I Am An Object Of Internet Ridicule, Ask Me Anything • Hacker News Board

Re: I Am An Object Of Internet Ridicule, Ask Me Anything

#61

Post by corresation » Thu, Sep 19, 2013, 6:33 PM UTC

potatolicious wrote: post #7

Hipster-hate strikes me as just another thinly veiled form of bullying, and it's interesting to see how readily internet nerds - the people who are disproportionately to have been bullied in the past - engage in it. Look! He's different! Let's make assumptions about his motivations and get him! It's also interesting to see how many times Reddit (and other communities) fly into a rage-fest because of lack of context,…

Reddit is visited by tens of millions of people of virtually every demographic. Corralling them as "internet nerds" seems a bit like you're trying for some bullying yourself.

In any case, talk about much ado about absolutely nothing. A bunch of people said silly things, largely under the assumption that it was no consequence (that no one was hurt, etc): In many ways the comments on there are performance art. It is the most astonishingly meaningless thing going, and really the purpose of this entry that we're discussing is the chap talking a moment to extend that fifteen minutes.

Above all other things, internet communities is what makes me cynical about humanity.

People declaring their cynicism about humanity (or trite variations like "faith restored") make me cynical about humanity.

Re: I Am An Object Of Internet Ridicule, Ask Me Anything

#62

Post by steve-howard » Thu, Sep 19, 2013, 6:33 PM UTC

forgottenpaswrd wrote: post #39

Well, being ridiculed by people in Reddit is something honorable. Who cares what they think about you? Don't lose your time with these people. Take a video camera and explain what you do for people in the internet, youtube and vimeo... Better, you could create a cool kickstarter project in which by the way, you explain better what you do. Never forget that being able to tell stories is one of the most important abili…

Sure, we all know that we should ignore people that get us down. It's a lot easier for some than for others to put that into practice.

Re: I Am An Object Of Internet Ridicule, Ask Me Anything

#63

Post by jlgreco » Thu, Sep 19, 2013, 6:35 PM UTC

jakebellacera wrote: post #53

jlgreco wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ehh, I think there is certainly some overlap, particularly in the "retro" tastes, but I don't think what you are describing as geek culture is really a subset of hipster culture. Mario tshirts? Sure, you could call that hipster. Anime tshirts? I wouldn't say so. People with both styles are in many of my social circles, but they still seem relatively distinct to me.

> Anime tshirts? I wouldn't say so. Depending on where you're at culturally, anime could be relatively obscure. Hipster is a blanket term that really means something along the lines of "they're doing something unique to others in order to stand out and be 'cool.'" A "geek" may wear a Github or a Mario T-shirt because it's "cool" within their circle, but relatively obscure to the general public.

I don't think it is accurate to just sum up "hipster culture" as obscure, or even obscure and retro. It is more nuanced than that.

You could dress up like a 1980s goth kid, which is retro and relatively obscure these days, but I don't think many people would consider that hipster. I think anime t-shirts are similar, even where anime is obscure (also, I think outside of college campuses, anime is universally more obscure than many people believe).

Re: I Am An Object Of Internet Ridicule, Ask Me Anything

#64

Post by mturmon » Thu, Sep 19, 2013, 6:37 PM UTC

One of several worthwhile remarks in the article:

"For all the hateful words that were lobbed at me, it barely ever bubbled over from the world of online forums and websites."

This is also true of political forums. Many people complain on-line, but these people rarely show up at the council meeting to actually make a real-world difference.

Re: I Am An Object Of Internet Ridicule, Ask Me Anything

#65

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Sep 19, 2013, 6:38 PM UTC

mikestew wrote: post #51

Masses of comments from people one has never met, and likely never will meet, aren't much to be concerned about especially when the comments are based on a single picture with no context. We all quickly build stories based on a single glance or vastly incomplete information. "He looks like a douchebag marketing guy." "The way she walks, she's probably one of those types that...", etc. The really insecure among us go…

[deleted]

Re: I Am An Object Of Internet Ridicule, Ask Me Anything

#66

Post by Torgo » Thu, Sep 19, 2013, 6:39 PM UTC

drzaiusapelord wrote: post #21

potatolicious wrote: post #7

Hipster-hate strikes me as just another thinly veiled form of bullying, and it's interesting to see how readily internet nerds - the people who are disproportionately to have been bullied in the past - engage in it. Look! He's different! Let's make assumptions about his motivations and get him! It's also interesting to see how many times Reddit (and other communities) fly into a rage-fest because of lack of context,…

On top of it, geek culture is a hipster culture. Oh you listen to obscure geeky bands and wear comic/anime t-shirts all the time? You purposely disengage from mainstream society? You're overly critical of the status quo and only socialize with people exactly like you? Gee, that sounds like the guy you're criticizing.

I can't help but feel that a large portion of the current "geek culture" is a collection of appropriations from a different group, selected for "authenticity", similar to criticisms of the wider hipster culture.

I wore thick-rim glasses because 1. I didn't/couldn't care about fashion 2. my parents didn't have the money for nicer frames and 3. I actually could not see without glasses. So yeah, when I see thick rim glasses being worn _because_ they "look geeky," or worse, without even any lenses because the person has perfect vision, it annoys me a little bit. Because I got treated like dog shit by the exact same class of person who now dresses in a parody of my life as a frivolous fashion decision.

Re: I Am An Object Of Internet Ridicule, Ask Me Anything

#67

Post by georgemcbay » Thu, Sep 19, 2013, 6:39 PM UTC

sliverstorm wrote: post #34

potatolicious wrote: post #7

Hipster-hate strikes me as just another thinly veiled form of bullying, and it's interesting to see how readily internet nerds - the people who are disproportionately to have been bullied in the past - engage in it. Look! He's different! Let's make assumptions about his motivations and get him! It's also interesting to see how many times Reddit (and other communities) fly into a rage-fest because of lack of context,…

it's interesting to see how readily internet nerds - the people who are disproportionately to have been bullied in the past - engage in it. Nothing new there. This how pecking orders form in human society; people who are pushed around look for other people to push around, to feel better about themselves.

Agreed. In my experience the worst bullies are always people who are "paying it forward".

That bully who stuffed the smaller kids the locker at school? He was probably being bullied at home by bad parents.

Works also with "internet nerds" with a history of being bullied. Give them an ounce of leverage and they will lord it over other people, they just tend to engage in psychological bullying instead of the physical kind.

Re: I Am An Object Of Internet Ridicule, Ask Me Anything

#68

Post by Camillo » Thu, Sep 19, 2013, 6:40 PM UTC

potatolicious wrote: post #7

Hipster-hate strikes me as just another thinly veiled form of bullying, and it's interesting to see how readily internet nerds - the people who are disproportionately to have been bullied in the past - engage in it. Look! He's different! Let's make assumptions about his motivations and get him! It's also interesting to see how many times Reddit (and other communities) fly into a rage-fest because of lack of context,…

I found it interesting that the redditors - or, as some might say, the "straight white male neckbeards" of Reddit - quickly turned apologetic when they heard the full story, while the enlightened feminists at xoJane ignored the new facts and persisted in their vitriol.

Re: I Am An Object Of Internet Ridicule, Ask Me Anything

#69

Post by EvanKelly » Thu, Sep 19, 2013, 6:40 PM UTC

L4mppu wrote: post #32

drzaiusapelord wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On top of it, geek culture is a hipster culture. Oh you listen to obscure geeky bands and wear comic/anime t-shirts all the time? You purposely disengage from mainstream society? You're overly critical of the status quo and only socialize with people exactly like you? Gee, that sounds like the guy you're criticizing.

Being hipster is just trying to look cool for doing everything that isn't actually cool. Being geek is about doing things that you like that just happen to be geeky.

It's very presumptuous of you to assume that "hipsters" don't actually enjoy the things they do.

Re: I Am An Object Of Internet Ridicule, Ask Me Anything

#70

Post by look_lookatme » Thu, Sep 19, 2013, 6:41 PM UTC

jakebellacera wrote: post #53

jlgreco wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ehh, I think there is certainly some overlap, particularly in the "retro" tastes, but I don't think what you are describing as geek culture is really a subset of hipster culture. Mario tshirts? Sure, you could call that hipster. Anime tshirts? I wouldn't say so. People with both styles are in many of my social circles, but they still seem relatively distinct to me.

> Anime tshirts? I wouldn't say so. Depending on where you're at culturally, anime could be relatively obscure. Hipster is a blanket term that really means something along the lines of "they're doing something unique to others in order to stand out and be 'cool.'" A "geek" may wear a Github or a Mario T-shirt because it's "cool" within their circle, but relatively obscure to the general public.

What does "cool" even mean here?