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Ask HN: Why did this post cost me 10% of subscribers?

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Re: Ask HN: Why did this post cost me 10% of subscribers?

#31
post #17

I actually agree with your post. And subscribed to you afterwards. I often encounter the same issue. //// Typical Example: Friends ask me what I am doing over the weekend? I said I got some work to do. I have to learn NodeJs, figure out how to parse BCC address off an email, focus on my UI and UX design for my email app, go do more research on hashtags for emails, etc... What I cited there are not "work" per say as c…

You said it well:

"What I cited there are not "work" per say as coined in most people's mind as the dreary 8 hour work life."

And yes, I understand your point: work can be enjoyed to the point it feels like a videogame!

Anyhow, the words and the tone I choose maybe weren't the best to communicate what I mean.

Thanks for the feedback (and thanks for subscribing!).

Re: Ask HN: Why did this post cost me 10% of subscribers?

#32

The problem is you appear to live in a fantasy land. I only read the second paragraph, but it is one of the stupidest things I've ever read (sorry, that is a harsh thing to say, but I think this requires a reply this strong). "Work from the moment you wake up until you go to sleep. Take your breakfast while reviewing your to-do list for the day. Work a few hours. At lunch, discuss with your team what’s the best solut…

"I would hate to be your loved one."

Is there any need to be that mean spirited about it?

I think a sizeable quiet minority is underwhelmed by the work ethic philosophies discussions on HN. I don't think I'd go as far as the submitter, but I don't think I'd categorize it as "incredibly self-centered".

edit: to the submitter, I don't think it was bad english or your tone. Some people are unable to consume opinions they disagree with. My unsolicited advice: just continue to be true to yourself and write what you think, you can never keep certain people happy.

Re: Ask HN: Why did this post cost me 10% of subscribers?

#33
post #8

Probably because the post was incongruous with why they subscribed in the first place. 10% of what number? Which post gets you the most subscriptions? Picking Sam Walton as a role-model of happiness is unsubstantiated -- he was definitely rich, so a better title might be: "If you want money, work more" -- which is essentially what you wrote.

I picked Sam Walton because I've been reading his auto biography, and he seems to be a good example of someone who really loved his job. Also, his family didn't consider him an absent father. He was someone who managed to merge his job, his family and his life goals in an harmonious way. Is 10% of around 100. Tt's a small number, I know... but it still is 10% ... =/

Sam Walton came from a family who weathered the Great Depression very well and married into a family which was able to lend him a significant sum of money for the period in order to "bootstrap" his business.

Walton, like so many other people who are incredibly successful, started out of the gate far ahead of most of his peers. As a result, he isn't what I'd consider a good example to use for the average person when it comes to work and balancing career with family.

Re: Ask HN: Why did this post cost me 10% of subscribers?

#34
Warning: harsh. I had to google it seems you didn't deem us worthy of reading the piece in its entirety. So here it is http://danielflopes.com/choosework/

The title is the least issues with the post. The post is content free, pushing anecdotal evidence (the Sam Walton thing) as data, and stating some pretty important things like "Humans are wired to growth. Long lasting happiness comes from setting big goals and meeting them. It comes from the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort." without any supporting evidence.

I would guess the people who unsubscribed followed the spirit of your article, and unsubscribed because their time is too precious to read drivel from a random nobody with no discernible achievement... The right to tell people how to run their live is pretty hard to gain.

Re: Ask HN: Why did this post cost me 10% of subscribers?

#35
Welcome to the Internet world of "if we don't agree, you are wrong and anything else you say is stupid."

People today are incapable of tolerance, despite demanding the same from others.

Look at race and gender equality arguments. If you make any statement contrary to either, despite having the Constitutional right to do so, you are instantly attacked and called a racist or a bigot for having a non-conformist view, and all semblance of tolerance goes out the window.

The magic you need comes in the form of "non-judgmental observational atonement". People want your observations, as long as you don't criticize those you are observing AND you come clean and atone for any past, present or future infractions thereof. They want to know you can "understand" their plight, but that you also agree that you can't truly understand how it affects them due to the richness of their individuality.

OR, you could write what you want and let all those pasty-faced, milquetoast, spineless sons of bitches die in a volcano.

I vote for the latter.

Re: Ask HN: Why did this post cost me 10% of subscribers?

#36
The article is very opinionated, with bolded sentences, repeated phrasing, and is mainly imperatives.

The immediate response for me is 'some other fucker is telling me I have to work now?'

Work means different things for different people.

Also, I guess your opinion is actually more nuanced than the article implies, and though I still might not appreciate it, I wouldn't be as annoyed if the article was an honest exploration instead of a rushed polemic.

Re: Ask HN: Why did this post cost me 10% of subscribers?

#37
Let me paraphrase you, or meta-phrase, if you will: "What you are doing now, what you are passionate about now, is the be-all and end-all of your life! You need nothing else! Do it 24/7! If you choose to do something other than this, then choose something uplifting, something that supports and reinforces your view of the world! Because it is right! And the only one!"

Dude. Chill. Where is your time for discovery? You say "travel, sure", but then you say "Forget the idea about how much fun others are getting in the Caribbean Islands."

WTF? How will ever know if you like snorkeling or scuba diving or trapeze or archery, or various other idle pursuits that one discovers when one unplugs?

It is possible to have multiple passions. The one you have now is just that: One. Allow yourself time and space to find others.

"Humans are wired for growth." I don't even know what that means. Humans aren't wired for much other than eating, defecating, and breathing. Everything else is a choice, an itch. Don't over-glorify yours. Don't over-glorify what works right now. Because things change.

If you are lucky, you'll discover the changes while you are still young and fit enough to enjoy them.

Chain yourself to your current passion, for the rest of your life, and somewhere along the line you will wonder when you traded your monastic cell of devotion for solitary confinement.

Re: Ask HN: Why did this post cost me 10% of subscribers?

#38

The problem is you appear to live in a fantasy land. I only read the second paragraph, but it is one of the stupidest things I've ever read (sorry, that is a harsh thing to say, but I think this requires a reply this strong). "Work from the moment you wake up until you go to sleep. Take your breakfast while reviewing your to-do list for the day. Work a few hours. At lunch, discuss with your team what’s the best solut…

Do not forget what happened when people took PG's words out of context and judged them in haste just a few days ago.

I urge you to go back and read the full article as well as the author's comments here before passing judgment. I think everyone deserves at least to be heard out.

Re: Ask HN: Why did this post cost me 10% of subscribers?

#40
post #9

OP, do you have a family (e.g. significant other, kids)? The post reads a bit preachy. When I read this, I think: the only type of person who would recommend this lifestyle is an early 20-something male who doesn't have much else going in their lives. That may or may not be correct (and it shows as much about my own personal bias as it does about the post), and even if it is correct, that's not a bad thing since if t…

I consider myself to have a good life. I'm not always in the office working, and I actually spend a lot of time working out and taking care of my best friends and meeting new people. I only try to minimize doing what in nothing contributes to my life or the others around me. That's why, for example, I like to read books that in someway intersect what I do in my job. But that doesn't mean that I never try new stuff an…

Not having kids and only recently being in a relationship makes your life situation quite different from the majority of people out there. People only listen to advice that they can relate to.

Imagine a monk giving sex advice ;-P

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