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Why is it the only time I hear about Kathy Sierra is when she's talking about being harassed? The world is full of all types of people who get their kicks in a

Why is it the only time I hear about Kathy Sierra is when she's talking about being harassed? The world is full of all types of people who get their kicks in all types of ways. Unless you propose monitoring everybody so that any offensive speech can be punished, there is always going to be a contingent that will capitalize on any chink in psychological armor just to get someone's ire up. When someone's image primarily consists of being a victim, it's not terribly surprising that they're going to serve as a lightning rod for all sorts of harassment - it's known to work after all! Frankly, what's sickening is seeing otherwise reasonable people proposing that the solution might be taking away anonymity, perhaps even at the protocol level! If you'd like to be so mollycoddled, then stick to your "web 2.0" VC-gardens. Please leave the Internet alone with your misguided surveillance wet dream "solutions." And finally, if this article itself is about harassment and speaking truth to power, then why do I feel compelled to use a throwaway account to post this comment? ~8 year HN member.

wpietri 12y ago
> And finally, if this article itself is about harassment and speaking truth to power, then why do I feel compelled to use a throwaway account to post this comment? Because you show all of the sympathy and concern of an albino crocodile? Because you indulge in blatant victim-blaming? Because after (maybe) reading about the horrific campaign of calculated abuse, all you can care about is yourself? And, of course, because you recognize that other people will (correctly) think less of you. So rather than owning up to your opinions, you are only brave enough to mewl from the shadows.
- swandriven 12y ago
  That's an awful lot of ad hominem. I made some other points too, you know. You're right that other people would think less of me, for the same reason I could never hope to refute your attacks - the narrative for this topic has left the domain of logic, and is based solely on hysterical feelings. Now that nerds have achieved societal glamor through VC money and social acceptance from selling their mothers and friends to Apple and Google, they've eagerly formed the same oppressive mob as everyone else. At least the jocks ran on a shallow strategy that was easy to understand and avoid. This new set of bullies exerts endless brainpower fooling everyone (most importantly themselves) that they're "making a better world." Alas, we all know how that turns out - same shit, different day.
  - magicalist 12y ago
    > That's an awful lot of ad hominem. I made some other points too, you know Given the content of both your comments here, this response is ludicrous. Without engaging with any of the content of the article you say the author's behavior of objecting to harassment was itself a necessary cause for that harassment, you attack those calling for less anonymity without actually arguing why that would be a bad thing, you appeal to your own standing in the HN community as if that number means something without being willing to back that up, you claim to be unable to refute any attacks because those attacks are only based on hysterical feelings, and then you name the nerds "selling their mothers and friends" as the new bullies because a single person rightly pointed out why your original comment was shit. I'd say take your own advice: drop the hysteria and try to make an actual argument next time.
  - wpietri 12y ago
    Yes, your comment was a paragon of unemotional wisdom. You have no interest here other than cool exercise of rational thought. You aren't upset at all. It's those other people who have let their feelings run away with them. Just keep telling yourself that. Because as we know, feelings like empathy and concern have no place in a discussion about how humans should treat other humans. Funnily, I agree with you that nerds are behaving badly now that they have power. [1] But I disagree with your conclusion. What happened to Sierra is a great example of nerds misusing their sudden social power. Now we need to start taking responsibility for the broader effects of our works and our previously insular culture. [1] For others, this is a good analysis: http://petewarden.com/2014/10/05/why-nerd-culture-must-die/ http://petewarden.com/2014/10/05/why-nerd-culture-must-die/
    - swandriven 12y ago
      The only thing I'm upset about is what I perceive to be a large case of groupthink. I have no other dog in this fight. Weev posted a response that contained specific assertions. If he is lying then rebutting them should be quite easy, yet the only responses are ad hominem dismissals. > feelings like empathy and concern have no place in a discussion about how humans should treat other humans The topic starts with that, but takes on a much larger scope. Empathy and concern don't scale, as illustrated by main stream media's pathologies. I don't think it's right to harass people, but I think it's inevitable that some people will be harassed on a global communications network. Even if you change the culture (all cultures), outliers will always remain. Castigating "the culture" for the doings of the outliers effectively creates a new Original Sin. I could expound on the necessity of anonymity and lack of centralized control, but it would fall on deaf ears here. The same argument would be well-received in a Snowden thread.

wpietri 12y ago

> And finally, if this article itself is about harassment and speaking truth to power, then why do I feel compelled to use a throwaway account to post this comment? Because you show all of the sympathy and concern of an albino crocodile? Because you indulge in blatant victim-blaming? Because after (maybe) reading about the horrific campaign of calculated abuse, all you can care about is yourself? And, of course, because you recognize that other people will (correctly) think less of you. So rather than owning up to your opinions, you are only brave enough to mewl from the shadows.

swandriven 12y ago
That's an awful lot of ad hominem. I made some other points too, you know. You're right that other people would think less of me, for the same reason I could never hope to refute your attacks - the narrative for this topic has left the domain of logic, and is based solely on hysterical feelings. Now that nerds have achieved societal glamor through VC money and social acceptance from selling their mothers and friends to Apple and Google, they've eagerly formed the same oppressive mob as everyone else. At least the jocks ran on a shallow strategy that was easy to understand and avoid. This new set of bullies exerts endless brainpower fooling everyone (most importantly themselves) that they're "making a better world." Alas, we all know how that turns out - same shit, different day.
- magicalist 12y ago
  > That's an awful lot of ad hominem. I made some other points too, you know Given the content of both your comments here, this response is ludicrous. Without engaging with any of the content of the article you say the author's behavior of objecting to harassment was itself a necessary cause for that harassment, you attack those calling for less anonymity without actually arguing why that would be a bad thing, you appeal to your own standing in the HN community as if that number means something without being willing to back that up, you claim to be unable to refute any attacks because those attacks are only based on hysterical feelings, and then you name the nerds "selling their mothers and friends" as the new bullies because a single person rightly pointed out why your original comment was shit. I'd say take your own advice: drop the hysteria and try to make an actual argument next time.
- wpietri 12y ago
  Yes, your comment was a paragon of unemotional wisdom. You have no interest here other than cool exercise of rational thought. You aren't upset at all. It's those other people who have let their feelings run away with them. Just keep telling yourself that. Because as we know, feelings like empathy and concern have no place in a discussion about how humans should treat other humans. Funnily, I agree with you that nerds are behaving badly now that they have power. [1] But I disagree with your conclusion. What happened to Sierra is a great example of nerds misusing their sudden social power. Now we need to start taking responsibility for the broader effects of our works and our previously insular culture. [1] For others, this is a good analysis: http://petewarden.com/2014/10/05/why-nerd-culture-must-die/ http://petewarden.com/2014/10/05/why-nerd-culture-must-die/
  - swandriven 12y ago
    The only thing I'm upset about is what I perceive to be a large case of groupthink. I have no other dog in this fight. Weev posted a response that contained specific assertions. If he is lying then rebutting them should be quite easy, yet the only responses are ad hominem dismissals. > feelings like empathy and concern have no place in a discussion about how humans should treat other humans The topic starts with that, but takes on a much larger scope. Empathy and concern don't scale, as illustrated by main stream media's pathologies. I don't think it's right to harass people, but I think it's inevitable that some people will be harassed on a global communications network. Even if you change the culture (all cultures), outliers will always remain. Castigating "the culture" for the doings of the outliers effectively creates a new Original Sin. I could expound on the necessity of anonymity and lack of centralized control, but it would fall on deaf ears here. The same argument would be well-received in a Snowden thread.