Hacker News Reader

Comment by giardini | Hacker News Reader

catiopatio says:>"I would also genuinely, deeply, and silently dislike every second of the forced interaction."<

No verbal interaction is forced, especially one initiated by a child toward an adult.

Act as you wish. Young people need to see examples of persons who are abnormal, maladjusted or even insane so that they can recognize them and learn how to deal with them in the future. Their Dad can explain that too.

View on HN

But who will explain to the young people that perhaps it is their Dad that is maladjusted or even insane? That their Dad is operating under a very silly pretense that children will be just as able and willing to politely accept social queues from adults? Or that verbal interactions with children, while not technically forced, are pretty strongly incentivized to go one particular way due to an implicit social contract? No one explains that to them in my experience. Because of that, some of those kids even grow up to write pompous, self-absorbed comments that show their lack of understanding of these dynamics, like yours, on this website.

> a very silly pretense that children will be just as able and willing to politely accept social queues from adults?

Well no, they probably wont a lot of the time. That's somewhat the point though. To learn you have to practice. To learn you have to fail.

I’m neither abnormal, maladjusted, or insane, and behaving politely towards children in such a circumstance is basic decency.

Your assumptions certainly appear to demonstrate the inappropriate views many have towards those of us who do not particularly value their company.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com