[inimino]

If everyone tells you that you are wrong but doesn't care to explain in detail why, it's a hint that you might be wrong. You are not owed a valid argument just because you demand one.

[yummyfajitas]

I usually make a good faith assumption that folks who choose to comment on HN are seeking an intellectual discussion. But while that's a "good faith" assumption, it's not a very good prior these days.

I miss the old days, when we discussed ideas even if they sounded stratnge.

[inimino]

Many are seeking an intellectual discussion, but there are limits to what people are willing to explain. Sometimes it's just not worth it, and that's what the downvote button is for.

I prefer an open environment where more strange ideas can be discussed, but you also have to make a good faith effort to see where most people are coming from. The remarks you made on the civil rights movement suggest you either don't take it seriously at all, or you don't care about it at all, or you have no understanding of what things like civil disobedience actually mean. The trouble with making a good faith effort to explain all of that to you is that in the end you probably won't change your mind, because it's not like any of this information is hard to find.

[jacobush]

Maybe you were instrumental to make the old times pass by sooner rather than later.

[wpietri]

So true. Random people don't owe an education to aggressive jerks, especially when they give little indication of being willing to listen.

[yummyfajitas]

What have I done that makes you believe I'm unwilling to listen, or that I'm an aggressive jerk?

I understand that I've expressed disagreement on a topic you consider to be a sacred value. But have I done anything beyond that?

[wpietri]

C'mon. I've seen you posting here for years. Of course I've seen you do more than express mere disagreement on a single topic. Disagreement is the norm here. What you do -- what you consistently do -- goes miles beyond that.

And note that you sought out a comment not addressed to you to perform the exact behavior in question: aggressively demanding that somebody educate you. Not because it looks like you're sincerely interested in learning anything, but because it's an argumentative technique.

If you actually want to understand this issue, find somebody whose job it is to teach you. Get a therapist versed in online culture, bring in a set of your discussions here, and pay her by the hour to help you see the pattern that is obvious to many other people.

I doubt you'll do that, though, because I don't think you're seriously trying to learn anything here.