[dietrichepp]

Criticizing tone is one of the least productive ways to engage with an idea. It doesn't address the idea itself, and perception of tone is very subjective, so it stimulates an exchange of opinions, which is not what we want to read in the HN comments.

Refer to DH2 in "How to Disagree" by Paul Graham (2008) http://www.paulgraham.com/disagree.html (not that this is a disagreement... but the article is still relevant)

[Arnor]

Perhaps the commenter I replied to above wasn't interested in engaging with the idea. Maybe he just wanted to express his displeasure with the tone. Not every interaction is going to be the type of interaction you expect (i.e. "engaging with an idea"). Sometimes, critiques of written works have to do with the tone. There is nothing wrong with that.

The reason that comment got down voted and the reason I got down voted had nothing to do with PG'S 2008 post. It had everything to do with an abrasive community...

Yet, as my old man used to say, "Never wrestle with pigs. You both get dirty and only the pigs like it." So it is on HN...

QED Turtles all the way down.