Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Technorati's Tracy Williams is alive and safe in a local hospital

facebook.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 51 posts

Re: Technorati's Tracy Williams is alive and safe in a local hospital

#21

Post by mattdeboard »

samstave wrote: post #18
dsr_ wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While lots of us are nosy enough to want to know, the answer is that it isn't any of our business. If she wants to say, she will... presumably after she gets out of the hospital.

OMG EVERYBODY HALP!!! MY FRIEND IS MISSING. [everybody attempts to help] OMG EVERYBODY THAN KYOU SO MUCH MY FRIEND IS SAFE!!! [everybody: YAY! Gald to hear it - what happened!] NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS YOU NOSY JERKS! ---- Yeah screw that. People will feel less inclined to assist - because they feel that they are an excluded outsider. If you are not told the outcome/reason for the situation in the first place - you are…

When someone asks for help, you either give it, or you don't. Your aid ought not be contingent on what you get out of it.

Re: Technorati's Tracy Williams is alive and safe in a local hospital

#22

Post by ars »

mattdeboard wrote: post #21
samstave wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

OMG EVERYBODY HALP!!! MY FRIEND IS MISSING. [everybody attempts to help] OMG EVERYBODY THAN KYOU SO MUCH MY FRIEND IS SAFE!!! [everybody: YAY! Gald to hear it - what happened!] NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS YOU NOSY JERKS! ---- Yeah screw that. People will feel less inclined to assist - because they feel that they are an excluded outsider. If you are not told the outcome/reason for the situation in the first place - you are…

When someone asks for help, you either give it, or you don't. Your aid ought not be contingent on what you get out of it.

It shouldn't be. But it is. People want to get "paid" in information.

Re: Technorati's Tracy Williams is alive and safe in a local hospital

#24

Post by CamperBob »

dusing wrote: post #3

Thats great to hear. A little surprised it took 3 days to find her in a hospital. Hope she is okay.

Not too surprising, really. Due to privacy laws, asking for information about a hospital patient these days is like asking the NRO for the source code to the latest spy satellite.

Re: Technorati's Tracy Williams is alive and safe in a local hospital

#25

Post by scott_s »

ars wrote: post #22
mattdeboard wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When someone asks for help, you either give it, or you don't. Your aid ought not be contingent on what you get out of it.

It shouldn't be. But it is. People want to get "paid" in information.

Yes. And empathetic yet rational beings can then remind themselves that they have no right and no need to have the information, and can quietly let it pass.

Re: Technorati's Tracy Williams is alive and safe in a local hospital

#26

Post by mrleinad »

ars wrote: post #22
mattdeboard wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When someone asks for help, you either give it, or you don't. Your aid ought not be contingent on what you get out of it.

It shouldn't be. But it is. People want to get "paid" in information.

No, that's just you.

Re: Technorati's Tracy Williams is alive and safe in a local hospital

#27

Post by ars »

scott_s wrote: post #25
ars wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It shouldn't be. But it is. People want to get "paid" in information.

Yes. And empathetic yet rational beings can then remind themselves that they have no right and no need to have the information, and can quietly let it pass.

Of course. But they still want it.

A nice person would ask, but not press the point. A rare person would not even ask. And some will demand to know.

Re: Technorati's Tracy Williams is alive and safe in a local hospital

#28

Post by kevinpet »

samstave wrote: post #18
dsr_ wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While lots of us are nosy enough to want to know, the answer is that it isn't any of our business. If she wants to say, she will... presumably after she gets out of the hospital.

OMG EVERYBODY HALP!!! MY FRIEND IS MISSING. [everybody attempts to help] OMG EVERYBODY THAN KYOU SO MUCH MY FRIEND IS SAFE!!! [everybody: YAY! Gald to hear it - what happened!] NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS YOU NOSY JERKS! ---- Yeah screw that. People will feel less inclined to assist - because they feel that they are an excluded outsider. If you are not told the outcome/reason for the situation in the first place - you are…

This is somewhat poorly stated, but a valid point. I'd phrase it as someone is being asked to behave as if someone were a personal friend, then asked to instantly stop behaving as if a personal friend. That's jarring.

Re: Technorati's Tracy Williams is alive and safe in a local hospital

#29

Post by Joakal »

ars wrote: post #22
mattdeboard wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When someone asks for help, you either give it, or you don't. Your aid ought not be contingent on what you get out of it.

It shouldn't be. But it is. People want to get "paid" in information.

It doesn't help that the requests for help were made to sites like HN where the demographics of those sites tend to consist of information-curious people.

Re: Technorati's Tracy Williams is alive and safe in a local hospital

#30

Post by scott_s »

ars wrote: post #27
scott_s wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. And empathetic yet rational beings can then remind themselves that they have no right and no need to have the information, and can quietly let it pass.

Of course. But they still want it. A nice person would ask, but not press the point. A rare person would not even ask. And some will demand to know.

Some won't ask. We can't control the world, but we can influence this community. And I think it would be nice if people here chose to be empathetic and rational human beings.
Post reply on HN