4 ms·

Like the other poster said, there's nothing worth losing sleep over in the comments here. Some people trying to start flame wars about politics, and a guy who t

by bigstrat2003 1y ago

Like the other poster said, there's nothing worth losing sleep over in the comments here. Some people trying to start flame wars about politics, and a guy who thinks it's funny to drop racial slurs. None of those is good (and they are all flagged to death which is good), but neither do they make this comment section some kind of cesspool that would show why one is correct to distance oneself from Mastodon.

deadbabe 1y ago
Sometimes I really wonder what the crowd I interact with here on HN is really like. Are they true tech intellectuals, or are they people who wouldn't hesitate to hurl racial slurs if there wasn't the threat of being banned or flagged.
- throwawayslur 1y ago
  I promise you, you can be both.
- threatofrain 1y ago
  Why do you have to wonder? Are people on HN just abstract text to you? Just talk to people.
- tb_technical 1y ago
  They're normal people - some of them good and some of them bad - some bright and some dim. I'm not trying to be mean when I say this: don't kid yourself into thinking you're in a club with the cream of the crop, anywhere - you're just setting yourself up for disappointment in the best case and horror in the worst case.
  - vasco 1y ago
    People who think HN is specially smart are funny. They mistake active moderation by the community with intelligence when the registration form doesn't have an acceptance exam, so literally no reason to believe that.
- pjc50 1y ago
  A couple of decades has taught me that there's no hard boundary between those two sets. The concept of "public intellectual" itself is a bit suspect, since it becomes just another form of celebrity and/or cult leader.
- whstl 1y ago
  Plenty of people trying to hurl racial slurs here, but they're mostly all shadow banned and not really truly participating in the discussions.
- spacechild1 1y ago
  I think very few people on this forum would qualify as intellectuals, most are just ordinary people. Now, some users certainly present themselves as Renaissance polymaths, but typically they just suffer from Engineer's Disease :) Needless to say, even "intellectuals" can be racist.
  - deleted 1y ago
    [deleted]
  - philipallstar 1y ago
    > Needless to say, even "intellectuals" can be racist. Not "even" intellectuals. Eugenics and racial superiority were progressive intellectual concepts less than 100 years ago, with people writing self-important letters to each other about it.
jrm4 1y ago
This feels very analogous to my experience with the place. As a Black person (who absolutely loves the idea and model), it's weird. Feels very much like a "you become what you hate situation," in my case, interacting with Black folks with whom I share probably like 97% similar views on just about everything -- and yet, (it's mild, no worries, but) I have been on the receiving end of the literal worst behavior I've ever experienced via strangers on social media. E.g. some mild doxxing, you aren't really Black etc. (And for those curious/interested/familiar, yes it was "Bad Space" aligned people)
- bakugo 1y ago
  > with whom I share probably like 97% similar views on just about everything That's exactly the problem, though. Political echo chambers with no diversity of thought ultimately cultivate the expectation that everyone must agree on every topic, at all times. As soon as you dare disagree with what the majority has decided is the "correct" opinion, you will be seen as the enemy.
  - jbs789 1y ago
    I think his point is that we all have more in common as humans than differences, and yet the differences prevail, which is a shame (and unhealthy). So we make our own choices about where we spend our time, and some of us simply disconnect.
  - blackqueeriroh 1y ago
    3% variance on beliefs is way bigger than you think, and also he said “just about” everything, not everything. And you can have whatever opinion you want, but also be prepared for me to tell you that your opinion is stupid, and when you assert that a falsehood is in fact opinion instead of a lie, I will point out that facts are not opinions and opinions are not facts. Too many of y’all get this confused.
    - bakugo 1y ago
      You seem like exactly the kind of person I was alluding to in my comment.

deadbabe 1y ago

Sometimes I really wonder what the crowd I interact with here on HN is really like. Are they true tech intellectuals, or are they people who wouldn't hesitate to hurl racial slurs if there wasn't the threat of being banned or flagged.

throwawayslur 1y ago
I promise you, you can be both.
threatofrain 1y ago
Why do you have to wonder? Are people on HN just abstract text to you? Just talk to people.
tb_technical 1y ago
They're normal people - some of them good and some of them bad - some bright and some dim. I'm not trying to be mean when I say this: don't kid yourself into thinking you're in a club with the cream of the crop, anywhere - you're just setting yourself up for disappointment in the best case and horror in the worst case.
- vasco 1y ago
  People who think HN is specially smart are funny. They mistake active moderation by the community with intelligence when the registration form doesn't have an acceptance exam, so literally no reason to believe that.
pjc50 1y ago
A couple of decades has taught me that there's no hard boundary between those two sets. The concept of "public intellectual" itself is a bit suspect, since it becomes just another form of celebrity and/or cult leader.
whstl 1y ago
Plenty of people trying to hurl racial slurs here, but they're mostly all shadow banned and not really truly participating in the discussions.
spacechild1 1y ago
I think very few people on this forum would qualify as intellectuals, most are just ordinary people. Now, some users certainly present themselves as Renaissance polymaths, but typically they just suffer from Engineer's Disease :) Needless to say, even "intellectuals" can be racist.
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
- philipallstar 1y ago
  > Needless to say, even "intellectuals" can be racist. Not "even" intellectuals. Eugenics and racial superiority were progressive intellectual concepts less than 100 years ago, with people writing self-important letters to each other about it.

jrm4 1y ago

This feels very analogous to my experience with the place. As a Black person (who absolutely loves the idea and model), it's weird. Feels very much like a "you become what you hate situation," in my case, interacting with Black folks with whom I share probably like 97% similar views on just about everything -- and yet, (it's mild, no worries, but) I have been on the receiving end of the literal worst behavior I've ever experienced via strangers on social media. E.g. some mild doxxing, you aren't really Black etc. (And for those curious/interested/familiar, yes it was "Bad Space" aligned people)

bakugo 1y ago
> with whom I share probably like 97% similar views on just about everything That's exactly the problem, though. Political echo chambers with no diversity of thought ultimately cultivate the expectation that everyone must agree on every topic, at all times. As soon as you dare disagree with what the majority has decided is the "correct" opinion, you will be seen as the enemy.
- jbs789 1y ago
  I think his point is that we all have more in common as humans than differences, and yet the differences prevail, which is a shame (and unhealthy). So we make our own choices about where we spend our time, and some of us simply disconnect.
- blackqueeriroh 1y ago
  3% variance on beliefs is way bigger than you think, and also he said “just about” everything, not everything. And you can have whatever opinion you want, but also be prepared for me to tell you that your opinion is stupid, and when you assert that a falsehood is in fact opinion instead of a lie, I will point out that facts are not opinions and opinions are not facts. Too many of y’all get this confused.
  - bakugo 1y ago
    You seem like exactly the kind of person I was alluding to in my comment.