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How do you justify the change from "this guy deserves what was coming to him" (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4529484 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4

How do you justify the change from "this guy deserves what was coming to him" (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4529484 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4529484) to "OMG this is so sad" (mostly every thread since then, but also https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5047846 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5047846)? It's so unapologetically hypocritical. We don't need to pretend like every tragedy affects us so deeply.

DannyBee 14y ago
So being hypocritical is "pretense of having virtues, beliefs, principles, etc., that one does not actually possess" You are assuming that edw519 does not find Cory's eulogy to bring understanding to sad and confused people. You also claim it doesn't affect him deeply. Maybe it does because he felt he was so hard on him? In essence, I guess I justify this change by saying I believe his post when he said he feels it will "bring understanding to sad and confused people." Again, it's perfectly reasonable to dislike or villify someone, but be sad or confused at their passing, and find comfort in a eulogy. Let me risk a few pitchforks and say I used to villify former senator Ted Stevens. He was an unapologetic pork barrel politician. When he died suddenly in a plane crash, that does not mean I was happy for his death, and I was definitely sad and felt bad for his loved ones. I was not at home screaming "wooh, that arrogant fucker's dead!" while dancing around the room. Had his eulogy been posted here and I noticed, I would have hoped it would bring understanding and comfort to those who loved him. Does this make me a hypocrite? No, because it's not a pretense. I was in fact, genuinely sad. Personally, I don't think that makes me anything more than "not a sociopath". It could be i'm just different than a lot of folks, of course. As a lawyer, it's basically beaten into our heads to be dispassionate and objective when evaluating people, emotions, and events.

DannyBee 14y ago

So being hypocritical is "pretense of having virtues, beliefs, principles, etc., that one does not actually possess" You are assuming that edw519 does not find Cory's eulogy to bring understanding to sad and confused people. You also claim it doesn't affect him deeply. Maybe it does because he felt he was so hard on him? In essence, I guess I justify this change by saying I believe his post when he said he feels it will "bring understanding to sad and confused people." Again, it's perfectly reasonable to dislike or villify someone, but be sad or confused at their passing, and find comfort in a eulogy. Let me risk a few pitchforks and say I used to villify former senator Ted Stevens. He was an unapologetic pork barrel politician. When he died suddenly in a plane crash, that does not mean I was happy for his death, and I was definitely sad and felt bad for his loved ones. I was not at home screaming "wooh, that arrogant fucker's dead!" while dancing around the room. Had his eulogy been posted here and I noticed, I would have hoped it would bring understanding and comfort to those who loved him. Does this make me a hypocrite? No, because it's not a pretense. I was in fact, genuinely sad. Personally, I don't think that makes me anything more than "not a sociopath". It could be i'm just different than a lot of folks, of course. As a lawyer, it's basically beaten into our heads to be dispassionate and objective when evaluating people, emotions, and events.