This whole thread disappeared quickly from the front page (meta-moderation?).
I, too, found the original post a little uncomfortable, but I think Sebastian's intentions, as unconsciously self-serving as they were (link-bait title plus unsolicited advice) likely fell into the blind spot commonly found in well-intentioned do-gooders.
Unsolicited advice, particularly of a personal nature (speculating about his Catholicism? Really?), is often not well-received, regardless of the proximity of the originator and target.
What I find especially interesting is that Sebastian himself was on the road to becoming an HN darling with his "How Do I Write So Much?" post receiving rave reviews earlier in the month. At the risk of offering my own unsolicited advice, adopting a more generically helpful and modest tone more like patio11 might have served Sebastian well in this case.
I, too, found the original post a little uncomfortable, but I think Sebastian's intentions, as unconsciously self-serving as they were (link-bait title plus unsolicited advice) likely fell into the blind spot commonly found in well-intentioned do-gooders.
Unsolicited advice, particularly of a personal nature (speculating about his Catholicism? Really?), is often not well-received, regardless of the proximity of the originator and target.
What I find especially interesting is that Sebastian himself was on the road to becoming an HN darling with his "How Do I Write So Much?" post receiving rave reviews earlier in the month. At the risk of offering my own unsolicited advice, adopting a more generically helpful and modest tone more like patio11 might have served Sebastian well in this case.