[brosinante]

This website you’re reading now has “guidelines”, yet no-one is accusing hn of creating a harsher world (at least not in the word they use instead of rules).

[bhupy]

I’m not sure why you’re getting downvoted. This isn’t a misdirection, it’s a euphemism. We use them a lot in the English language, especially in marketing.

Whether that’s a good or bad thing is a separate question. IMO policing tone is a mostly uninteresting exercise.

[LudwigNagasena]

It is not even an euphemism. It is just a way to enforce rules selectively.

[newyorker2]

1. I don't remember paying $99 to have my comments published on HN.

2. A take down of "guideline" breaking comments doesn't impact my income as an app developer.

[coldtea]

>1. I don't remember paying $99 to have my comments published on HN.

That's because you pay with your eyeballs (for premium dev/business/startup traffic to YC's posts).