanation… > …in a weird type of fast-growing stasis, where some measures grow at an incredible pace and others stagnate. Or use scare quotes to call attention to the unusual usage… > …in a weird type of “fast-growing stasis”.

roenxi 3y ago

Thanks for the helpful feedback; it is hard to get that on the internet. Although... > There are some phrases which seem nonsensical, like “fast-growing stasis”. It’s not like such a phrase is wrong, but it’s nonsensical at a surface level, which forces readers to stop and think about alternative readings. That was intentional, and catches what I meant. The English speaking world is improving everything with unprecedented speed. Simultaneously, there seems to be an extreme amount of political tension that is linked to stagnation of a few key measures like wages and per capita energy use. It is a weird situation of stasis (really more decline these days) and change for the better. Without observing both, the political situation wouldn't make sense.

klodolph 3y ago
Yes, and I also think that we should expect readers here to respond to the most coherent reading of a comment, but I know a lot of us don’t spend the time to figure out what someone means. In “fast-growing stasis”, because it’s an unexpected phrase, you could follow it closely with an explanation… > …in a weird type of fast-growing stasis, where some measures grow at an incredible pace and others stagnate. Or use scare quotes to call attention to the unusual usage… > …in a weird type of “fast-growing stasis”.