HN tells personal stories all the time. I think they just wanted to tell a little joke about how suspicious the word "PlayDate" sounds out of context. I don't think it's so egregious to warrant the 3rd degree.
If anything, the overscrutinizing on an innocent story feels more reddit-esque to me.
I found it cute. I'm sorry some people are so cynical.
I put it as simple as this: what is the maximum harm I have for believing this story vs just chucking and moving on? I see zero risk so trying to join this odd callout fake culture is more disruptive than leaving it be.
If anything, the overscrutinizing on an innocent story feels more reddit-esque to me.