Ask HN: Would you get upset if a news article mentions your nationality?

2 points·amichail··7 comments

Wouldn't you rather that your venture be judged based only on its merit and not on where you live?

It gives people a lot of context, so it's usually useful. E.g. "man grows vegetable" might not be interesting if the man is an Italian, but might be if he's a Greenlander. "Man starts tech company" is way more interesting if he's Afghani than if he's American.

Was your nationality mentioned in a news article and it upset you? Or what's the context?

Why would a news article for example focus on games made by Canadian indie developers? Doesn't this imply that these games are not as good as indie games made in the US?

I don't think it implies that. If it's American news media, this might make the guy more interesting to Americans. "Yet another American makes yet another game" isn't as exotic or exciting as "Canadian makes game" independent of the game.

I'd just accept it. People care about that stuff. It's not malicious.

It shows that there's a burgeoning indie game community in Canada. A variety of gaming-interested people might be interested in knowing that they don't have to move to the US, or invest in the US.

Nationality is nothing but a standard biographical fact. Being upset about this suggests insecurity.

I'm proud to be a Hoosier, I don't see a problem with that.

"Grumpy old white Hoosier fixes stuff for friends" -- film at 11. Sounds about as boring as it gets.

It'd be an honor for me (if it was in positive news)

I am what I am largely because I am born in my country.

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