Anything can be funny given the right person saying it at the appropriate time in the right context

Seeing a suicide joke from a person I don't know in the Hacker News thread about the death an individual I respect an hour after it's been released is not my idea of funny.

I see it as a word of caution for the bright eyed. Fighting for your ideals wears on you, and some are more resilient to its demands than others.

I wonder if the personal trait to see problems and act is because the problems seem bigger or because the "activation threshold" of that person is lower. If the former, I could see that the same trait also makes it more likely that the problems feel overwhelming.

Ignorance is bliss.

I am all about dark humor, and it's true when dealing with death, there's no accounting for taste, but thanks for posting this. It's a very clear and sober comment, it doesn't admonish the parent, but shares how the comment made you feel. That is completely and totally appropriate and HN could use a lot more of this.

People cope with death in different ways. Avoid taking things strangers say very seriously.

Why did you immediately assume the post was a joke about suicide, rather than a clever and witty remark about the dangers of following your passions/ideals in the face of enormous opposition and psychological torment?

Because the post was a joke about suicide.