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Comment by fritzo | Hacker News Reader

I hear you that it's important for a more diverse set of people to contribute to computing as an increasingly impactful field.

The way I read keyle's point is that computing is also a home for many sentient humans who feel awkward in meat space but whose creativity blossoms in regimented systems of abstract logic and in electronic workshops capable of infinitesimally cheap symbolic manipulation and storage. Computing is good for society, and it's also a therapy / practice / haven for a percentage of fringe humans.

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>sentient humans who feel awkward in meat space

People like that really need to work on fixing it. It can obviously be crippling to their career and lives.

Those people are not broken and do not need fixing.

But to be clear, they shouldn't expect high paying computer jobs to be an ivory tower for themselves so they don't have to interact with and get along with a diverse group of people (including gasp extroverts and marketers).

Which is the point that the comment I originally replied to was making. "Let's keep tech for just the nerds, as it should be."

>Those people are not broken and do not need fixing.

Stop trying to put words in my mouth to bolster your point, or virtue signal, or whatever your motivations are. I never said they were broken. It's an important skill that needs to be worked on and improved, just like any other life skill.

I mostly agree with you but you did say that this is something they need to work on. Which is definitely not true – just look at the world.

Why would there be awkward weirdos if they needed to work on not being awkward weirdos?.

The can choose to work on it, but they can also choose not to, by say trying to isolate themselves in an industry where they think they can minimize human interaction.

There might be consequences of their choice though. Their personal life might suffer or they might get fired from their cushy job if people don't like working with them. Those things might push them to make a choice to work on their issues or they might not.

I think society should create incentives that reward well-rounded people (and to an extent it already does). And I think it's important to realize that people need to do almost nothing.

I think you're trying to coddle people who have interpersonal deficiencies and it's to their detriment.

>There might be consequences of their choice though. Their personal life might suffer or they might get fired from their cushy job if people don't like working with them.

This is why they need to work on it. Unemployed and ostracized from the industry with no network to fall back on doesn't usually end well.

>Why would there be awkward weirdos if they needed to work on not being awkward weirdos?

People can be an awkward weirdos all they want, but they need to know how to turn on some facade they and other people are comfortable with when necessary.

I’m not coddling anyone. I’m simply saying the way the world really is.

People have agency and they can choose to fuck themselves over as hard as they want. Either actively by drinking themselves to death or cheating on their spouse (for example) or passively by choosing to be an anti-social weirdo nobody likes who works with computers.

Nobody needs to not cheat on their spouse. But they can choose to not do it.

> Unemployed and ostracized from the industry with no network to fall back on doesn't usually end well.

This is true, but it’s their life not yours. You can tell someone what they need to do all you want. Good luck with that btw.

Get over the idea that anyone needs to do anything.

Instead realize that people can choose to do whatever they’re motivated to do. And a lot of people are motivated to be miserable. And they’re not going to do anything about it. They certainly don’t need to.

I think you are being a little pedantic and playing word salad with the word "needs."

They need to work on it or their life will most likely suck. That better? I feel that was implied in my original statement:

>People like that really need to work on fixing it. It can obviously be crippling to their career and lives.

No, they don't need fixing. But computer jobs are not an inherent right to them, despite the field being uniquely suited to them in its infancy.

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