[npsimons]

1) Some news is important, purely for social (not informational) reasons. When you show up to the office, you want to know why everyone's talking about Miley Cyrus! And you need to know who won the Superbowl, even if you have no interest.

No, just no. Maybe I'll sound like a curmudgeon, but that information is totally worthless, and for people like me, is exactly the kind of thing that makes me depressed. "Oh, hey, some random sports team recreated a pointless tribal warfare act! NSA? Who cares what they do, I've got nothing to hide." There are more important, more culturally relevant things to discuss, and one should not stoop to ignore them merely to "fit in." One should try to elevate discourse by ignoring the shallow, vapid happenings that happen to be in vogue (precisely what this article describes as being wrong with "news"!) and help to enlighten those around oneself.

[eludwig]

Not picking on you in particular, but you are what you eat. Who is to say that people shouldn't eat what they want to eat, unless it is some part of you? Isn't it their responsibility to consume what they like?

Eating sweets makes people fat. You can eat what you want and live with the consequences, just the same as everyone else.

[dinkumthinkum]

Recreated a pointless warfare act ... Man HN has a strong connection to the real world!

[haukilup]

You are able to make the same point you are trying to make without over-generalizing.