[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.