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Comment by axaxs | Hacker News Reader

For anyone just skimming comments - this is a very well written, well researched, thoughtful, and objective piece. That's pretty rare in today's climate. Definitely worth the read.

It's the first time I can remember signing up for a newsletter voluntarily, despite my general distaste for those types of popovers.

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The introduction's tacky and condescending tone lost me. Does it get better?

I didn't like the intro either. The rest of the article is much better.

Came here to say this. The intro seemed to think it was much more clever than it really is. It's very easy to pick descriptive language vague enough that it applies to multiple subjects. I had to stop reading after that.

I think it does. The ending is the most interesting part, so perhaps browse there?

It gets better

"condescending"? Was there a particular passage which you feel had the 'superior talking down to inferior' characteristic?

Dialectical arguments tend to long, boring, and esoterical. I found the intro a mix of jocular and dialectical, which for me turned out to be the payoff for some of the article's repetitiveness.

Yes.

Same here, I ducked out. The title as well.

If you like this article, I recommend the Martin Gurri book that is frequently chief in the article: "The Revolt of the Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium". This article reads largely like a summary of that book. You'll also enjoy his blog https://thefifthwave.wordpress.com/

thanks for that. Marc Andreessen did a thread on this with some highlights that make me want to read it https://twitter.com/pmarca/status/1015665031474606081

Thank you, I will check them out!

Damn. This is the most coherent discussion of the Internet's impact that I've ever seen. Yes, it's a little smug. And it's long. But it's well worth the read.

And hey, it's kept me from commenting for several hours, as I've read it in breaks from work.

Indeed, very insightful. I myself is of similar opinion. The West is undeniably having a societal crisis now, regardless of what digits say about its economic wellbeing.

The West these days reminds me of USSR in the eighties.

Now that you mention it, it does. Perhaps sadly enough.

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