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meta: in the interests of continuing intelligent discussion on HN, please just say what you mean instead of "this". It's an infection that's been spreading for
by mentat 14y ago
meta: in the interests of continuing intelligent discussion on HN, please just say what you mean instead of "this". It's an infection that's been spreading for at least a few months here.
- danilocampos 14y agoAs long as we're being meta... You responded with 32 words to a 37 word post so that you could quibble about a single word, or 3% of that post. While preaching on the righteous subject of "intelligent discussion," no less. So if we're going to complain about empty calories, I'm pretty sure you're winning that game.
- FuzzyDunlop 14y agoI think you win that, with 54 words nobody needed to read.
- danilocampos 14y agoBut I love empty calories. Look at my comment history.
- icebraining 14y ago"This" (noun): same as "I agree."
- danilocampos 14y agoThat's the problem cited, though. Hacker News, as a community, has developed a comical, pathological aversion to any sort of agreement. Every nit must be picked – otherwise the discussion fails to be "intelligent."
- jacquesm 14y agoindeed. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5603986 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5603986
- danilocampos 14y agoSaid Twain, "never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference."
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]
- SkyMarshal 14y ago"This" (noun): superfluous unoriginal internet meme language. Better way: just use your own words, be authentic. Pretend like you're Steve Jobs, and each word you write is your next product.
- vidarh 14y agoI love how you suggest that people should stop behaving the way they are in order to "use your own words, be authentic". How is altering their behaviour in order to satisfy someone on a forum being authentic and using their own words?
- SkyMarshal 14y ago1. On the authenticity scale, meme language is at the very bottom. Anything is an improvement. 2. I didn't tell them what to say, only what not to say. Putting words into their mouth might have been inauthentic, but that's not happening here. 3. Just because people are "behaving the way they are", doesn't make it authentic. In case you haven't realized, we live in a world filled with constant sophisticated attempts at mass behavior modification. We are all victims from time to time, and behooves us to at least be introspective and aware of when we are. (not that meme language is a part of that, it's more an accidental artifact of networked humanity, but point generally applies). 4. Using memes is a rhetorical crutch for lazy writing.
- dllthomas 14y agoI thought it was short for "This [is something I think people should pay attention to]."
- markokocic 14y agoSentence containing only word 'this' is automatic down vote when I see it on HN. Even +1 adds more value IMHO.
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]