Comment by sfg | Hacker News Reader

Comment by sfg | Hacker News Reader

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Yeah, after reading the deleted text I couldn't understand the controversy, so I read some of that Twitter thread. They clearly had not understood what they had read, having missed all nuance as they made their very literal interpretation of the piece. It was bizarre to see them zoom in on little details, such as picking apart 'we/us' vs 'they/their', whilst missing the entirety of what was going on in the text (including why 'they/their' were used).

I guess, it isn't really their fault. Nobody chooses to misunderstand something(do they?). I just wish it had not led to the destruction of something interesting, but if it hadn't, then I would probably never have seen the deleted text; so, maybe, I should be thankful they brought it to my attention, even while wishing someone could have explained the text to them; or, at least, managed to convince them that sometimes it is best to ignore something you don't like, rather than go to war.

> Nobody chooses to misunderstand something

No - but people who write sarcastic or satirical things are deliberately choosing to make themselves more likely to be misunderstood. Why would you do that?

For fun.

Humor, the hope that one is not alone in their beliefs, and that if there are a few others, you can filter for them by their reactions. Of course, this is a brute force method that has potential ... side effects.

Some things are communicated outside of the surface level of literal text that cannot be communicated within it. Even if they could be, some people enjoy nuance and complexity and think they are worthwhile for their own sake.

But really, this can't be explained in this fashion (and in this is the explanation...). Go look at a painting, read some poetry, listen to some music, enjoy a conversation with some friends, and ponder an interesting idea, and after all that reflect upon what you have experienced, and then, maybe, you'll be enlightened.

Both absurdism and sarcasm present unrealistic scenarios and trust the listener not only to a) understand that the scenario presented is deliberately false but also b), to see the humour in resolving the distance between reality and the presented scenario.

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