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Comment by bell-cot | Hacker News Reader

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bell-cot·

> ...an essential part...

Why? Which of these other jobs would you call "Activism" an essential part of:

- Fire fighter

- Elementary school teacher

- Auto mechanic

- ER nurse

- Professor of Medieval History

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- Climate change

- School shootings

- Sure, they can shut up

- COVID

- Is this one serious?

Ah I see. So you want to use "science" to push particular political remedies to your pet issues.

Oh I mean I don’t care if the teacher is for or against school shootings, I just find it interesting to have subject matter experts share their knowledge and give their opinions on things that impact their field. Some people just don’t take it well when those opinions don’t line up with their own on contentious topics.

How is it "interesting" for an elementary school teacher to be against school shootings? I'd bet I can find some carpenters who are against smashing thumbs with hammers, but why bother?

Are you calling it "Activism" when someone shares the opinion of 99.9% of the population, and spends 0 time advocating for that opinion?

Um, yes. Science is the best epistemology that humanity has discovered, best being as the most effective way to discover truth.

Auto mechanic: Consumer advocacy, business regulation, labor issues, safety, etc.

Professor of Medieval history: Lots of political discourse makes claims about history or things like "the dark ages" that turn out to be mis-interpretations or false. Note that I have a friend in that field who often writes gentle corrections to false historical claims in online discourse.

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