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I agree. Watching videos on YT is part of some people's free time (like for other people is going for hikes, cooking, doing a hobby, etc), we shouldn't be condescending about that.

It also begs the question, if I "have" to be learning about something productive, why Neovim? Why not Golang, Zim, the latest React plugin, etc

People really need to calm down

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I think it’s more charitable to read it as “it’s not a good enough answer” — you have the time, you’ve just chosen not to spend it here. Perhaps you have a good reason for it, and perhaps you don’t, but if you default to “who has the time for such things” you’re not being honest about it (to yourself, or to your questioner).

It’s also only once you move on past that first nonsense answer that I can make my case: it’s worth spending your time on subject X, for reasons…

But if we never get there, you’ve just brushed off the person unfairly.

He did not say "Seriously, you probably have time to go for a junk hikes or cooking or whatever" - he talked about watching silly youtube videos which most people feel guilty about. I might choose to watch cute cats for 3 hours but I won't be proud of it.

I don't think there's anything condescending about that, it's probably an advice the author found genuinely helpful in the past as well (well, I did).

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