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Comment by nicetryguy | Hacker News Reader

The article was brutal. I think Wired should have put a warning at the beginning of the article, instead of the very end, but; do you really think censoring yourself from all harsh reality and expecting "disney" endings for everything is wise? Should every article contain a hopeful message with mandatory rose colored glasses? Should survivorship bias echoing be enforced? Zealous positivity can prevent you from somber reflection, asking difficult questions, and growing as a person overall. I don't think its wise to dwell on negative realities like the information technology fueled Muslim concentration camps in China or the relative slave labor that manufactures your electronics and clothing or the cows and chickens that get brutally slaughtered so that you can eat meat and make necessary protein chains; but, hey, I enjoy my steak and my smartphone and just keep rolling baby! That's life.

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You're making a lot of incorrect assumptions about my worldview, and I don't appreciate it.

No matter how grounded one's perspective is, each person has a finite amount of emotional energy to spend at a given time. This is a universal truth. Articles like this one can trash one's energy reserves - causing distress - without introducing any meaningful new information or perspective whatsoever. It's simply a bad cost/benefit ratio. I didn't learn any new hard truths by reading it, and I don't need your assistance to consider all of the bad things in the world, thank you very much. What I have trouble with is ceasing to do that even for a brief moment.

Don't preach at someone you don't have the faintest understanding of.

Yeah, there absolutely should be a content warning on this article. It is the right thing to do. However, social media plays similar, more damaging and more insidious psychological tricks. Big data makes it more personalized and damaging. I think many have become desensitized to the harms micro targeting on our hopes and fears has done, via social media in particular. Hence, the lack of concern and sensitivity for the need of a content warning.

I am not in favor of censorship. I am not in favor of those in favor of censorship. Good luck with your issues.

> Zealous positivity can prevent you from somber reflection, asking difficult questions, and growing as a person overall.

Well said. This advice is something I try to follow more as I get older.

Dwelling on negative realities is a bit more challenging especially with the current events.

> Dwelling on negative realities is a bit more challenging especially with the current events.

It is. The numbers are staggering and our federal mismanagement of it is horrifying. In response, I have cast myself into a dev hole, am building a large-scale dream project, and i am very thankful to have the extra time.

> the cows and chickens that get brutally slaughtered so that you can eat meat and make necessary protein chains;

This one is solvable - you can either just don't eat meat (plenty of people don't eat meat and they seem to do fine) or eeat meat from animals which were treated humanely.

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