That's what happens when you speak your mind and do your research: The pitchforks come out. Don't disagree, don't judge, and for the sake of all that's right on the internet, don't offer advice when it's clearly needed.
Perhaps leaving HN for a while would help many of us. Step back, smell the flowers, save the rest of us some of the internet rancor that shouldn't even show up here.
newbie12's made very insightful and somewhat unexpected observation. I personally value such observations a lot.
Even if newbie12 is wrong about his insight and recommendation - I still enjoy reading it. And if newbie12 made that recommendation to me personally - I would appreciate such recommendation even more.
Now compare newbie12's comment with your own: your comment is rude, provides zero insight, and attempts to silence newbie12 for all the wrong reasons.
Sorry. I think I need a break from HN. Trying to be the savior of the tech industry is an exhausting job, and that was a case where my anger spilled over inappropriately.
> South Texas (Rio Grande Valley)
Yes, wondering how he knew that confused me enough to pull up his comment history.
But to be fair, I don't think everyone reacts as negatively to this type of criticism as you do. At least, I don't immediately think of it as moralizing and unnecessary. If I was in the situation of the OP, having someone reply harshly would probably inspire me to get things together. But then again, I'm not sure most people are this way.
Point. I also tend to defend others more ferociously than I defend myself. I've been taken farther into the public than I'd prefer and I don't feel a need to hide that I've made bad decisions (mostly, a few terrible picks regarding companies) in the past.
I agree that unless he's in dire circumstances, he should pay off the ticket. And yes, a credit score in the 400s is pretty awful. From a strategic perspective, he should do it in order to have one less thing to worry about. However, I don't know the OP and have no idea what his financial constraints are. I do know that life is very (and unfairly) difficult for some people, and moralizing as if it were all their fault is ridiculous.