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I'm curious how did you interpret the comment above so negatively? Not clear to me how it was a value judgment or condescending in the slightest.


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I see this as more of the condescending attitude of the type the comment was complaining about.

I'm not sure if you were referring to me here, but personally I did read the entire comment and found all of it hostile and condescending. I also find his insinuation that I haven't read his comments thoroughly enough hostile and condescending.

That comment is entirely unhelpful, and a net negative with the condescension. If you think someone misunderstood, help them by restating the idea in a way you find more understandable.

Can you show me this "initial highly condescending wording of your comment"?

From the guidelines:

> Please respond to the strongest plausible interpretation of what someone says, not a weaker one that's easier to criticize. Assume good faith.

Ironically, by assuming bad faith and a condescending tone in the comment you responded to, you've made a legitimately condescending comment.


Ok, since now my comment has been called "condescending", "self-righteous", "mocking", "mean" and "humiliating someone", I need to understand.

Disclaimer: English is not my first language.

I did express that I'm interested in hearing the view, if further elaborated and explained why it is lacklustre, without attacking the user itself. I'm unsure of why my comment would arise these negative feelings, but I would like to fix it to not happen again. Thanks.


> I'm just giving you some perspective and examples of real life experience

Frankly, this comes across as a little bit condescending. Another example, a phrase like this from your first response:

> And honestly, most of y’all don’t know any better

Who are "y'all"? Why don't we know any better? This comes across as hostile, like you're coming at this from the perspective of "I'm definitely right and this guy is full of it." I don't believe that's true, but that's how it read to me. Perhaps it's just the challenge of no discernible tone in text.

> Also you wanted to understand the downvotes, which is also why I chose to reply

I still don't quite understand. Downvote != agree, and my comment wasn't rude or disrespectful. It's just not the majority opinion here.


You're right, it's my quote--where I gave an inline description about what was condescending about it. Since you asked, I repeated it.

Yes. Thank you for explaining my comment to me, and you're completely right, but you missed the part where my comment was based on his first and last sentences only going the other way around. It did seem a bit dismissive and condescending at the time so I had some fun with it.

I'm honestly curious - through your best effort were you unable to tell this comment comes off as pompous and condescending?

If that is the case, consider this a polite and gentle suggestion that it may be interpreted the wrong way by some.


I read it as entirely condescending. The several "It's your fault" replies? Nothing but condescension.

What is the purpose of the parent comment? To score a point? To show us all the commenter is smarter than the vulgus?

It passes the "gratuitous negativity" test to me. The same point could have been made without the condescension.


Using quotes to paraphrase your own interpretation of what OP posted (and then ignoring the last sentence which had more meat) is exactly the kind of low value comment you're talking about.

The comment being replied to was also rather uncivil by a certain definition, assuming the commenter was unfamiliar with what is by now very cliched literature and explaining it in a somewhat condescending tone, as if to a child, when in truth there was a very substantive point being made.

Would you be willing to flesh out that comment?

As it is, I don't really understand why, and I feel it's overly negative (though I expect to understand why I'm wrong once you explain it more fully).


Yup, reflection points to a misunderstanding on my part. I perceived the comment with negativity, which I don't believe was the intention.

> The effect, regardless of intent, is always to annoy the other.

Combined with the further-down "Here, let me Google that for you.", it seems likely that that was the intended effect. It's pretty clear that negative value to the discussion was provided by both comments, in addition to the (subjective) dismissive attitude.


I'm sure I agree, but surely there is something to how so many commentators here clearly immediately assume that the Prof's question must have been framed so that the best interpretation is condescending.

Please respond to the strongest plausible interpretation of what someone says, not a weaker one that's easier to criticize. Assume good faith.

> It seems you assumed I'm the person he was replying to

What are you talking about? He couldn't have been replying to you, because your comments were not in the ancestry of his.

> I said nothing close to or even in the ballpark of 'eras are better than one another'

You derived from my comment meaning opposite from what was plainly written?! Read more carefully.

> Every sentence of your comment was unacceptably condescending

Every sentence of yours to him was unacceptably rude.

> Don't tell people on here to "relax". Or that their comments aren't interesting - just don't reply if that's the case. Thanks.

Don't tell people on here that they sound like they think they're the only reasonable one. Just don't reply if that's the case. Thanks.

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