I'll post this every time someone tries to launder Luke Smith through HN: he is a reactionary with a relatively popular YouTube channel in which he openly espouses and trades in racist talking points[1].
Yeah we know. Does not keep me from cloning his st config. But yes, I liked watching his stuff much more when he was going thru his Linux/Dektop setup or advocating useful but little known command line tools.
Not unlike Scott Adams. I find Dilbert funny. Am I supposed not to laugh because his political views do not align with mine (at all)?
Not everybody knows, because he's a relative nobody who occasionally gets laundered through HN. My only role in this entire thing is making sure that the bits that I know are available for consideration.
He does not seem to be a complete mindless dummy. Ever tried to contact and argue with him? I'd honestly watch that.
Same thing with Jordan Peterson. I must not agree with his stand points and positions, but his arguments are compelling at times and it is fun watching and following his stuff.
I can only broaden my view if don't look into the same direction all the time.
Both Peterson and Smith’s content falls squarely into the tarpit of bullshit asymmetry: anything that they chose to mouth off on takes an asymmetrically large amount of effort to rebut. That’s not how I’d prefer to spend my time, and it’s not something I can reasonably ask any person to do.
> And so... you'd rather just badmouth him on HN instead?
Where's the badmouthing? His reactionary politics are a critical part of the personal brand that he uses to advance his (again, incredibly mundane and well-trodden) content.
And guess what: I agree that it's inappropriate for HN. All things being equal, I'd prefer not to spend even the limited time I've spent today thinking about this. But for as long as reactionaries continue to use HN to launder their reputations, I'll continue to be the annoying commenter who points them out. I'm sorry if you think that's inappropriate.
That's... bad, and also totally orthogonal to the linked blog post?
Should we not be using RSS to replace social media because the person saying so might be a racist? Should racists be silenced when talking about other things?
> That's... bad, and also totally orthogonal to the linked blog post?
The linked blog post is the kind of informational pablum that anybody with a handful of years of programming or IT experience could write.
That's what Luke Smith specializes in: milquetoast technological advice wrapped in a veneer of alt-right language designed to titillate his audience. I see no reason why we should give him center stage in our attentions when plenty of other, better, and more qualified people can talk cogently about the same topics.
That guy knows exactly what he’s doing. He’s hoping that more of the hivemind jumps on Luke and tries to further punish him for his dissent from the global technocracy.
Comply or face the consequences. No doubt that guy believes he’s a true individual lol.
I'm not particularly old, but I am old enough to remember when it was possible for someone to be Unpopular On The Internet (for good or bad reasons) without it being a matter of grave political importance ("hivemind", "punish", "dissent").
In other words: you're overplaying your hand. If you like what Luke has to say, just say that. Behaving as if my dislike somehow amounts to oppression is childish.
[1]: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2eYFnH61tmytImy1mTYvhA