We Found Our Son in the Subway • Hacker News Board

Re: We Found Our Son in the Subway

#21

Post by michaelbuckbee » Thu, Feb 28, 2013, 9:15 PM UTC

mtinkerhess wrote: post #4

Great story. Can someone explain why this belongs on HN?

At our best, we as the hacking + doing and building community are both inextricably part of and trying to change society.

This story manages to cut across a swath of different social issues: race, gender (I falsely assumed that it was a woman writing when the first instance of 'husband' was mentioned) gay marriage, the extraordinary power given to the family court system and even the urban versus rural divide.

I don't think this article is going to kick off a bunch of startups that are "like Instragram but for abandoned babies in a subway", but I do think we are in a unique position to potentially effect the lives of millions of people with the output of our work and being more mindful of stories in the larger society can only help that.

Re: We Found Our Son in the Subway

#22

Post by bobwaycott » Thu, Feb 28, 2013, 9:18 PM UTC

What an absolutely beautiful story.

Re: We Found Our Son in the Subway

#23

Post by shanelja » Thu, Feb 28, 2013, 9:20 PM UTC

stephengillie wrote: post #17

noonespecial wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think because we do a lot of "sky is falling", "everyone in charge is hopelessly clueless" etc. around here, sometimes we just need some good news about things going right once in a while. Even if its a bit off topic.

Is this the only location where you receive all of your information about the world? This site is for technical and business discussion. There are other sites serving chicken soup for your soul.

This site may be for "technical and business" discussion, but ultimately, it comes down to popular opinion, I for one think the story was great but there seems to be a fairly even split going on here, that is, half of us think it's heart warming, and the other half think that it's heart warming and irrelevant.

There is no simple answer here, it's irrelevant, to the point where all you overzealous stack overflow members would vote to have it removed, but on the other hand, I'm glad it's here, sometimes we can get so wrapped up in our little bubble that we forgot that things happen outside of it.

Consider the Aaron Swartz debacle, that flooded HN for weeks, some days the top posts were filled with it, but they were, for the large part, noise against a background, like how someone met him in a subway one time (real example, but no link, so consider it allegory for my plot, if you will), but still we kept it here, because his case both wrenched our hearts and made us angry and want to change something, these stories are what reminds us of how good (and often stupid) humans can be - I think this falls squarely within that realm, irrelevant noise, but enthralling and well worth featuring none the less.

Re: We Found Our Son in the Subway

#24

Post by nopassrecover » Thu, Feb 28, 2013, 9:22 PM UTC

Little more detail from 2004: http://www.parents.com/parenting/adoption/stories/adoption-s...

Re: We Found Our Son in the Subway

#25

Post by noonespecial » Thu, Feb 28, 2013, 9:23 PM UTC

stephengillie wrote: post #17

noonespecial wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think because we do a lot of "sky is falling", "everyone in charge is hopelessly clueless" etc. around here, sometimes we just need some good news about things going right once in a while. Even if its a bit off topic.

Is this the only location where you receive all of your information about the world? This site is for technical and business discussion. There are other sites serving chicken soup for your soul.

Very well. Given the recent and tragic case of one Aaron Swartz, are we to conclude that the justice system is irredeemably corrupt and cruel, forever serving the most special of special interests, devoid of all humanity? Why no, here's a counterpoint.

Re: We Found Our Son in the Subway

#26

Post by ahoyhere » Thu, Feb 28, 2013, 9:23 PM UTC

chrisrhoden wrote: post #9

steverb wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because some stories transcend classification and we have hearts as well as heads.

I don't think anyone is suggesting that you shouldn't read this story. I wouldn't expect a story about the latest release of Twitter Bootstrap to show up in the Wall Street Journal, though, and I don't think it's unreasonable to expect that the Sports section front page doesn't include stories about a recent fire, heroic as the firefighters might be.

It's strange to me that you are comparing HN to traditional media. Mostly* the editors of Hacker News are readers. The readers choose what they want to read. The readers have spoken. It's too bad you disagree with the people who voted it up, but there's no point in quarreling with the format of HN itself.

* there's quite a bit of anecdotal evidence that moderators killfile individual articles, and we all know certain sites are fully blocked

Re: We Found Our Son in the Subway

#27

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Feb 28, 2013, 9:23 PM UTC

chrisrhoden wrote: post #9

steverb wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because some stories transcend classification and we have hearts as well as heads.

I don't think anyone is suggesting that you shouldn't read this story. I wouldn't expect a story about the latest release of Twitter Bootstrap to show up in the Wall Street Journal, though, and I don't think it's unreasonable to expect that the Sports section front page doesn't include stories about a recent fire, heroic as the firefighters might be.

[deleted]

Re: We Found Our Son in the Subway

#28

Post by bthomas » Thu, Feb 28, 2013, 9:24 PM UTC

jackalope wrote: post #19

mtinkerhess wrote: post #4

Great story. Can someone explain why this belongs on HN?

I can't think of a better parable for opportunity than this story.

Poe's law... can't tell if this is sarcastic or not

Re: We Found Our Son in the Subway

#29

Post by gruseom » Thu, Feb 28, 2013, 9:25 PM UTC

stephengillie wrote: post #17

noonespecial wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think because we do a lot of "sky is falling", "everyone in charge is hopelessly clueless" etc. around here, sometimes we just need some good news about things going right once in a while. Even if its a bit off topic.

Is this the only location where you receive all of your information about the world? This site is for technical and business discussion. There are other sites serving chicken soup for your soul.

This site is for technical and business discussion.

Where did you get that from? This site is for things that are interesting. This story is so unusual that it's interesting.

Meta subthreads are not interesting.

Re: We Found Our Son in the Subway

#30

Post by siscia » Thu, Feb 28, 2013, 9:28 PM UTC

Love the story.

When we talk about gay marriage and adoption I always need to query a little more, especially about the kids.

What's about Kevin ? His life is "perfectly normal" (how stupid is this expression) ? He is happy ? Does he have problem with his sexuality ?

Do anybody have any experience to share ? Please to be obvious, in neither way...

(Why this is on HN ? Well, because I believe that HN is one of the best community on the internet, it is normal that people want to share stories and ask opinion to other they respect/admire)