Live data from Hacker News

What 4chan thinks of HN

rbt.asia

111–120 of 265 posts

Re: What 4chan thinks of HN

#112
post #17
post #4

I love how anonymity engenders such honest commentary. When people aren't tied down to their reputation/ego, they are free to say what they really think.

Is it really honest? Anonymous discussion tends to bring out the bigots - there's even some of it in the linked thread - but is it their genuine opinion, or could it be that it's just bored teenagers trying to rile someone up for a laugh?

There are a lot of facts about the world and reasonable hypotheses that are impolite/inappropriate to discuss. Anonymity can be used to discuss them without getting shouted down by the PC police.

Gratuitous racial slurs are racist. But racial crime statistics are also racist. If a worldview is afraid of some facts, then it has some holes in it.

Re: What 4chan thinks of HN

#113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are actually rampaging Stallman bots that will post those. It's pretty great, actually. New startup idea: Stallman-as-a-service.

Stallman-as-a-service Written in either Go or JS, of course. Preferably both.

Guile

Re: What 4chan thinks of HN

#115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've seen too many discussion that didn't happen because people were stymied by political correctness. It's there because it's constantly stopped, and it should be there.

So, is it mere political correctness which prevents me from calling people "nigger"? Or, is it a desire to respect my fellow human beings? It's not about political correctness. It's about not being a dick. I've said nothing about saying controversial things...I've called out intentional attacks by people with power on people with less power. White kids calling everybody nigger isn't an important discussion that neede…

But political correctness can prevent you from questioning progressive dogmas. Many of them are not born out by fact, but it is impolite to disagree with them.

If the facts don't agree with my opinions, I change my mind. But that rapidly pushes you into thought-criminal territory in today's world.

Re: What 4chan thinks of HN

#116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh I was in tears by the third Stallman posting. It looks like he was posting the same things in other threads as well. Stallman spamming

There are actually rampaging Stallman bots that will post those. It's pretty great, actually. New startup idea: Stallman-as-a-service.

I believe you mean Service-as-a-Stallman-Substitute

Re: What 4chan thinks of HN

#117

The fact that this is front page on HN is a deliciously ironic recursive joke...

It keeps going. Somewhere in that thread, someone mentioned that they might post the thread on HN. Later in the thread someone says that would be a bad idea and links to the previous time someone linked a 4chan HN-satire thread on HN.

Re: What 4chan thinks of HN

#118
post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is it really honest? Anonymous discussion tends to bring out the bigots - there's even some of it in the linked thread - but is it their genuine opinion, or could it be that it's just bored teenagers trying to rile someone up for a laugh?

I believe it is, it might not be accurate, but there's no reason not to express yourself. Morderate or extremist. I'll wager many of them are from HN and are just poking fun at what they think are problems. I can also assure you that no one in that thread started with the idea to rile HN up. Once that thread got bigger, I wasn't surprised it was posted here though. I can also say that despite it being totally illogic…

So... take from it what you will, I doubt the intention of the thread is to make anyone on HN mad.

I don't get the impression anyone on HN is mad. Much of the commentary in the thread is entirely accurate, and many folks here at HN are pointing out the really funny and really accurate ones...and I've seen some of the same jokes here at HN in the past. And, I've had conversations with tons of folks about the Silicon Valley echo chamber; and there's serious discussion happening pretty regularly about what's broken about this culture we're in. A lot of it's actually quite funny.

But, even a thread about HN brought out some of the bigotry of 4chan. Not the bigots against the mostly middle class (or wealthy, or even filthy rich) white people on HN...that's irrelevant. It's not about people being mad, riled up, or outraged. It's just about calling people on their shit. I know it's senseless to do so on 4chan (I have more than passing familiarity with the place), but I can hope that HN is willing to consider the cost of continuing thousands of years of oppressive language and behavior and societal norms, and what that means for our community. I think we'd be better off with more women and people of color and LGBTQ people in our industry; people who casually make sexist, racist, and homophobic jokes do not agree with me, and they express that opinion freely...even here and on reddit, which are merely pseudonymous, casual use of oppressive language and support of oppressive behavior goes unnoticed or encouraged much of the time.

Re: What 4chan thinks of HN

#119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It seems to me that the people that take issue with bigotry are themselves somehow weak through some kind of insecurity manifesting itself as a desire to fix this perceived "injustice". Because, you know, muh feels. Being empathetic is a weakness?

Being susceptible and unwilling to accept it makes you manipulatable. If one person cracking watermelon jokes gets under your skin, think what a psychopath with an end game pounding the drum of affirmative action can do. Outrage is definitely a weakness.

> Being susceptible and unwilling to accept it makes you manipulatable. If one person cracking watermelon jokes gets under your skin, think what a psychopath with an end game pounding the drum of affirmative action can do.

I'm afraid I'm not following your logic. Care to explain further?

Post reply on HN