[krapp]

It shouldn't be, and it isn't. The guidelines explicitly state that Hacker News is not strictly for tech news and discussions, and the mods have said numerous times that politics is not de jure banned. And the guidelines make that clear as well.

Just accept that some people want to discuss things other than computers and startups from time to time.

[sejje]

The guidelines also say this isn't a place for stuff you'd see on the news. Like Venezuela, the exact thing OP mentioned.

There was no tech in the story, no overlap.

[metadope]

This just in: 1776 comments on https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46473348

No guideline will divert a determined, thundering herd.

We are what we do, and it appears we do care about the world beyond our immediate technical interests.

Special occasion. Exception to prove the rule.

[EDIT] I just realized, I'd already added some tech into the otherwise political discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46476424

[sejje]

Oh don't get me wrong, I've got multiple comments in that exact thread.

I still would rather not see it here. I get my fill of politics elsewhere.

[scarecrowbob]

Direction action is a thing.

I get why folks saying "if you don't like it don't read it" feels jerky, but "if you don't like it, don't participate in it" seems pretty reasonable, I'd think.

[sejje]

That's fair, but it's also fair for me to have priorities, and to participate in something I think should change.

I think the non-political threads are where HN shines, and I believe in playing to your strengths. This is a wonderful place where subject-matter experts come crawling out to give you wonderful, deep knowledge about some esoteric discussion on the regular.

We don't get political experts here as often, and the average political commentary on this site probably rivals...well, the rest of the internet.

But while we're rooting around in the mud, I might join in. And I'm okay with occasional politics, I just wish it didn't get enough upvotes to make random political stories the front-page news here. In the past, much bigger stories either didn't make the front page, or were moderated--I'm not sure which.

Anyway, I'm not really complaining here about the moderation, either. I think they do a great job. I can live with the amount of politics we have here, I just hope it doesn't increase.

[krapp]

Off-Topic: Most stories about politics, or crime, or sports, or celebrities, unless they're evidence of some interesting new phenomenon. Videos of pratfalls or disasters, or cute animal pictures. If they'd cover it on TV news, it's probably off-topic.

Nowhere in there does it require "tech in the story."

You may not consider anything non tech-related to be interesting, but that isn't your decision to enforce on behalf of the community.

[sejje]

I didn't say it required tech, just that it didn't have any. It's exactly what they'd put on mainstream news. It IS mainstream news.

I'm usually in the thread defending the unusual, non-tech posts. One of the most consequential reads of all time, for me, was a personal blog posted by Paul Buccheit about the death of his brother.

I'm all about the intellectual curiosity aspect, so you read me wrong.

The Venezuela story that is/was near the top of the front page is just pure politics. There's nothing else it brings.

I'm not policing or enforcing things on behalf of the community, no need to be a smarmy jerk. I'm presenting my arguments just like you are. Thanks for the lesson, Chad.

[krapp]

Mainstream news often involves tech too, so even that isn't a hard and fast heuristic. And it's never been the case that "pure politics" is off topic for HN. Most of the time someone dies and an obituary thread is posted it's mainstream news as well, yet you'll be flagged into oblivion for pointing that out.

Here are some comments by dang clarifying the matter.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43142682

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43272671

Who tf is Chad?

[sejje]

I think we agree, you're just misrepresenting my position.

The OP is talking about the Venezuela story on the front page. It's not a good example of what you're talking about.