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This is absolutely true. (Fellow Indian here. Why did you think you would be downvoted? :) ) Let me expand one reason. Bureaucracy. The engineers or even manag
by boundlessdreamz 17y ago
This is absolutely true. (Fellow Indian here. Why did you think you would be downvoted? :) )
Let me expand one reason. Bureaucracy. The engineers or even managers you talk to may not have the authority/incentive to be honest with you. The directive from above will be to sugar coat anything they utter.
- plinkplonk 17y ago" Why did you think you would be downvoted? :) " This has happened to me before :-). I was called a "traitor" (to whom?) and "elitist" for saying something similar to this in another forum. I don't mind. Karma (even on HN) is just a number on a webpage :-P
- sethg 17y agoHow do people from religious backgrounds where “karma” refers to something serious feel about the word being appropriated to mean a number on a web page?
- prpon 17y agoI am an Indian, not sure about the relegious part. Karma at least in India/Hindu culture is tossed around more freely than in the west. Mostly associated to negative incidents. "I had a flat tire, its my karma", "Someone got kicked out of a job, he is reaping his karma". You rarely would say "He has accumulated lot of good karma by doing good, I better see what he has to say". On HN, its a different story.
- jodrellblank 17y agoI imagine they think we'll get what we deserve for doing so.
- codexon 17y agoI don't mind. Karma (even on HN) is just a number on a webpage :-P Unfortunately, it is not just a number on HN. A recent article here revealed a hidden algorithm that makes your votes useless if you drop under the global average karma/comment. Thus it is more likely that populist opinions have comments shown higher while yours is likely rendered less visible by being grayed out.
- argv_empty 17y agoSo it's more than just a number on a web site... it's the ability to influence other numbers on that web site!
- codexon 17y agoThat would only be true if karma doesn't effect the visibility of your comment compared to the opposition. It's an issue of freedom of speech, and unfortunately, isn't just another "number".
- noonespecial 17y agoReferring to those with whom one should be having a discussion as opposition is one of the foremost reasons that we need karma to effect visibility in the first place. "Freedom of speech" is not a guarantee that you can post some a comment on some web forum and have it be seen, its a guarantee that if you do, and it is, that your government won't punish you for it.
- codexon 17y agoBy that same reasoning, China has a guarantee that it won't punish you for badmouthing their government...as long as it's done in the privacy of your own home. I realize that freedom of speech in the US doesn't apply to private establishments, but I would expect HN to hold a higher standard than say a conservative Christian forum. And keep in mind that one of PG's goals is to reduce the herd mentality.
- argv_empty 17y agoBy that same reasoning, China has a guarantee that it won't punish you for badmouthing their government...as long as it's done in the privacy of your own home. America's free speech is a guarantee of nonpunishment _regardless_of_forum_.
- 17y ago
- potatolicious 17y agoI sympathize - as a Chinese who is often critical of other Chinese, I've been called a traitor more times than I can remember. I've also been told that I was "no longer" Chinese, because I refused to side with "my people".