4 ms·

It worries me that "the herd" is not anyone I know in person, not anyone I respect, not anyone who loves me, but an abstraction that helps someone else make mon

It worries me that "the herd" is not anyone I know in person, not anyone I respect, not anyone who loves me, but an abstraction that helps someone else make money, or helps someone else win an election. I think that is an obvious bad thing. It is one thing to say like "I won't call my friends' political beliefs stupid when we're hanging out" versus "If I want to criticize my government, I should use a ULID and not my legal name."

ChrisMarshallNY 1y ago
> If I want to criticize my government, I should use a ULID and not my legal name. Oh, hell, that's even older. Criticizing the government has always been fraught. The founders of the United States signed their death warrants, when they signed the Declaration.
- pseudalopex 1y ago
  A declaration of rebellion is more than criticism.
  - ChrisMarshallNY 1y ago
    Depends on the government. Also, depends on the organization. Some companies will fire your ass, or even find a way to sanction you, for talking back to the boss.
    - pseudalopex 1y ago
      > Depends on the government. Not always then. Notably not in the recent history of the countries most relevant to this discussion. > Also, depends on the organization. Some companies will fire your ass, or even find a way to sanction you, for talking back to the boss. Talking back has different meanings. Some are reasonable grounds for dismissal. Some are not. Companies should be less autocratic. Being fired even unjustly is not like being executed. Your fatalism and false comparisons are boring.
      - ChrisMarshallNY 1y ago
        Aw, sorry to have hurt your feelings. That wasn’t my intention. My sincere apologies.
        pseudalopex 1y ago
        > Aw, sorry to have hurt your feelings. You did not. I rebutted false comparisons and called a philosophy boring. My other comment included a popular meme which mocked false comparisons and self congratulation. You made this assumption because you misunderstood the meme? [1] https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/there-is-zero-difference-between-good-and-bad-things https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/there-is-zero-difference-betw...
- nothrabannosir 1y ago
  > Oh, hell, that's even older. So is slavery. Whether it’s reversion to the mean or an innovation by modern society is orthogonal to the question of “are we going downhill as a society.” We are, in this particular respect.
  - ChrisMarshallNY 1y ago
    Of course, but “new” is not necessarily “good,” and “old” is not necessarily “bad.” As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to learn that “It Depends,” is a mantra for life. Experience has taught me how to understand the choices. When I was younger, I wasn’t able to understand, so everything was “binary.” Failing to learn from history is a time-honored rite of passage. If we paid more attention to history, we’d see that our refusal to look at history is nothing new. As I've said in other contexts, anyone can walk through a minefield, as long as they are patient, and don't mind walking past a lot of body parts.
    - pseudalopex 1y ago
      [flagged]
      - ChrisMarshallNY 1y ago
        Aw, I really seemed to have upset you. That wasn’t my intention. I won’t get into fights, here, and I try to give the benefit of the doubt. Have a great day!
        pseudalopex 1y ago
        https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45487277 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45487277

ChrisMarshallNY 1y ago

> If I want to criticize my government, I should use a ULID and not my legal name. Oh, hell, that's even older. Criticizing the government has always been fraught. The founders of the United States signed their death warrants, when they signed the Declaration.

pseudalopex 1y ago
A declaration of rebellion is more than criticism.
- ChrisMarshallNY 1y ago
  Depends on the government. Also, depends on the organization. Some companies will fire your ass, or even find a way to sanction you, for talking back to the boss.
  - pseudalopex 1y ago
    > Depends on the government. Not always then. Notably not in the recent history of the countries most relevant to this discussion. > Also, depends on the organization. Some companies will fire your ass, or even find a way to sanction you, for talking back to the boss. Talking back has different meanings. Some are reasonable grounds for dismissal. Some are not. Companies should be less autocratic. Being fired even unjustly is not like being executed. Your fatalism and false comparisons are boring.
    - ChrisMarshallNY 1y ago
      Aw, sorry to have hurt your feelings. That wasn’t my intention. My sincere apologies.
      - pseudalopex 1y ago
        > Aw, sorry to have hurt your feelings. You did not. I rebutted false comparisons and called a philosophy boring. My other comment included a popular meme which mocked false comparisons and self congratulation. You made this assumption because you misunderstood the meme? [1] https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/there-is-zero-difference-between-good-and-bad-things https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/there-is-zero-difference-betw...
nothrabannosir 1y ago
> Oh, hell, that's even older. So is slavery. Whether it’s reversion to the mean or an innovation by modern society is orthogonal to the question of “are we going downhill as a society.” We are, in this particular respect.
- ChrisMarshallNY 1y ago
  Of course, but “new” is not necessarily “good,” and “old” is not necessarily “bad.” As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to learn that “It Depends,” is a mantra for life. Experience has taught me how to understand the choices. When I was younger, I wasn’t able to understand, so everything was “binary.” Failing to learn from history is a time-honored rite of passage. If we paid more attention to history, we’d see that our refusal to look at history is nothing new. As I've said in other contexts, anyone can walk through a minefield, as long as they are patient, and don't mind walking past a lot of body parts.
  - pseudalopex 1y ago
    [flagged]
    - ChrisMarshallNY 1y ago
      Aw, I really seemed to have upset you. That wasn’t my intention. I won’t get into fights, here, and I try to give the benefit of the doubt. Have a great day!
      - pseudalopex 1y ago
        https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45487277 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45487277