[Udo]

Could you elaborate on what you mean by "ability to sound like a douche" or is that just a random personal attack?

When I think about high-karma HN users with douchy tendencies edw519 is not someone who comes to mind. I mean, in any account exceeding a couple of hundred posts it's probably easy to find some less than stellar content, but I don't remember edw519 ever making a post as low as you just did.

[DigitalJack]

Crap, sorry about the down vote. I fat fingered my phone.

[VladRussian2]

>edw519 ever making a post as low as you just did.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4529609

[Udo]

At least quote me less misleadingly: "I don't remember edw519 ever making a post as low as you just did." - and it looks like you had to dig pretty deep to find something to make your counterpoint, too.

And the post itself? Even if we're retroactively judging someone for voicing a less than flattering opinion about a person who is by now dead, it's not nearly as low as this ad hominem attack above. Is that the worst you could find after putting in the energy to research that guy's content a year back? I probably said worse things this month, and most likely so did you.

I already speculated how we all made some comments that we're probably not proud of, so I'm really not getting what your point is.

[VladRussian2]

>after putting in the energy to research that guy's content a year back?

this statement and your whole post is just brain fart - i.e. outlandish conclusion made without knowing any facts or even basic understanding of context.

The HN community response to Aaron's cry for help was spearheaded by the above mentioned top-voted comment and was basically a prudish guilty verdict from a jury of his peers. It has prominent place in the history and is known outside of this echo-chamber, so no need for the "research".

[Udo]

Dial down the bile, Vlad. You're right, I didn't know the context of that post. Still, that doesn't neutralize my argument - we all have skeletons in the closet. Just because someone made a wrong call some time ago doesn't make it OK to engage in unqualified personal attacks, especially not if they've been a good community member otherwise.

I know, it's not fashionable to acknowledge the importance of civility, but I for one do believe it's a key factor in keeping a community productive and worthwhile. It's hard to believe that rjh29 would have engaged in that level of vitriol face to face, just as it is hard to imagine you dismissing my entire line of reasoning by selectively declaring one argument a brain fart if we had just met at the pub for a beer.

It's sometimes easy to forget there are real people on the other side of that screen and we didn't all come here just to have anonymous fights.

[tinco]

It wasn't a prudish guilty verdict. It was a reasonable response from the community, given the circumstances and the knowledge of the case at that time.

I don't think at all voicing your reasonable opinion on a public forum counts at all as a douche move. Not if it later turns out this opinion missed crucial information about the mental state and fragile support framework of Aaron. And especially not if that opinion was obviously shared by many members of said forum.

Claiming Edward spearheaded a negative community response to a desperate cry for help of a dying man is ludicrous. And I think you should apologize for insinuating that, as I am sure expressing these thoughts puts significant torment on Edward.

[VladRussian2]

>Not if it later turns out this opinion missed crucial information about the mental state and fragile support framework of Aaron

it is not about "later" and specific Aaron's mental state. It is about very specific pattern of "holier than thou" types making up and leading the approving crowd throwing rotten tomatoes and kicking a witch being drawn toward the prepared stake, an "enemy of the people" being shot or sent to Gulag, a school teacher being sent to reeducation camp, a blacklisted for "unamerican activities" actor being denied a job, and yes, a young prodigy whose life being crushed and flushed down the drain for a Prometheus like action.

>Claiming Edward spearheaded a negative community response to a desperate cry for help of a dying man is ludicrous. And I think you should apologize for insinuating that

ok, i've just checked my English through Webster

spearhead:

2: a leading element, force, or influence in an undertaking or development

you don't think his opinion was a leading element and influence in that community response ? Ok. That just my opinion against yours. Lets look what other people are saying:

http://techcrunch.com/2013/01/14/aaron-swartz-asking-for-hel...

Surprise! they cite the same comment.

>as I am sure expressing these thoughts puts significant torment on Edward.

have you read the top voted comment on this page we right now at? Sounds like that of a tormented man?

[tinco]

>it is not about "later" and specific Aaron's mental state. >It is about very specific pattern of "holier than thou" >types making up and leading the approving crowd throwing >rotten tomatoes and kicking a witch being drawn toward the >prepared stake, an "enemy of the people" being shot or >sent to Gulag, a school teacher being sent to reeducation >camp, a blacklisted for "unamerican activities" actor >being denied a job, and yes, a young prodigy whose life >being crushed and flushed down the drain for a Prometheus >like action.

Have you even read what Edward said in that comment? No such things were insinuated. He just voices his opinion on the way Edward was raising money. It's not that radical to think Aaron's action were a bit reckless!

>Surprise! they cite the same comment. Yes.. that article was written after Aaron had already passed, and nowhere says anything about wether the comment leaded a community response. It is just an example of a community response. >Sounds like that of a tormented man? Everyone has his demons, I think if people stop blaming him for stuff he didn't do in threads that are completely unrelated, he would feel a bit better after making a nice contribution to our community like that top voted comment.

Oh and I still think you should apologize.