Why? I’m unable to have children. I would trade places in a heartbeat, no matter how bad the rest of my trade partner’s life might be. You don’t think a family is something worth appreciating?
It's condescending because you are implying they have defective reasoning, or are ungrateful, or unaware of what to be appreciative of in life when you literally know nothing more than what's written in their comment. No idea of their situation but enough to assume they need to "learn" appreciation somehow. The lack of any other reflection or empathy shows it's not a sincere attempt to connect.
It's pointless because as your reply shows, you are projecting your issues into someone else's life by giving them faux concern and advice, instead of sharing to empathize and giving practical advice from experience.
This would be an example response to your grief, in your style:
"You're able to write a comment on HN. You're lucky. I hope you learn to appreciate that.
Why? I lost function in my hands. I would trade places in a heartbeat, no matter how bad the rest of my trade partner’s life might be. You don’t think a functioning body is something worth appreciating?"
We could go on forever like this, rationalizing everything away, when people are simply expressing how they feel. Actually it might be slightly damaging more than pointless, everybody loses when comments are like this.
What a condescending and pointless thing to say.
Why? I’m unable to have children. I would trade places in a heartbeat, no matter how bad the rest of my trade partner’s life might be. You don’t think a family is something worth appreciating?
> I hope you learn to appreciate that
It's condescending because you are implying they have defective reasoning, or are ungrateful, or unaware of what to be appreciative of in life when you literally know nothing more than what's written in their comment. No idea of their situation but enough to assume they need to "learn" appreciation somehow. The lack of any other reflection or empathy shows it's not a sincere attempt to connect.
It's pointless because as your reply shows, you are projecting your issues into someone else's life by giving them faux concern and advice, instead of sharing to empathize and giving practical advice from experience.
This would be an example response to your grief, in your style:
"You're able to write a comment on HN. You're lucky. I hope you learn to appreciate that.
Why? I lost function in my hands. I would trade places in a heartbeat, no matter how bad the rest of my trade partner’s life might be. You don’t think a functioning body is something worth appreciating?"
We could go on forever like this, rationalizing everything away, when people are simply expressing how they feel. Actually it might be slightly damaging more than pointless, everybody loses when comments are like this.