I think you underestimate both the complexity and possible downsides of dealing with computers. Computers can be learned, but it takes hundreds or thousands of hours to master them. Making toast requires putting pre-sliced pieces of bread in a toaster and pressing one button. If you screw up your 50 page MS word document and it gets corrupted and lost, you're shit out of luck, out potentially weeks of typing. If you burn some toast, it costs a few cents to fix, and maybe 2 extra minutes.
So learn to save before the 50 page doc is on the line. Try a 3 line this is a test and master it. Don't wait to learn to make toast until you're about to serve poached egg to Donald Trump either.
Listen, this is surely true. But that's irrelevant to the countless people who have learned that sometimes their computers do frustrating shit that seems beyond their control ("what the hell do you mean the article I just made sure to save every 5 minutes for the last week is 'corrupted'? Blargh!!") and by consequence think of them as both fickle and difficult-to-trust-or-experiment-with machines.
Just about everyone I know, tech savvy or not, has numerous computer horror stories. I don't know anyone who failed serving Trump some toast. (There are also cooking nightmares, to be sure, which is why I personally am not rushing out to cook a turkey, and will stick with my stir fry, pasta, and fried eggs. Some food preparation seems difficult and fraught with peril from this newbie's perspective.)
I find that metaphors on HN have to have really sharp edges or you have to spend a few follow ups on clarification. I'm not yet particularly good at it but this is a very good place to practice. :)
