For me it’s because I didn’t know about the tweet, and I assume it simply isn’t that well known of a tweet. Why would it be, as a joke made in poor taste 6 years ago. However, the comment is written as if everyone implicitly knows about it. This to me is disingenuous. It may seem less vain to phrase it like that, but it feels more scummy. I assume the reason why is because the alternative would be going mask-off and admitting that the intent is to raise awareness of some stupid off-hand remark from 6 years ago, which I suspect wouldn’t land well on HN.

Could be wrong! But that was how I felt reading through this.

Do I defend the remark in question? No. But at least people should cut the shit and admit that saying something horribly inappropriate once in a while isn’t actually that weird. Funny how we all have people we know that have done this, often people like our close family members, then act like it’s the end of the world when someone moderately popular does it.

Let’s be realistic: nobody should care about this tweet. If it stops them from getting a job six years down the road, I would find that immensely more fucked up than the inappropriate joke itself. If Ken Jennings is actually a terrible person, it would probably manifest in more ways.

edit: Not that anyone thinks it would, but my opinion on this is not going to change due to a low score, so if you are stopping by to leave a vote please consider commenting to explain why you disagree. Otherwise, I am left puzzled.