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> Just get a job and make friends and have a life.

That really is a narrow, normie view. Obviously it didn't work out for you but for others (and I'd put myself in the category) stars can be very meaningful, especially for work which you're proud of. In a small way you're being judged by people who understand, or at least use, what you've created and that can be more rewarding than other work, money or social interactions.

(Also, I'd rather kill myself than get a job and friends are generally not that stimulating)



Its funny since I find this comment to be the most normie way of living ever, being under the boot of people who don't give a shit about you.


Wow! Where did that come from? Especially the boot. Living life however you feel regardless of societal norms seems to be the opposite of living under a boot, doesn't it?

And who are these people exactly? It really does sound like you're projecting there.


Please don't joke about suicide.


What makes you think I'm joking?

Please try to read comments in good faith.


Reading the GP in good faith makes it obvious that you should substitute: don't talk lightly about suicide.

Also, it's an indication that you may need help. In that case, try calling a suicide help line.


I'm talking about how I genuinely feel, I don't need to censor it. Not talking about these issues is the problem.

I'm perfectly fine as long as I don't do things that make me extremely unhappy. I think that's true for most people. But thanks for your concern.


I understand the benefit of being talked out of ending a bad week early, but fundamentally we as a society do not care about suicide or people's lives as much as we pretend to, and to me this is very sad.

I wish more could be done.


That's absolutely true but I'd widen it to people with mental illness generally.


Are you Gen-Z? One of my observations is that people born in since the late 90's have known social media and metrics like Likes and Hearts since their teens. I wonder how damaged many of them are.

It's not to say that me, someone just born after the Gen-X era's declared end, isn't? also addicted to these numbers.


You're reading way too much into what I wrote. I'm certainly not addicted to numbers or social media. I don't participate in the latter really (yet here I am!) and I generally don't care what people think. I don't have any projects or stars on github and I'm not seeking them.

I was just expressing an alternative to view that seem to dismiss nerdy people who derive pleasure and satisfaction from github and a fairly smug sounding "be normal."

I'm early Gex X FWIW.


Being exposed to these things from an early age means they form a part of your early philosophy. Notably, they're around and salient during the “cynical about everything” phase that lots of teenagers go through. It might not have as big of an impact as all that.


Wow. That's a mind blown for me. I've never thought of that, but you're right. When my kids watch a YouTube video, the first thing they talk about is how many views, subscribers.


You might ask them why, because views and subscribers are interesting metrics.

I always pay attention to them because they reflect how the general public respond to different things. So they might be thinking "wow this is so stupid but it's got so many views!"


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDH_o8RqR0Y&t=1015s

This guy is in the middle of Nowhere, Siberia and even the kids there care about his number of subscribers...


haha yeah that's nuts. It's funny because my kids don't watch tv or movies, and so they wouldn't know a single Hollywood celebrity, but thinking now, I guess their way of judging if someone is a YouTube "celebrity" is by subscribers alone.

... thinking now, why should Hollywood > YouTube given that the content they consume is more localised. Maybe it's me who's wrong!


> That really is a narrow, normie view.

What does “normie” mean in this context? Is it the new “square”?


I'm going to say it's used in the "derogatory shorthand for everyone who isn't like me" sense.


I meant it to mean someone who raises being "normal" above other lifestyles.


Yes


It's hip to be square!




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