Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

> You can say that any time anyone says anything (and on HN someone usually does)

As well they should, personal anecdotes rarely contribute much to the conversation.



It's a conversation-demolishing verbal tic, along with incantations about causation and correlation, straw people, ad homunculi and the like. Avoiding these helps conversations stay conversations rather than tedious protocol.


Some of us find conversations that devolve into these things to be incredibly frustrating to be part of. People love to share anecdotes about themselves but rarely care much for others peoples' anecdotes.

Before sharing that you prefer pepsi over coke you should ask yourself whether you care at all that some stranger on the internet prefers coke over pepsi. Assuming the answer is 'no', then why bother sharing these sorts of things yourself.




Consider applying for YC's Fall 2026 batch! Applications are open till July 27.

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: