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▲ ryantgtg a day ago

> much less clear

I have a background in sociology and urban planning. It's very clear that DHH is not an expert on politics. His blog posts demonstrate a very elementary understanding of the topics he covers. He doesn't even understand statistics.

▲machomaster a day ago | parent | next [-]

> I have a background in sociology and urban planning

What an interesting way to make it sound like that means anything. "Background" - how appropriately vague...

And how exactly does this make you an expert on European, and especially Danish, immigration, culture and vox populi?

▲KingMob 16 hours ago | parent [-]

People say "background" here, because the default assumption is HN readers have software expertise, but it's frequently unclear what else, if anything, they have here.

I do agree "background" is vague, but I generally assume the minimal threshold to say that is something like a previous career, undergraduate degree, or graduate degree in the background. I personally wouldn't say I had a background in something I was only an amateur enthusiast of.

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That being said, what on earth gives you the idea a substantial background in sociology WOULDN'T be relevant here?

▲machomaster 6 hours ago | parent [-]

Because I understand what sociology is and isn't, since I too have "a background" in sociology and urban development. As well as statistics, history and even futurology.

Appeal to authority is a bias for a reason. In this case it wasn't even that well executed.

A "background in software development" (an HR or a marketing girl in the website design sweatshop) does not give enough relevance and authority to speak about the technical details of Linux kernel. Vice versa.

▲throwawayfifo a day ago | parent | prev | next [-]

>His blog posts demonstrate a very elementary understanding of the topics he covers. He doesn't even understand statistics.

Examples of these claims?

▲revetkn a day ago | parent | prev [-]

Ha. I was trying to be charitable there :)

▲sejje 21 hours ago | parent [-]

My Gell-Mann moment was watching other HN users rate Gell-Mann moments while not realizing they're demonstrating it directly.

▲specialist 19 hours ago | parent [-]

That evokes the lesser known corollary:

Crichton's Law: unwittingly serving as the best example of one's own snarky law.