Alex Honnold's next summit: the rest of his life • Hacker News Board

Re: Alex Honnold's next summit: the rest of his life

#11

Post by navigatesol » Fri, Sep 13, 2019, 1:08 PM UTC

thrav wrote: post #4

Anytime I discussed Free Solo with anyone, including my wife, my feelings about Alex couldn’t have been more opposite from theirs. His bit about empathy and the fact that he’s, “just learning [his] lines” is probably relatable to many here. His comments about deciding to solo mostly because he wasn’t comfortable asking anyone to climb with him, and didn’t want anyone to see him do something stupid, while ranking in t…

>I came away sympathetic — recognizing a kindred spirit who’s capable of a lot, but had a hard time fitting in with the world

If there's one thing I've learned about HackerNews, it's that everyone here is an exceptional but misunderstood genius.

>while everyone else just saw a very impressive asshole.

I don't know a single person who came away from this film with the impression that Alex Honnold is an asshole. Seems like an odd take, but nothing in today's world surprises me.

Re: Alex Honnold's next summit: the rest of his life

#12

Post by chmaynard » Fri, Sep 13, 2019, 1:09 PM UTC

ubermonkey wrote: post #8

Honnold enrages me. Free soloing is a fundamentally irresponsible act; it shows utter contempt for anyone in your life who loves you. Doing it on the stage he does it, with literally millions watching, is exponentially moreso. Fuck him.

> Honnold enrages me. Free soloing is a fundamentally irresponsible act; it shows utter contempt for anyone in your life who loves you.

Before you vent, I would encourage you to think more deeply about what it means for an athlete to risk physical harm. Also, please refrain from using the F word in a public forum. Some of us find it offensive and disrespectful.

Re: Alex Honnold's next summit: the rest of his life

#13

Post by navigatesol » Fri, Sep 13, 2019, 1:11 PM UTC

ubermonkey wrote: post #8

Honnold enrages me. Free soloing is a fundamentally irresponsible act; it shows utter contempt for anyone in your life who loves you. Doing it on the stage he does it, with literally millions watching, is exponentially moreso. Fuck him.

>Honnold enrages me. Free soloing is a fundamentally irresponsible act; it shows utter contempt for anyone in your life who loves you.

Well, I've had enough of the internet for today.

Re: Alex Honnold's next summit: the rest of his life

#14

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Sep 13, 2019, 1:11 PM UTC

thrav wrote: post #4

Anytime I discussed Free Solo with anyone, including my wife, my feelings about Alex couldn’t have been more opposite from theirs. His bit about empathy and the fact that he’s, “just learning [his] lines” is probably relatable to many here. His comments about deciding to solo mostly because he wasn’t comfortable asking anyone to climb with him, and didn’t want anyone to see him do something stupid, while ranking in t…

[deleted]

Re: Alex Honnold's next summit: the rest of his life

#15

Post by misiti3780 » Fri, Sep 13, 2019, 1:18 PM UTC

ubermonkey wrote: post #8

Honnold enrages me. Free soloing is a fundamentally irresponsible act; it shows utter contempt for anyone in your life who loves you. Doing it on the stage he does it, with literally millions watching, is exponentially moreso. Fuck him.

so you think free soloing should be illegal ?

Re: Alex Honnold's next summit: the rest of his life

#16

Post by balfirevic » Fri, Sep 13, 2019, 1:22 PM UTC

It's interesting to see some negative reactions to what Alex did. His actions bring to forefront a belief which doesn't seem to sit well with many: his life is his own.

And our lives really are, ultimately, our own. Well, at least until we bring kids into the world. We can certainly choose to give up part of this autonomy, but we shouldn't demand it from anyone else.

Re: Alex Honnold's next summit: the rest of his life

#17

Post by Allvitende » Fri, Sep 13, 2019, 1:23 PM UTC

ubermonkey wrote: post #8

Honnold enrages me. Free soloing is a fundamentally irresponsible act; it shows utter contempt for anyone in your life who loves you. Doing it on the stage he does it, with literally millions watching, is exponentially moreso. Fuck him.

What are your thoughts on Formula 1?

Re: Alex Honnold's next summit: the rest of his life

#18

Post by reascenda » Fri, Sep 13, 2019, 1:25 PM UTC

navigatesol wrote: post #11

thrav wrote: post #4

Anytime I discussed Free Solo with anyone, including my wife, my feelings about Alex couldn’t have been more opposite from theirs. His bit about empathy and the fact that he’s, “just learning [his] lines” is probably relatable to many here. His comments about deciding to solo mostly because he wasn’t comfortable asking anyone to climb with him, and didn’t want anyone to see him do something stupid, while ranking in t…

> I came away sympathetic — recognizing a kindred spirit who’s capable of a lot, but had a hard time fitting in with the world If there's one thing I've learned about HackerNews, it's that everyone here is an exceptional but misunderstood genius. > while everyone else just saw a very impressive asshole. I don't know a single person who came away from this film with the impression that Alex Honnold is an asshole. Seem…

I thought he was an asshole. Quite apart from how he came across in the film exposing yourself to utterly needless danger is a very bad way to treat people who love you.

Re: Alex Honnold's next summit: the rest of his life

#19

Post by snarf21 » Fri, Sep 13, 2019, 1:33 PM UTC

reascenda wrote: post #18

navigatesol wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I came away sympathetic — recognizing a kindred spirit who’s capable of a lot, but had a hard time fitting in with the world If there's one thing I've learned about HackerNews, it's that everyone here is an exceptional but misunderstood genius. > while everyone else just saw a very impressive asshole. I don't know a single person who came away from this film with the impression that Alex Honnold is an asshole. Seem…

I thought he was an asshole. Quite apart from how he came across in the film exposing yourself to utterly needless danger is a very bad way to treat people who love you.

I get that perspective. Let me ask this: Do you feel the same way about the people in your life who smoke? or eat fast food? or don't exercise daily? or text while driving? I know you can say those are an accumulation of small dangers but it isn't like Honnold never climbed once and decided to free solo the hardest cliff in the world. Do you feel the same about race car drivers? NFL players? We all have our identity and a lot of time it is associated with the things we are good with.

Re: Alex Honnold's next summit: the rest of his life

#20

Post by soVeryTired » Fri, Sep 13, 2019, 1:41 PM UTC

navigatesol wrote: post #11

thrav wrote: post #4

Anytime I discussed Free Solo with anyone, including my wife, my feelings about Alex couldn’t have been more opposite from theirs. His bit about empathy and the fact that he’s, “just learning [his] lines” is probably relatable to many here. His comments about deciding to solo mostly because he wasn’t comfortable asking anyone to climb with him, and didn’t want anyone to see him do something stupid, while ranking in t…

> I came away sympathetic — recognizing a kindred spirit who’s capable of a lot, but had a hard time fitting in with the world If there's one thing I've learned about HackerNews, it's that everyone here is an exceptional but misunderstood genius. > while everyone else just saw a very impressive asshole. I don't know a single person who came away from this film with the impression that Alex Honnold is an asshole. Seem…

Well he didn't treat his girlfriend particularly well through the film. He was never actively nasty to her, but he was dismissive and didn't appear too interested in her either.