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

We are sorry to inform you that you are in a cult

labskausleben.bearblog.dev

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

121–130 of 327 posts

Re: We are sorry to inform you that you are in a cult

#121

Post by smcl »

kelseyfrog wrote: post #34
webkike wrote: post #20

Every now and then an article gets to the front page of this website that completely baffles me as to the reason it got there. Could someone explain this one to me?

Cults (and cult-deprogramming) rely on socio-psychological hacks. So it's definitely related to hacking, though maybe not in the way most tech folks default to.

I see the reasoning - but I don't think there needs to be a hack involved in submissions to Hacker News. Just an interesting story that might appeal to the sort of people who hang around, apparently this one caught on.

I don't personally like articles that start off with "accusing" the reader of something - like this or the You will never "fix it later" one - but it's easy to click "hide" or to just ignore if I'm not interested.

Re: We are sorry to inform you that you are in a cult

#122

Post by mcv »

sharikous wrote: post #119
mcv wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While reading it, I couldn't help but think: but what if this is the cult? I've got to admit I have no idea what the difference is between brainwashing and deprogramming.

Both things are programs that run in your head. The difference is how much the program makes you search inside yourself and ALONE for the answers you seek as opposite to reaching for an external authority. If you feel you are dependent on an external human the most likely event is that they or their group made you dependent on purpose via some sort of manipulation.

But is relying on your own answers really better than relying on an external authority? Only if it's always the same authority. But always thinking you know better than everybody else doesn't really sound any healthier.

Re: We are sorry to inform you that you are in a cult

#123

Post by oska »

unkoman wrote: post #71
webkike wrote: post #20

Every now and then an article gets to the front page of this website that completely baffles me as to the reason it got there. Could someone explain this one to me?

It's interesting enough to share with others.

And has prompted some interesting responses

Re: We are sorry to inform you that you are in a cult

#127

Post by dsr_ »

dang wrote: post #31
smaudet wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Could be in part bot activity. I've seen a couple other weird things rise up on here. The blogging platform for this one is interesting, if you follow the rabbit hole a bit you'll find e.g. https://herman.bearblog.dev/building-software-to-last-foreve... I don't see that many posts, but it appears to have some interesting traffic on it at present. Worth holding on to perhaps? https://github.com/HermanMartinus/bearblog…

I looked at the data; the upvoters are ordinary HN users—not bots, unless someone created bots 7 years ago to comment about monorepos and upvote Haskell blogs.

Alas, you have discovered my fiendish plan.

Re: We are sorry to inform you that you are in a cult

#128

Post by vincnetas »

maxbond wrote: post #7

I was waiting for the part that would make it clear what was being satirized, and it never came? I feel like I'm missing context?

I'm pretty sure it's religion.

  You will experience unpleasant feelings here. Feelings your cult has told you are of the devil.

  Part of our program involves exposing you to the idea that there are very rarely easy answers in life. People suffer for no reason. You will suffer, and have suffered, for no reason.

  But people can also do great things for no reason, or rather unmotivated by some promise of godly exaltation or gift in a theoretical afterlife.

Re: We are sorry to inform you that you are in a cult

#130

Post by drewbug01 »

It’s an interesting piece, and I think it’s intended to be satirical (and done rather well).

But, I grew up in an actual cult. The comments here to the effect of “everything’s a cult” and “startups are cults” and “HN is a cult” - oh gosh. Nothing could be further from the truth. HN is not a cult, folks.

I’m glad people can make those jokes though, because I immediately know they didn’t experience what I did. They have never experienced the ongoing heartbreak of losing your entire world when you leave - your family, your friends, your job, your social life, your religion, your everything. People who get out don’t tend to make light of it.

In any case: know that there are actual cults in operation, and they do tremendous harm. The “everything’s a cult” stuff allows them to operate more freely these days.

Post reply on HN