Neither is how to use the em-dash, which was front page on HN the other day.
That being said, this is tech news, albeit indirect. When the rule of law is tossed into the woodchipper, it kind of affects everything, including tech.
I understand that it may be too divisive, but maybe whoever runs HN can moderate these threads so they maintain some substance and don't devolve into screaming matches.
the better argument is there is little to no opportunity for interesting, curious, engaging conversations around topics like this. the people most likely to engage and be the loudest are people who aren't interested in being open to new facts and changing their opinion or having nuanced views. this leads to boring, hostile, us-vs-them political takes that don't have any substance.
moderation on HN is largely left to the users, and stuff like this getting flagged is an indication of what the community wants at large. there is still an absolute ton of political stuff that doesnt get flagged
> there is little to no opportunity for interesting, curious, engaging conversations around topics like this. the people most likely to engage and be the loudest are people who aren't interested in being open to new facts and changing their opinion or having nuanced views
Fair enough. But part of the reason I like HN is there is a lot of thoughtful discussion about non-tech things. FWIW, I'm probably more conservative than most--e.g., I think undocumented immigration is a genuine problem in the US and "defund the police" is just nonsense.
But I don't see respect for due process these days and that is an enormous problem.
i agree there is lots of non-tech stuff and i'm absolutely very happy there is non-tech stuff. anything that involves creation, intellectual pursuits or curiosities, or new/unconventional thoughts and data and approaches to most anything in life is great for me. the hacker ethic is ultimately about sharing information, and the use of technology in that pursuit, and not letting your perspectives being influenced by status quo and unqualified authorities.
the problem with political discourse, in terms of the comments we see, is that it's overwhelming not about sharing interesting information, but rather just expressing opinions - opinions that are mostly formed by the content we expose ourselves, which is content that is overwhelmingly influenced by billionaires and the established ruling elites. if your worldview very closely aligns to any corporate news outlet, whether it be CNN or Fox News, then you're probably mostly a result of what those owners want you to belief.
Freedom of speech and authoritarianism were always topics of interest for this community. I always thought it was an honest interest, but apparently it wasn't.
Hacker culture has been deeply political since the beginning. Hacker culture also didn't consider humor beneath it. But Hacker News isn't hacker culture.
Neither is how to use the em-dash, which was front page on HN the other day.
That being said, this is tech news, albeit indirect. When the rule of law is tossed into the woodchipper, it kind of affects everything, including tech.
I understand that it may be too divisive, but maybe whoever runs HN can moderate these threads so they maintain some substance and don't devolve into screaming matches.