Wow, I just read up on the LoseThos thing and it's heartbreaking.
Call me a bleeding heart killjoy if you must, but I've recently come to the conclusion that just like prison rape and developmental disabilities, mental illness just isn't something you can make tasteful jokes about.
What's even more heartbreaking is that he's quite active on HN even though he's banned.
If you read his comments there's something definitely wrong with him (I hesitate using that phrase, but I don't know how else to say it). He's a talented individual with a strong work ethic, hopefully he gets the help that he needs.
Yes, I've seen his [dead] comments before, and had a flash of recognition reading the article.
You're hesitant to use the phrase "something definitely wrong with him". That made me think of other terms, like "disturbed", "unhinged", "unbalanced" or the clinical "mentally ill" and I can't find anything that doesn't sound demeaning, judgmental, or moralistic. I think that says something about our ability to understand and help these people.
Somehow, the idea that a joke can be both tasteful and gut-bustingly funny is oxymoronic. As Lord Buckley was wont to say: "If you must tell the truth, be sure to leave them laughing. Remember what they did to Jesus."
Call me a bleeding heart killjoy if you must, but I've recently come to the conclusion that just like prison rape and developmental disabilities, mental illness just isn't something you can make tasteful jokes about.