Hacker News with Generative AI: Social Commentary

Reading RSS content is a skilled activity (doliver.org)
Shit's gotten weird out there. The internet has devolved from something that was mostly quirky and altruistic to something that, in many ways, is straight-up evil.
Internet Culture, Social Commentary, Technology
29 points by d0liver 5 hours ago | 6 comments
I made a college punching bag for rejected highschoolers (plor.ing)
Humor, Social Commentary, Education
54 points by skillseeddev 14 hours ago | 29 comments
Careless People (pluralistic.net)
Careless People, Social Commentary, Essays
980 points by Aldipower 2 days ago | 524 comments
The Dangerous Ideas of "Longtermism" and "Existential Risk" (currentaffairs.org)
So-called rationalists have created a disturbing secular religion that looks like it addresses humanity’s deepest problems, but actually justifies pursuing the social preferences of elites.
Philosophy, Social Commentary, Ethics, Artificial Intelligence
15 points by amarcheschi 4 days ago | 21 comments
Bad trip coming for AI hype as humanity tools up to fight back (theregister.com)
Opinion 6:56 PM. April 11, 2025. Write it down. That's the precise moment the tech-bro-niverse imploded due to the gravitational force of irony at its core. That was the moment Jack Dorsey posted "Delete all IP law" on X. A little later, Elon Musk added his approval with "I agree."
Artificial Intelligence, Technology, Social Commentary, Opinion
13 points by rntn 4 days ago | 0 comments
PaulG on building the infrastructure of the police state (twitter.com)
Something went wrong, but don’t fret — let’s give it another shot.
Police State, Surveillance, Technology, Social Commentary
39 points by pmcjones 4 days ago | 26 comments
The World Is Ending. Welcome to the Spooner Revolution (aethn.com)
The world is ending.
Artificial Intelligence, Social Commentary, Satire
18 points by ethn 5 days ago | 34 comments
There Are Many Threats to Humanity. A Low Birth Rate Isn't One of Them (currentaffairs.org)
Commentators across the political spectrum claim that humanity faces imminent collapse due to a “fertility crisis.” Is this mass delusion or cynical propaganda?
Demographics, Population, Propaganda, Social Commentary, Politics
47 points by cwwc 5 days ago | 32 comments
Resistance from the Tech Sector (drewdevault.com)
As of late, most of us have been reading the news with a sense of anxious trepidation. At least, those of us who read from a position of relative comfort and privilege. Many more read the news with fear. Some of us are already no longer in a position to read the news at all, having become the unfortunate subjects of the news. Fascism is on the rise worldwide and in the United States the news is particularly alarming.
Politics, Technology, Social Commentary
14 points by Tomte 6 days ago | 1 comments
Librarians are dangerous (bradmontague.substack.com)
Dear Enthusiasts,
Libraries, Opinion, Social Commentary
692 points by mooreds 7 days ago | 644 comments
The Next Terrorist Attack (snyder.substack.com)
Thirty years ago today, I was driving a moving van across the country, from the west coast to the east. The hold was packed well; the ride was wobbly, and I kept the heavy vehicle between the lines, mile after mile. Driving carefully, I was surprised to be stopped by state troopers.
Terrorism, Security, Social Commentary
11 points by defrost 7 days ago | 0 comments
Disruptors Don't Obey in Advance (mattruby.substack.com)
“Do not obey in advance. Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want, and then offer themselves without being asked. A citizen who adapts in this way is teaching power what it can do.”-Timothy Snyder in On Tyranny
Politics, Authoritarianism, History, Social Commentary
4 points by rubymatt 9 days ago | 0 comments
Why drinking coffee in Iran has become so complicated (adelbordbari.github.io)
It all started with a sarcastic jab in a chat: “You shouldn’t be more Catholic than the Pope. You go to order a coffee, and the guy’s like, ‘From Kenyan farms or Brazil?’ It’s like going to Italy for ghormeh sabzi, and they ask if you want the herbs from Bostanabad or Tuyserkan. Come on—just give us an espresso so we can move on with our lives :))”
Iran, Culture, Coffee, Social Commentary
137 points by imnitwit 10 days ago | 147 comments
Delete All IP Law (twitter.com)
Something went wrong, but don’t fret — let’s give it another shot.
Intellectual Property, Law, Social Commentary
9 points by bookofjoe 12 days ago | 8 comments
Regime Change in the West (lrb.co.uk)
Aquarter​ of the way through this century, regime change has become a canonical term.
Politics, History, Social Commentary
54 points by PaulHoule 12 days ago | 30 comments
South Korea Is over [video] (youtube.com)
South Korea, Video, Social Commentary
30 points by daverol 12 days ago | 29 comments
Crashing the Car of Pax Americana (epsilontheory.com)
“Can I confess something? I tell you this as an artist, I think you’ll understand. Sometimes when I’m driving… On the road at night… I see two headlights coming toward me. Fast. I have this sudden impulse to turn the wheel quickly, head-on into the oncoming car. I can anticipate the explosion. The sound of shattering glass. The flames rising out of the flowing gasoline.”
Politics, Social Commentary, Art
9 points by Ozarkian 17 days ago | 5 comments
Crashing the Car of Pax Americana (epsilontheory.com)
“Can I confess something? I tell you this as an artist, I think you’ll understand. Sometimes when I’m driving… On the road at night… I see two headlights coming toward me. Fast. I have this sudden impulse to turn the wheel quickly, head-on into the oncoming car. I can anticipate the explosion. The sound of shattering glass. The flames rising out of the flowing gasoline.”
Politics, Psychology, Social Commentary
4 points by TheAlchemist 17 days ago | 0 comments
Silicon Valley 'nepo baby' publishes scathing first novel about growing up rich (sfstandard.com)
In his debut book, Daniel Breyer, son of billionaire VC Jim Breyer, skewers the world of wealth and privilege he grew up in.
Silicon Valley, Social Commentary, Wealth, Family, Literature
23 points by CalChris 18 days ago | 15 comments
Dark Mirror Ideologies (fortressofdoors.com)
There's a phenomenon I call a "Dark Mirror" ideology. Such an ideology is by definition paired with a "Light Mirror" ideology that it stands in opposition to.
Ideology, Philosophy, Social Commentary
75 points by surprisetalk 19 days ago | 90 comments
Are people bad at their jobs or are the jobs just bad? (annehelen.substack.com)
A Bed Assembly Drama
Work, Job Satisfaction, Social Commentary
289 points by moonka 23 days ago | 309 comments
GPT-4o draws itself as a consistent type of guy (danielpaleka.com)
When asked to draw itself as a person, the ChatGPT Create Image feature introduced on March 25, 2025, consistently portrays itself as a white male in his 20s with brown hair, often sporting facial hair and glasses.
Generative AI, Artificial Intelligence, Social Commentary
21 points by dpaleka 26 days ago | 9 comments
Rust is indeed woke (dreamwidth.org)
Hello, you've been (semi-randomly) selected to take a CAPTCHA to validate your requests. Please complete it below and hit the button!
Programming Languages, Opinion, Social Commentary
17 points by pabs3 28 days ago | 2 comments
Abundance isn't going to happen unless politicians are scared of the status quo (yimbyaction.org)
“Too many goods created a bad.”
Politics, Economics, Social Commentary
342 points by viajante1882 29 days ago | 512 comments
Is Your Son a Computer Hacker? (2001) (gwern.net)
As an enlightened, modern parent, I try to be as involved as possible in the lives of my six children. I encourage them to join team sports. I attend their teen parties with them to ensure no drinking or alcohol is on the premises. I keep a fatherly eye on the CDs they listen to and the shows they watch, the company they keep and the books they read. You could say I'm a model parent.
Parenting, Technology, Social Commentary
3 points by JPLeRouzic 30 days ago | 3 comments
The mana of digging a grave (2024) (thespinoff.co.nz)
On learning an underappreciated but vitally important skill.
Life Skills, Social Commentary, New Zealand
6 points by NaOH 35 days ago | 1 comments
Non-Consensual Consent: The Performance of Choice in a Coercive World (qualiaadvocate.substack.com)
Consider the following scenario: You're sitting in a job interview for a position you desperately need to pay rent. The interviewer asks, "Why are you passionate about working in insurance claims processing?" Despite feeling nothing resembling passion, you fabricate enthusiasm, carefully crafting a narrative about your deep interest in risk assessment and customer service.
Ethics, Social Commentary, Power Dynamics, Coercion
21 points by QualiaAdvocate 36 days ago | 7 comments
The School Car Pickup Line Is a National Embarrassment (collegetowns.substack.com)
The school car pickup line is a national embarrassment.
Parenting, Education, Social Commentary
265 points by trevin 42 days ago | 377 comments
You are witnessing the death of American capitalism (YouTube) (youtube.com)
Economics, Social Commentary, United States
17 points by nickcotter 47 days ago | 6 comments
AI is becoming 'yes-men on servers' (twitter.com)
Something went wrong, but don’t fret — let’s give it another shot.
Artificial Intelligence, Social Commentary, Technology
94 points by marban 47 days ago | 6 comments