Filed in: Whinging.VoteWithYourWallet · Modified on : Tue, 17 May 11
As a frequenter of comment-driven technology websites (viz., Slashdot), I see this pattern come up over and over. In fact, this thread template gets filled out so often, it rivals memes like "I for one welcome our $x overlords":
It's essentially a non-statement. I'm sure Commenter won't be buying it, and he's not trying to convince himself not to buy it by posting about it, he's trying to convince everyone else. Like voting in an election, your own vote is one in several million, and the effect of it is essentially negligible; the real way to ensure you get your way is to convince others to vote that way.
It's one of those "Well, DUH." things that people say. It's a kind of speech "from the book", as Brian Christian might put it.