Is it really this hard to understand the issue here? How long have we spent collectively explaining very basic functionality of systems to the elderly, to our parents, friends, etc?

Not hard to see why something like this would create unintended consequences of an important nature: https://twitter.com/waxpancake/status/715752594551869440

Probably if it causes you to lose your job, yes.

It's like people who explain away their assholish behaviour by saying "it was just a joke, lighten up".

There is no way anybody loses his jobs because of this. How hard is it to link one of the million articles about this to whoever you sent that email too? It's not ideal but pretending that it'll have drastic consequences is ridiculous and completely destroy whatever point these people want to make.

Jesus, have some empathy.

This doesn't upset me. This doesn't upset you. This doesn't upset hundreds of thousands of people and as unfunny as this is, I'm sure many are laughing about it.

However, it can upset some people. Some people who would mistakenly click the button because, god forbid, they forgot not to use the internet at all on April 1st, and that mistake would appear in an extremely important conversation.

And that mistake would appear during career discussions. And that mistake would get someone not hired, or fired, or whatever.

You guys want to complain, talk about how they should "look harder", how they should "take responsibility" and "own up to their mistakes", how they should "be happy not to work somewhere people are so uptight"? Have some fucking empathy.

I'd wager the majority of HN is well off, or well off enough that they don't have to worry about the rent or their water bill. But I'd like to see some of the people here struggling to make ends meet. Maybe you won't be so sociopathic about the potential for serious harm.

This thread makes me sick.

But you _are_ upset at the _idea_ of people potentially being upset by it. This thread makes you sick. Are you suggesting it's classist to observe the prank as harmless?

I understand where you're coming from, and I understand how someone may have clicked it by accident. I am struggling to empathize with the recipient who would see this, and a follow-up email explaining it was a mistake, and let that affect them.

The prank doesn't upset me. Where did I suggest that the thread doesn't upset me? Damn right the thread upsets me. People are downvoting left and right those that dare to suggest jobs are not a commodity you can just throw away and replace a week later. Not for everyone.

And no, there's no classism at play. It's purely and simply a lack of empathy. A lack of understanding of what it's like to be in a situation where losing your job may cost you your home, your children or even your life.

> I am struggling to empathize with the recipient who would see this

Then don't empathize with the recipient. Plenty of bosses are jerks. But empathize with the sender, who would lose a job they cared about and can't necessarily get a new one like they grow on trees.

> Have some fucking empathy.

Shouldn't you also ask for empathy in people who are upset by it? They seem to have the least empathy of everybody, if they are going to fire somebody over animated GIF.

Who says I'm not?

I haven't seen any of those people here on HN. Not today, at least. So I can't actually tell them. Show me someone and I'll be glad to have a chat...

I am merely pointing out that it's a little unfair, or perhaps absurd, if a person who points out a lack of empathy in other people (people who get upset at those GIFs to the point of hurting someone) gets blamed - by you - for a lack of empathy with their victims.

Unfortunately, people like that probably won't come to HN and leave comment - cool, I just fired someone over it! But they absolutely should get the blame.