Ugh, the way this writer talks about women is pretty gross. I know its a piece about two of the most macho types in midcentury literature, but must the author of the article really refer to women as "conquests"?
People who receive downvotes frequently speculate as to why. It's rare that they speculate that they were downvoted for making comments which are flame-bait, uninteresting, or off-topic.
I believe that HN could use a huge improvement in how "we" treat women, but I'm not going to point to your comment or downvotes as an example of fighting the good fight.
Then what is fighting the good fight if not bringing attention to negative attitudes towards women? It's an article about two very overrated writers who treated women terribly and yet rather than critically approach the attitudes of these authors, the article's writer gleefully revels in their chauvinism. I was bringing it to attention since it is very relevant to the article at hand.
I am puzzled what you consider being sexist here. It's just consented sex between adults, no need to feel sorry for anyone. Both men and women who have had many partners often get cynical about that and I have heard this kind of language from people of both sexes. And it does not mean treating partners terribly. Two people can meet, have sex and part ways thinking that they had another "conquest" without having any bad feelings about the encounter.
If this is something you want to discuss, I suggest re-submitting next week after the detox ends. Some of the down-votes you're receiving could be due to members trying to stay in keeping with the detox:
fwiw, I read that as being in the voice of "his wife's biographer", not the modern author. And either way, to be about the fellow's behavior, not some actual judgement of the worth of women.
You were right; this was sincere. Any article about Literally Vladimir Nabokov is going to be a questionable choice for workplace reading; if the author's cheering on his and Wilson's promiscuity, it's definitely not something you want open when a co-worker comes over.