4 ms·

> Reading the classics is productive because it's enjoyable, even though it doesn't help with your work It's productive in that it is hard and a sign of high i

by bko 2mo ago

> Reading the classics is productive because it's enjoyable, even though it doesn't help with your work It's productive in that it is hard and a sign of high intelligence. Don't believe me and swap it out with Candy Crush. Is playing Candy Crush productive? This obsession about people with disabilities is weird. Yes, people with real disabilities exist. But focusing on pathologizing every day life is extremely harmful. This constant focus on "mental health" ironically worsens mental health. For instance, any mild discomfort is "anxiety". Most of these things are pretty normal range of emotions. Roughly 20% of undergraduate students at Ivy Plus institutions (including Harvard, Brown, and Cornell) are registered as disabled and receive accommodations. This figure has surged dramatically over time, rising from fewer than 3% at Harvard and under 6% at Cornell in 2015. This is obviously partly cheating the system, but it's also this harmful over-focus on "mental health" Hard work is a good in it of itself. People pay lip service to the idea that we shouldn't be productive or measure our "worth" (whatever that is) by productivity but they don't live it. For instance, I don't know any parent that doesn't push or at least hope their children work hard at something. Anything. Do something hard. Play a sport. Learn an instrument. Study math. This is common sense. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/26/opinion/mental-health-exercise-charity.html https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/26/opinion/mental-health-exe...

Telaneo 2mo ago
> Is playing Candy Crush productive? If you enjoy it, then yes. > Hard work is a good in it of itself. People pay lip service to the idea that we shouldn't be productive or measure our "worth" (whatever that is) by productivity but they don't live it. For instance, I don't know any parent that doesn't push or at least hope their children work hard at something. Anything. Do something hard. Play a sport. Learn an instrument. Study math. This is common sense. Hard work is good insofar as you enjoy it or it leads you to things that you do enjoy. Do those things if you enjoy them. Hard things are enjoyable too. I stopped doing most of them because I didn't enjoy them.
- bko 2mo ago
  If you consider Candy Crush as productive I guess words just don't have meaning anymore so there's no point arguing. I highly doubt you actually believe this, but I have been wrong before.
  - Telaneo 2mo ago
    > If you consider Candy Crush as productive I guess words just don't have meaning anymore so there's no point arguing. I'm using the word differently to you. It's productive insofar as you enjoy doing it. Just to make a point, have these two definitions from Wiktionary: > Capable of producing something, especially in abundance; fertile. Capable of producing enjoyment, yup. I'd call playing Candy Crush productive if enjoyment is your goal. > Yielding good or useful results The good result here is, again, the enjoyment of whatever. If you enjoy playing Candy Crush, then playing it gives you a good or useful result, namely the enjoyment of playing it. > I highly doubt you actually believe this, but I have been wrong before. If someone truly finds Candy Crush enjoyable to the point they do it everyday or whatever, and we're not talking addiction (so they're not actually enjoying it, but rather feel compelled to do it), then more power to them. I wish my desires were so simple.
    - senordevnyc 2mo ago
      Oh come on. Parent is right, at this point, words have no meaning. By this logic, everything produces something, therefore everything is productive.
      - bko 2mo ago
        YES I am vegan and YES I eat meat. We exist
      - Telaneo 2mo ago
        > By this logic, everything produces something, therefore everything is productive. Yes. That word is only useful insofar as you say or imply a goal. Candy Crush is not productive in gathering food. Most people imply the goal to be money. I'd rather imply enjoyment. See my OP.
Altern4tiveAcc 2mo ago
> Roughly 20% of undergraduate students at Ivy Plus institutions (including Harvard, Brown, and Cornell) are registered as disabled and receive accommodations. This figure has surged dramatically over time, rising from fewer than 3% at Harvard and under 6% at Cornell in 2015. That seems to check out with the period people started getting more addicted to social media, pandemic side-effects and increased awareness of mental health issues I believe the amount of people dealing with crippling anxiety these days is higher than that 20% figure, and we are still under-diagnosing it > Hard work is a good in it of itself. Hard disagree tbh but that's more of a personal values discussion
- bko 2mo ago
  > Hard disagree tbh but that's more of a personal values discussion I'm curious about this. Do you have children? Do you look at someone who does nothing hard in his life with indifference? Someone chooses to spend their life playing video games in their parent's basement. Do you think that's an equally admirable life than someone that spends his life doing hard things?
  - Altern4tiveAcc 2mo ago
    > Do you have children? Not yet, but hopefully in the next 3 years. > Do you look at someone who does nothing hard in his life with indifference? I look at such people with admiration. Being in peace with not trying to improve their own productivity all the time is a beautiful virtue. > Someone chooses to spend their life playing video games in their parent's basement. Do you think that's an equally admirable life than someone that spends his life doing hard things? I'd go further and say it's more admirable than someone spending their life doing hard things. If they reached their goals with less effort, I'm happy for them - that means more time and energy to spend on the pursue of happiness. > I'm curious about this. Why did that catch your attention, if you don't mind me asking?
- AlexandrB 2mo ago
  > Roughly 20% of undergraduate students at Ivy Plus institutions (including Harvard, Brown, and Cornell) are registered as disabled and receive accommodations. This figure has surged dramatically over time, rising from fewer than 3% at Harvard and under 6% at Cornell in 2015. I think it's naive to assume that this phenomenon reflects an actual increase in disability rather than a cohort who has been raised to pathologize every human difference as a sign of some disability and then use those diagnoses to secure advantages in systems meant to help people with actual special needs. There's clearly a lot of pretending going on. On the extreme end look at the numerous DID[1] "influencers". These folks are plainly pretending to have a debilitating mental disorder (which strangely never prevents them from going on podcasts and YouTube interviews) to curry fame. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissociative_identity_disorder https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissociative_identity_disorder

by bko 2mo ago

Telaneo 2mo ago

> Is playing Candy Crush productive? If you enjoy it, then yes. > Hard work is a good in it of itself. People pay lip service to the idea that we shouldn't be productive or measure our "worth" (whatever that is) by productivity but they don't live it. For instance, I don't know any parent that doesn't push or at least hope their children work hard at something. Anything. Do something hard. Play a sport. Learn an instrument. Study math. This is common sense. Hard work is good insofar as you enjoy it or it leads you to things that you do enjoy. Do those things if you enjoy them. Hard things are enjoyable too. I stopped doing most of them because I didn't enjoy them.

bko 2mo ago
If you consider Candy Crush as productive I guess words just don't have meaning anymore so there's no point arguing. I highly doubt you actually believe this, but I have been wrong before.
- Telaneo 2mo ago
  > If you consider Candy Crush as productive I guess words just don't have meaning anymore so there's no point arguing. I'm using the word differently to you. It's productive insofar as you enjoy doing it. Just to make a point, have these two definitions from Wiktionary: > Capable of producing something, especially in abundance; fertile. Capable of producing enjoyment, yup. I'd call playing Candy Crush productive if enjoyment is your goal. > Yielding good or useful results The good result here is, again, the enjoyment of whatever. If you enjoy playing Candy Crush, then playing it gives you a good or useful result, namely the enjoyment of playing it. > I highly doubt you actually believe this, but I have been wrong before. If someone truly finds Candy Crush enjoyable to the point they do it everyday or whatever, and we're not talking addiction (so they're not actually enjoying it, but rather feel compelled to do it), then more power to them. I wish my desires were so simple.
  - senordevnyc 2mo ago
    Oh come on. Parent is right, at this point, words have no meaning. By this logic, everything produces something, therefore everything is productive.
    - bko 2mo ago
      YES I am vegan and YES I eat meat. We exist
    - Telaneo 2mo ago
      > By this logic, everything produces something, therefore everything is productive. Yes. That word is only useful insofar as you say or imply a goal. Candy Crush is not productive in gathering food. Most people imply the goal to be money. I'd rather imply enjoyment. See my OP.

Altern4tiveAcc 2mo ago

> Roughly 20% of undergraduate students at Ivy Plus institutions (including Harvard, Brown, and Cornell) are registered as disabled and receive accommodations. This figure has surged dramatically over time, rising from fewer than 3% at Harvard and under 6% at Cornell in 2015. That seems to check out with the period people started getting more addicted to social media, pandemic side-effects and increased awareness of mental health issues I believe the amount of people dealing with crippling anxiety these days is higher than that 20% figure, and we are still under-diagnosing it > Hard work is a good in it of itself. Hard disagree tbh but that's more of a personal values discussion

bko 2mo ago
> Hard disagree tbh but that's more of a personal values discussion I'm curious about this. Do you have children? Do you look at someone who does nothing hard in his life with indifference? Someone chooses to spend their life playing video games in their parent's basement. Do you think that's an equally admirable life than someone that spends his life doing hard things?
- Altern4tiveAcc 2mo ago
  > Do you have children? Not yet, but hopefully in the next 3 years. > Do you look at someone who does nothing hard in his life with indifference? I look at such people with admiration. Being in peace with not trying to improve their own productivity all the time is a beautiful virtue. > Someone chooses to spend their life playing video games in their parent's basement. Do you think that's an equally admirable life than someone that spends his life doing hard things? I'd go further and say it's more admirable than someone spending their life doing hard things. If they reached their goals with less effort, I'm happy for them - that means more time and energy to spend on the pursue of happiness. > I'm curious about this. Why did that catch your attention, if you don't mind me asking?
AlexandrB 2mo ago
> Roughly 20% of undergraduate students at Ivy Plus institutions (including Harvard, Brown, and Cornell) are registered as disabled and receive accommodations. This figure has surged dramatically over time, rising from fewer than 3% at Harvard and under 6% at Cornell in 2015. I think it's naive to assume that this phenomenon reflects an actual increase in disability rather than a cohort who has been raised to pathologize every human difference as a sign of some disability and then use those diagnoses to secure advantages in systems meant to help people with actual special needs. There's clearly a lot of pretending going on. On the extreme end look at the numerous DID[1] "influencers". These folks are plainly pretending to have a debilitating mental disorder (which strangely never prevents them from going on podcasts and YouTube interviews) to curry fame. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissociative_identity_disorder https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissociative_identity_disorder