41–50 of 50 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is a sincere question: is your life, specifically, better because you're cynical and angry? I'm not talking about "the industry" in an abstract sense, but on a personal level are you happy?
No, my life is definitely not better due to cynicism. I'd be happier if I never walked into an office ever again or debated anyone online, and just lived in happy ignorance. Yet, I know I will continue to do these things.
I am convinced that cynicism is a good thing. Often, the people who are not cynical or angry are avoiding the real problems. Or they don't care, are just hanging around collecting a paycheck, etc. You imply that being cynical has become "the norm," but there's always more friction involved in being cynical. Happy bullshitters never get in trouble.
>Often, the people who are not cynical or angry are avoiding the real problems. Or they don't care, are just hanging around collecting a paycheck, etc. I vehemently disagree with every thought presented in this comment. These sentiments seem to come from a very jaded space. To think that the only people who are not cynical / angry are those that are avoiding the "real problems" (in what/ whose definition?). In my exp…
That's not my point. I am saying that in a business environment, when there's one person in a group that is pissed, disagreeing, or somehow pissing on the happy-go-lucky parade, that person is usually right. Why? Beause pissing on the parade is always more risky and difficult than taking the path of least resistance (which is just shutting up and accepting the status quo.) So, they wouldn't be doing it unless they really had to.
It's much more profitable for your average joe to adopt a cynical 'lie flat' attitude and then not show up until someone pays you.
Broken promises does this to people. The traditional structures don't have this problem, militaries can turn the majority of joes into soldiers.
It's regular society that has fostered the environment where malaise is comfortable and profit is meaningless. The wind has been sucked out of the country into code, and you get energy deficits in the populace. Who made programmers the jailer of their own soul? Who made men subservient to machines?
I am convinced that cynicism is a good thing. Often, the people who are not cynical or angry are avoiding the real problems. Or they don't care, are just hanging around collecting a paycheck, etc. You imply that being cynical has become "the norm," but there's always more friction involved in being cynical. Happy bullshitters never get in trouble.
I'd going to put my foot forward and work in removing every concept in my life that causes grief or cynicism.
The truth is seeing grief and cynicism for what they are, and stepping away from them.
The 'other way' is a step backwards.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
>Often, the people who are not cynical or angry are avoiding the real problems. Or they don't care, are just hanging around collecting a paycheck, etc. I vehemently disagree with every thought presented in this comment. These sentiments seem to come from a very jaded space. To think that the only people who are not cynical / angry are those that are avoiding the "real problems" (in what/ whose definition?). In my exp…
> To think that the only people who are not cynical / angry are those that are avoiding the "real problems" (in what/ whose definition?). That's not my point. I am saying that in a business environment, when there's one person in a group that is pissed, disagreeing, or somehow pissing on the happy-go-lucky parade, that person is usually right. Why? Beause pissing on the parade is always more risky and difficult than…
>So, they wouldn't be doing it unless they really had to.
I can think of a handful of reasons why they may do so.
Being a contrarian is not hard. It certainly does not mean that the person being a contrarian is right (or right to do so, especially if the methods is being an insufferable colleague).
Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is a sincere question: is your life, specifically, better because you're cynical and angry? I'm not talking about "the industry" in an abstract sense, but on a personal level are you happy?
I think I'd be happy in life if I believed in god and thought I was going to some happy place after I die and that any of this meant anything at the end of the day. I can't will myself to believe in Christianity or Scientology or Islam or Judaism however. Does that make me cynical?
I don't know enough about your world view or anything, but you don't sound like a cynic.
Read more here: https://www.cjr.org/language_corner/skepticism-cynicism.php
Never forget https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8863 > 1. For a Linux user, you can already build such a system yourself quite trivially by getting an FTP account, mounting it locally with curlftpfs, and then using SVN or CVS on the mounted filesystem. From Windows or Mac, this FTP account could be accessed through built-in software. That said, right now the industry is going through some turmoil. We're coming off…
It's a hobbyhorse but I'm on a mission about this:
https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&que...
Never forget https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8863 > 1. For a Linux user, you can already build such a system yourself quite trivially by getting an FTP account, mounting it locally with curlftpfs, and then using SVN or CVS on the mounted filesystem. From Windows or Mac, this FTP account could be accessed through built-in software. That said, right now the industry is going through some turmoil. We're coming off…
That comment has been unfairly misinterpreted and did not deserve to turn into a meme of dismissal. BrandonM was sincerely trying to help Drew with his YC application (that's what "app" meant on HN in 2007), and if you read the rest you can see that they had quite a nice exchange. It's a hobbyhorse but I'm on a mission about this: https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&que...
Remember the dropbox announcement in 2007? https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224