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Comment by altruios | Hacker News Reader

I agree that all of these are dark patterns that have been folded into most websites.

We should not implement these patterns, or allow them to be implemented unchallenged.

I think I would find it hard to stomach implementing many commonly seen dark patterns in software. But someone must be implementing them.

Plenty of people work in weapon manufacturing or other jobs that bring way more harm to people than a website popup.

whataboutism, in display. Off topic comment that will derail conversation.

That's not really whataboutism. They're not justifying it, they're supplementing the relevant point by saying development in areas of moral controversy are quite common even in more controversial areas.

How does irrelevant information supplement the point? It's only a distraction.

Your interpretation of their post seems quite generous. They made a single statement, and didn't back it up with anything like what you are saying they did.

So it really is a whataboutism: "Whataboutism is a rhetorical tactic that attempts to deflect criticism or avoid addressing a point by responding with a counter-accusation or question about someone else or something else, often unrelated to the original issue".

"Weapons manufacturing" has nothing to do with "website creation". It is a whataboutism.

That your thing is bad and should be opposed doesn’t mean another thing is also bad and ought be opposed

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