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Comment by Mz | Hacker News Reader

If you didn't intend to challenge the parent, it would have worked better to post it as a separate comment on its own, not a reply quoting the above.

So far, I have been unable to open the article in question. I did downvote you, in part because I am homeless, so I see your remark as very problematic on a number of fronts, including the fact that the poorest people do not have a home to stay in. So while you scathingly dismiss the suppression of the poor, you simultaneously deny the very existence of the poorest of the poor in a manner that makes it incredibly hard to criticize or push back against.

That is being shared in hopes it helps you improve your participation here, not to give you hell about anything.

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I'm 99.99% sure his last remark about poor persons was intended sarcastically.

So am I.

Then I really don't understand why you downvoted me.

(BTW, if you really think that I'm denying the existence of the poorest of the poor then you should look at this: http://graceofgodmovie.com. I'm the filmmaker.)

sarcasm + truth = downvotes

You know, some years ago, I was friends with a young transexual. The friendship ended bitterly and I want nothing to do with them ever again, but I did learn that this person experienced it as incredibly problematic that conversation routinely defaults to an assumption of "people are either male or female." I don't always get it right, but I do make an effort to use language that implicitly allows for other possibilities, such as a phrase like "whatever your gender" instead of a phrase like "regardless of whether you are male or female."

Similarly, you could have made the same sarcastic point in a way that did not essentially collude with the position you were criticizing by saying something like "Poor people should be invisible" instead of "should stay at home." If you wish to be a genuine advocate for homeless people, instead of getting on your high horse with me -- someone who has self identified as homeless -- in order to defend your ego, you could have apologized or commented that "I hadn't thought of it that way" or any number of other things that would be genuinely understanding, compassionate and respectful instead of worrying so much about your ego and self interest.

If there is some means where I can get a free copy of your movie downloaded to my android tablet, I would be happy to try to watch it some time.

Take care.

Well, OK, I'm sorry if the way I chose to phrase my comment offended you. That was certainly not my intent.

> If there is some means where I can get a free copy of your movie downloaded to my android tablet, I would be happy to try to watch it some time.

Let me see what I can do.

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