Are you aware that this very site is programmed in Lisp?

I can't hit reply on the top level comment anymore (it's flagged and now is 'dead'). I just wanted to say that is a text-book example case of how to tell the world "I am a dilettante in my field".

Experienced pros usually recognize when they don't know something well enough to critique it meaningfully. The harshest critics often have the least hands-on experience - while people who've actually built substantial systems in various technologies tend to be more measured in their assessments.

You can sense all of the psychological patterns in that paragraph - frustration displacement, confirmation bias, cognitive shortcuts, social signaling, Dunning-Kruger effect, etc.

I guess it's quite normal, if I start reflecting on my own history of comments on HN, Reddit and other forums, perhaps I will find a few examples from my own past of knee-jerk reactions such that comment.

We all have technologies we've formed opinions about based on limited exposure, early bad experiences, or just cultural osmosis. I bet if any of us looked back, they'd find comments where they'd be responding more to the reputation of a technology or the perceived attitudes of its community rather than deep technical experience.

The key difference is usually how the criticism is framed. Compare:

- "Lisp is impractical for real work" (broad dismissal)

- "I struggled with Lisp's syntax when I tried it briefly" (personal experience)

- "I haven't used Lisp much, but I'm curious how you handle XYZ" (honest engagement)

Forums like HN reward quick, confident takes over nuanced "it depends" responses. The incentive structure almost encourages this behavior, even from people who know better in calmer moments. As we gain experience, we often become more aware of what we don't know and more cautious about sweeping statements.