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Comment by VonGallifrey | Hacker News Reader

Why do you wonder about "down votes" on a comment that basically insults people in tech on a forum primarily visited by people in tech.

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Why would tech people, who pride themselves on objectivity, find it insulting?

Do tech people deny that they, AS A WHOLE, ON AVERAGE, have below average social skills and below average art skills?

A lot of men in tech also deny that current tech culture is sexist, often misogynist. That's male objectivity for you. Perhaps a similar "biased objectivity" is at play here.

It's all a bit ironic given that the two comments to which I replied are essentially insulting the author of the article and anyone who appreciates things beyond the utilitarian. They are essentially saying, "It's garbage. It's worthless."

My social skills are just fine. You don't waste my time, and I won't waste yours.

If you ain't got nothing to say, don't waste my time.

Sir, this is a Denny's.

Would you please not take HN threads further into the weeds like this?

I apologize (sort of) dang. I believe social and cultural change is far more important than the technological. Even SV is belatedly starting to realize this in the Trump era. Gaining a broader perspective, and more honest self-perspective, are critical to our progress as a society, as a species.

You might tell me that even if true, it's not what Hacker News is for. But people in technology are having an outsized impact on our culture, and many people question whether this impact is ultimately good. Where else should people in tech be exposed to thoughts outside the SV bubble?

Note that when I made the comments above, the ones I was responding to where at the top of the page. I felt compelled to counter.

I'm not arguing with you. I barely post on HN anymore, since it is clear such discourse isn't really welcome.

I'm not disputing your point about social and cultural change. The issue is that the comments you posted were too low-quality (generic, venty, and off topic) to be good contributions to a Hacker News thread—a thread about the Romans and toilet paper, of all things. If you get from there to Trump, you've gone on a generic tangent, which is exactly the sort of low-quality, all-the-same discussion we're trying to avoid here.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

I understand. I only responded because they were the top comments, and I'm a believer in calling things out (the narrow-minded i-don't-have-time-for-humanity dismissiveness common in tech), even the little things, as that is how change happens, from the grassroots. In the same way sexist culture will if sexism is called out most every time it happens.

But I will refrain, here on HN.

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