

Ask HN: I have to write about HN in School. What topics should I cover? - ponyous

I have to write short essay (1-3 pages) about HN for my class. I&#x27;m wondering what parts of HN should I write about?<p>Some titles&#x2F;subtitles I&#x27;m thinking about: &quot;History of HN&quot;, &quot;Introduction to HN&quot;, &quot;Who are the users?&quot;,... Can you please give me some topics I should touch in my essay?
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[http://paulgraham.com/hackernews.html](http://paulgraham.com/hackernews.html)

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keiferski
How a single news subject can cause mass hysteria and obsession, even in a
community of highly educated/successful individuals such as HN.

See: Snowden, Bitcoin, etc.

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cbhl
Are you writing an essay, or are you writing a report?

If it is the former, then "History of HN" and "Introduction to HN" would make
terrible topics for an essay.

My understanding is that most teachers look for your ability to persuade,
typically using a standard five-paragraph essay format. The key to this is
selecting a good thesis. Typically, I prefer to select a thesis that reflects
the opposite of my personal viewpoint (e.g. if I believe that students should
spend more time on Facebook, then I typically like to write essays arguing why
students should spend less time on Facebook). The reason I do this is two-
fold. First, by researching the opposing opinion, it helps me formulate how I
would actually argue against it if I ever needed to in a real-world situation.
Second, because I believe the opposite of the thesis in my essay, I'll always
remember to include remarks acknowledging the viewpoint opposite the thesis,
which makes the argument more palatable for the reader. ("Oh, hey, at least he
considered my side.")

In particular, facts make for a terrible thesis, because there's no reason to
argue the other side. A good thesis considers an issue that can be argued both
ways.

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skidoo
Well personally, I enjoy the non-industry links the most, such as curiosities
from wikipedia, youtube or elsewhere. I also appreciate the political
dialogues, such as when Snowden's press release from Hong Kong was linked here
before any real news agency picked up on it. So I think a segment spotlighting
how the datum shared here goes well and beyond tips for hacking life would be
nicely representative.

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wikwocket
One thing I find fascinating about discussion here versus many other places is
the hacker mindset that drives so many of the discussion here.

I would characterize it as a combination of nitpickiness, the need to
articulate the "Right Answer"[1], and of course a desire to show off one's
knowledge, that often results in interesting discussions full of counterpoints
and analysis, but also can lead to flame wars full of righteous fury and petty
snark.

1: e.g. [http://xkcd.com/386/](http://xkcd.com/386/)

