While it doesn't apply to shell prompts, there are such things as cultural memory and institutional memory. As a member of a group or society, you are expected to have a certain baseline amount of knowledge of that culture and history.
When I was young, it was considered shameful not to know things. Now the people I work with seem to wear ignorance as a badge of pride. They think that not knowing something means that thing is not worth knowing. As if somehow not knowing something is a good thing.
> Now the people I work with seem to wear ignorance as a badge of pride. They think that not knowing something means that thing is not worth knowing. As if somehow not knowing something is a good thing.
That may be the case, due to attitudes encouraged by pop culture, etc. but it's a disastrously incorrect understanding of the comic (and parent comment). They're celebrating learning, which is the exact opposite of 'wearing ignorance as a badge of pride'.
> When I was young, it was considered shameful not to know things.
Shaming something discourages people from admitting it. A child who's ashamed to ask questions will not learn as effectively. They may learn to avoid admitting their ignorance, but that may cause problems later (struggling alone rather than asking for help, possibly leading to damage or injury, etc.).
> there are such things as cultural memory and institutional memory. As a member of a group or society, you are expected to have a certain baseline amount of knowledge of that culture and history.
How do you think the members of those groups have that knowledge? We have not (yet) evolved a genetic predisposition to grow, in utero, neuronal bundles encoding Unix shell prompt escape sequences. That's the point; everyone has all need to learn!
Still, it's better to air and discuss such takeaways!
There’s a huge gulf between admitting you don’t know something, and being proud of it.
Suggesting it was ever, or should be, somehow “shameful” to admit not knowing something, is an enemy of change and growth, and in everyday life becomes a recipe for perpetuating structural in-groups and all the systemic pathologies that go along with them.
I am also grumpy old fart but I was raised in an engineering culture that was not afraid to ask “what’s a spline?”, and I don’t regret it.
Welcome to the world of the Cult of Abstraction. I've never understood the fascination with not knowing what lurks beneath... I've just kind of grown used to it though, and have gotten used to solving the problems everyone else throws their hands in the air over for not knowing how to get deeper.
I mean, I get it in some cases; you don't need to know how things work to use them, but when things go wrong, and they always do, that's when knowing how it works (and not just how to use it) pays off.
Plus, you can articulate questions about things you don't know more effectively.
I want to curmudgeonly respond that you’re selling people short. But honestly I’m gonna repeat the theme of the comic.
You’re today’s lucky one, you get to learn something new! People shelter themselves with the familiar all the time. You have too! You started your explanation of your perspective with “when I was young”, and that’s obviously something you’ve held onto.
I’m gonna make your day. Did you know that people, in your life or waiting in the wings, are gonna be grateful for the things you can show them? The only thing you need to do is be just thrilled to introduce it, whatever it is, even if they don’t have the thrill yet.
You just gotta get enough in tune emotionally to know what they’re gonna want to know and how to tell them. That’s a fun new exploration all for you.
>As a member of a group or society, you are expected to have a certain baseline amount of knowledge of that culture and history.
How is it possible to become a member of the group or society except by hanging out with existing members and learning from them?
>Now the people I work with seem to wear ignorance as a badge of pride. They think that not knowing something means that thing is not worth knowing. As if somehow not knowing something is a good thing.
That comic is saying almost the opposite of that. The comic says that gaining knowledge is a good thing and should be celebrated.
While it doesn't apply to shell prompts, there are such things as cultural memory and institutional memory. As a member of a group or society, you are expected to have a certain baseline amount of knowledge of that culture and history.
When I was young, it was considered shameful not to know things. Now the people I work with seem to wear ignorance as a badge of pride. They think that not knowing something means that thing is not worth knowing. As if somehow not knowing something is a good thing.