I am an object of internet ridicule, ask me anything (2013) • Hacker News Board

Re: I am an object of internet ridicule, ask me anything (2013)

#41

Post by silicon2401 » Thu, Jun 10, 2021, 6:18 PM UTC

jokethrowaway wrote: post #6

What a great read. I wish more people were aware of the value of anonymity. Exposing yourself to the world comes with its pros and cons. Attaining celebrity status may make you rich, but at what cost? Maybe many will turn into paying fans, what about the stalkers, the bullies? What about the mentally disturbed with a knife?

This is why I prize anonymity over almost anything else and why I'm very grateful that the tech community tends to value and teach privacy as well. My dream in life is to be filthy rich and disappear my identity to live in isolation somewhere. Filthy rich is a stretch, but thankfully it shouldn't be too hard to live frugally and retire somewhere isolated and remote.

Re: I am an object of internet ridicule, ask me anything (2013)

#42

Post by strken » Thu, Jun 10, 2021, 6:19 PM UTC

pmoriarty wrote: post #30

alex_young wrote: post #26

I remember this. This article convinced me that the word "Hipster" is just another random insult directed at the generic other. A completely useless descriptor.

It's not random. Someone in stereotypical metalhead attire is unlikely to be called a hipster for it, neither is someone dressed in punk fashion, nor a goth or a jock, etc... well, they won't by a anyone with half a clue as to what the identifying features of these subcultures are. The negativity comes from people assuming that hipsters think they're cool, but (according to their critics) they're not... it's kind of…

It's not exactly because they "think they're cool", it's because hipsters reject cheap mass-market consumer goods and embrace expensive one-off artsy goods, while simultaneously adopting poverty aesthetics like wearing old second hand clothes and recycling everything. They're seen, perhaps unfairly, as rich gentrifiers.

Re: I am an object of internet ridicule, ask me anything (2013)

#43

Post by Jun8 » Thu, Jun 10, 2021, 6:23 PM UTC

pmoriarty wrote: post #37

Jun8 wrote: post #31

Ohboyohboyohboy, it seems I dodged bullet with an idea that I had 5-6 years ago that was very similar to this guy's: My idea was to sit beside a sign that said something along the lines of "Celebrate yourself Through Poetry" in the morning in downtown Chicago in front of a large office building. People going in would commission a poem in the morning, I would finish it and write it in calligraphy on a nice piece of pa…

You might get some takers if you did it in a college town, but as you probably know poetry is not exactly the hottest selling genre of literature... and finding people that read at all is hard enough. You'd probably have a much easier time offering to write dirty jokes.. or juggling. What people want on the streets is a spectacle... the louder and more garish the better.

I hear you; however, one rarely gets a literary piece, let alone poetry, created specifically for them. To His Coy Mistress may sound formulaic and drab, but what if you are Mary Villiers, who Marvell was tutoring at the time and probably addressed in the poem (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Villiers,_Duchess_of_Buck...)? You probably would view it differently.

Re: I am an object of internet ridicule, ask me anything (2013)

#44

Post by pmoriarty » Thu, Jun 10, 2021, 6:25 PM UTC

Jun8 wrote: post #43

pmoriarty wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You might get some takers if you did it in a college town, but as you probably know poetry is not exactly the hottest selling genre of literature... and finding people that read at all is hard enough. You'd probably have a much easier time offering to write dirty jokes.. or juggling. What people want on the streets is a spectacle... the louder and more garish the better.

I hear you; however, one rarely gets a literary piece, let alone poetry, created specifically for them. To His Coy Mistress may sound formulaic and drab, but what if you are Mary Villiers, who Marvell was tutoring at the time and probably addressed in the poem ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Villiers,_Duchess_of_Buck... )? You probably would view it differently.

Give it a try, and please report back. It'll be interesting to hear what your experience is.

Re: I am an object of internet ridicule, ask me anything (2013)

#45

Post by drewzero1 » Thu, Jun 10, 2021, 6:28 PM UTC

I remember seeing either the original Reddit post or a reference to it and thinking it was a really neat idea. I collect typewriters and had a slim portable Royal Hermes that would have been perfect for that kind of job, but I wasn't (and still am not) brave enough about my writing to share it in that way.

Re: I am an object of internet ridicule, ask me anything (2013)

#46

Post by david422 » Thu, Jun 10, 2021, 6:28 PM UTC

Jun8 wrote: post #31

Ohboyohboyohboy, it seems I dodged bullet with an idea that I had 5-6 years ago that was very similar to this guy's: My idea was to sit beside a sign that said something along the lines of "Celebrate yourself Through Poetry" in the morning in downtown Chicago in front of a large office building. People going in would commission a poem in the morning, I would finish it and write it in calligraphy on a nice piece of pa…

> They would either buy or not buy the poem

Why not just allow them to set their price?

Re: I am an object of internet ridicule, ask me anything (2013)

#47

Post by handrous » Thu, Jun 10, 2021, 6:30 PM UTC

ta2162 wrote: post #29

Scene, hipster, emo, goth, etc. all but disappeared. Most of the people who would have fallen in one of the aforementioned groups a decade ago are now non-binary, gender fluid, etc. They found a way to tie their identity to their humanity so now it's bigoted to scoff and laugh at them. Have any social psychologists studied this phenomenon? It's a great defense mechanism that seems to be working quite well.

The topic's getting you downvoted, but this perspective suddenly makes a lot of what my wife's observed among middle-schoolers in the last 3-4 years make a ton more sense.

Re: I am an object of internet ridicule, ask me anything (2013)

#48

Post by playpause » Thu, Jun 10, 2021, 6:33 PM UTC

OJFord wrote: post #24

iJohnDoe wrote: post #23

Title says 2013. Wasn’t it only in recent years that people were brining typewriters to Starbucks. Maybe it was never considered cool, but it wasn’t treated like this person. Funny how time changes things. It’s like the “nerds” that were treated so badly in the 80s for being into Starwars and dressing up in their favorite characters. Now Starwars is cool and dressing up garnishes respect based on how elaborate and ho…

> dressing up garnishes respect based on how elaborate and how much work went into it. That sounds very much like a 'within the community' sort of thing. Isn't it just that the internet's made it easier for groups with (varying degrees, of course, of) niche interests to congregate?

I think it’s a bit of both. The internet has also made the niche groups more visible, probably making them grow in confidence/appeal/numbers. So people don’t need to worry as much about being labelled weird by association. Being labelled too basic/boring is also probably more of a concern than before, so the social pressures are aligning more and more with taking part in niche interests, or at least not being seen as scornful of them. I don’t have any numbers to back this up but that’s how it seems to me. Compared to a few years ago anyway.

Re: I am an object of internet ridicule, ask me anything (2013)

#49

Post by sambroner » Thu, Jun 10, 2021, 6:33 PM UTC

I remember seeing this in person when walking around the highline around this time. I was with my SO and we thought it was cute, hipster-y, and fun.

What's interesting to me is that we had some of the same sentiments that were expressed so negatively on reddit, but in a very positive light? Crazy how the anonymity and lack of context can easily influence folks to be so negative.

Re: I am an object of internet ridicule, ask me anything (2013)

#50

Post by david422 » Thu, Jun 10, 2021, 6:34 PM UTC

wccrawford wrote: post #8

That's a great reminder that the internet is full of cowardly bullies. They don't actually want to understand things, they just want to tear other people down to make themselves feel better.

I think it's also just a product of the hivemind and people not thinking. Not realizing that there is a real person in that picture. Causes normal people to be asses without thinking. As evidenced by the fact that the tone of the conversation changed when he responded.