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In order to forgive a debt, someone else has to assume the debt. Nobody cares about that in general. If, say, someone's parent assumes the student debt of their

In order to forgive a debt, someone else has to assume the debt. Nobody cares about that in general. If, say, someone's parent assumes the student debt of their child, you are not going to hear a thing. But when it is government forgiveness the constituents of that government often feel they are being left the bag holder, which is where you start to see complaint. If you lose weight on Ozempic, there is no evidence that someone else needs to assume the weight you lost, so it is not clear where you find a parallel.

Apocryphon 2y ago
The parallel is "I had to work hard to lose weight / maintain my low weight, why should they get a magic pill?" Unfairness can be perceived even when it only exists in a vague cosmic sense and has no bearing in material reality.
- randomdata 2y ago
  I think you forgot to mention the parallel? I guess, seemingly, that would be "I had to work hard to pay my student debt, why should they get to have their parents pay for it?" but that is not a sentiment that is common enough to speak of. Yeah, sure, I'm sure at least one person in history has had that thought before, but not the point of it being notable to talk about on HN. Most people who see another have their loans paid for think "Good for them". There must be something else? The "I had to work hard to pay my student loan, and now I have to work hard to pay yours too?" sentiment is much more common and I could see that show up here, but it is not a parallel. That's a very different idea that has no parallel. I don't have to work off the weight you lost.
  - Apocryphon 2y ago
    The parallel was always there: "being against student loan debt forgiveness because one had to pay off one's own loans" > but that is not a sentiment that is common enough to speak of It crops up every time the issue is discussed online. On places like Twitter, at least. > I don't have to work off the weight you lost. Again, this blend of envy, spite, and petty injustice crops up quite often. "Why did I have to exercise when they could afford a gastric bypass?" You seem unfamiliar with how petty people can be online. There are plenty of people who get personally aggrieved when they think someone got a free lunch / might get a free lunch even when the lunch isn't paid by them / they were unfortunate enough to miss out on free lunch day. > that is not a sentiment that is common enough to speak of Sure it is.
    - deleted 2y ago
      [deleted]
    - randomdata 2y ago
      > It crops up every time the issue is discussed online. On places like Twitter, at least. Only when it pertains to government forgiveness, because of the bag holding problem. Nobody cares when it is an unrelated entity that is willing to become the bag holder (e.g. parents). In fact, it has become almost expected that entities like parents will become the bag holders when it comes to college debt. The bag holding problem is something quite different, not a parallel. > "Why did I have to exercise when they could afford a bypass?" So it crops up quite often, but only when it comes to weight loss-related matters?
      - Apocryphon 2y ago
        > So it crops up quite often, but only when it comes to weight loss-related matters? Do you know what class envy is
        randomdata 2y ago
        I am familiar with the common use, but it speaks to people in a lower class envying those in a higher class. Here we have people in the same class, just with different paths to get there. So, you must have a pet definition? Regardless, I've never heard a "self-made" rich person complain "I had to work hard to get here. Why oh why wasn't I born rich like that Saudi prince?". They seem to only ever be proud that they were able to become rich. Again, I suppose it has probably happened once, but does not seem common enough to speak of.
        Apocryphon 2y ago
        It might be more common in terms of political power rather than wealth. Nixon, for example, hated the Ivy League-educated eastern establishment ruling elites that he displaced.
        2y ago

Apocryphon 2y ago

The parallel is "I had to work hard to lose weight / maintain my low weight, why should they get a magic pill?" Unfairness can be perceived even when it only exists in a vague cosmic sense and has no bearing in material reality.

randomdata 2y ago
I think you forgot to mention the parallel? I guess, seemingly, that would be "I had to work hard to pay my student debt, why should they get to have their parents pay for it?" but that is not a sentiment that is common enough to speak of. Yeah, sure, I'm sure at least one person in history has had that thought before, but not the point of it being notable to talk about on HN. Most people who see another have their loans paid for think "Good for them". There must be something else? The "I had to work hard to pay my student loan, and now I have to work hard to pay yours too?" sentiment is much more common and I could see that show up here, but it is not a parallel. That's a very different idea that has no parallel. I don't have to work off the weight you lost.
- Apocryphon 2y ago
  The parallel was always there: "being against student loan debt forgiveness because one had to pay off one's own loans" > but that is not a sentiment that is common enough to speak of It crops up every time the issue is discussed online. On places like Twitter, at least. > I don't have to work off the weight you lost. Again, this blend of envy, spite, and petty injustice crops up quite often. "Why did I have to exercise when they could afford a gastric bypass?" You seem unfamiliar with how petty people can be online. There are plenty of people who get personally aggrieved when they think someone got a free lunch / might get a free lunch even when the lunch isn't paid by them / they were unfortunate enough to miss out on free lunch day. > that is not a sentiment that is common enough to speak of Sure it is.
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
  - randomdata 2y ago
    > It crops up every time the issue is discussed online. On places like Twitter, at least. Only when it pertains to government forgiveness, because of the bag holding problem. Nobody cares when it is an unrelated entity that is willing to become the bag holder (e.g. parents). In fact, it has become almost expected that entities like parents will become the bag holders when it comes to college debt. The bag holding problem is something quite different, not a parallel. > "Why did I have to exercise when they could afford a bypass?" So it crops up quite often, but only when it comes to weight loss-related matters?
    - Apocryphon 2y ago
      > So it crops up quite often, but only when it comes to weight loss-related matters? Do you know what class envy is
      - randomdata 2y ago
        I am familiar with the common use, but it speaks to people in a lower class envying those in a higher class. Here we have people in the same class, just with different paths to get there. So, you must have a pet definition? Regardless, I've never heard a "self-made" rich person complain "I had to work hard to get here. Why oh why wasn't I born rich like that Saudi prince?". They seem to only ever be proud that they were able to become rich. Again, I suppose it has probably happened once, but does not seem common enough to speak of.
        Apocryphon 2y ago
        It might be more common in terms of political power rather than wealth. Nixon, for example, hated the Ivy League-educated eastern establishment ruling elites that he displaced.
        2y ago