Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by shakow 635 days ago
That's why GP used brackets to denote the adaptation of the quote by changin the first name.
1 comments

That's not how I read it. Often square braces are used to denote a -- factual -- addition to a quote, in order to add information that would otherwise make the quote incomplete or confusing to the reader. Square braces around "Megan" doesn't mean "it was actually someone else and I'm taking creative license with the quote".
True, but they did link to the exact timestamp of the original quote, so it's not like they were hiding anything. The only people apt to be tricked are people who make firm conclusions without checking the sources first.
You don't need to form firm conclusions about anything to get tricked by an internet comment. Pretty much everyone reading this would get the wrong idea about the quote. No one is going to the source and forming "firm conclusions" for some random quote.
To be candid, I couldn't think of a polite way to say you'd have to be credulous to believe that's what the quote was about, and irresponsible not to double-check before posting about it.
My point is, it's a random internet quote. You don't have to be "credulous" or "irresponsible" to believe it because no one with a life is going to check sources for such a minor thing. You just believe it to some degree and go on with your life because it has basically no effect on your life whatsoever. You probably won't even remember reading the quote in a few hours, so who cares about "sources" lol. I swear some people are way too online and take the internet way too seriously.
If I didn't know the original quote I would have thought the same. It would be clearer to use L̶A̶R̶R̶Y̶ Megan Ellison