Unprofessionalism (2013)
Allen Pike reflects on the backlash from his DJ app's feature against Nickelback songs, discussing the balance between professionalism and authenticity. He offers strategies for coping with criticism and encourages embracing one's humanity.
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Allen Pike discusses the distinction between acting professionally and being a professional, reflecting on the backlash received from a feature in his DJ app, Party Monster, which included a default setting to refuse playback of Nickelback songs. While the feature garnered positive reviews for its humor, it also attracted criticism from users who felt it limited their choices. Pike emphasizes that human behaviors such as honesty, humor, and emotional expression can provoke mixed reactions, especially as one's audience grows. He notes that individuals with a broad range of interests may face backlash from segments of their audience who are not interested in all topics they discuss. To cope with criticism, Pike outlines three strategies: developing a thick skin to filter feedback, adopting a split personality to separate professional and personal expressions, and reclusion to withdraw from public scrutiny when overwhelmed. He advocates for embracing one's humanity alongside professionalism, suggesting that being authentic can lead to richer feedback, both positive and negative. Ultimately, Pike encourages others to be more themselves in public, as it can enhance creativity and engagement, despite the potential for criticism.
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- Some users argue that the feature is unkind and promotes bullying against Nickelback and its fans.
- Others find humor in the feature and see it as a lighthearted joke rather than a serious issue.
- There is a discussion about the balance between professionalism and being authentic or quirky in software development.
- Several comments highlight the idea that one cannot please everyone, emphasizing the subjective nature of taste.
- Some view the feature as a professional courtesy, while others see it as unnecessary gatekeeping.
13 commentsAnd you can have a personal account where you anonymously discuss things that are important to you. Maybe some of these things will irritate some people. Most opinions that aren’t completely banal will.
And the two can never touch.
I don't care that it's "unprofessional"--I don't care about being unprofessional at all. I care about doing what's right and kind. And... this isn't kind, I think. It's just ganging up on Nickelback and their fans with everyone else in 2013 when this was written. I guess you could say this is human, but it's an example of human's worse impulses to bully, albeit a minor one, and it's not one I would want to lean into.
Unprofessionalism - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6961188 - Dec 2013 (87 comments)
Anyway, this particular example is the textbook definition of "you can't please everybody": on one hand, you'll have the usual radical relativists banging on their "de gustibus non est disputandum" drum and the "no fun allowed" corpo-drone crowd, and on the other people finding it funny and bold in today's generalized lack of risk taking.
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