You should know that on HN you're speaking with the voice of the platform. You have a right to your own voice; they have a right not to give you theirs. Usuall

You should know that on HN you're speaking with the voice of the platform. You have a right to your own voice; they have a right not to give you theirs. Usually though, the rationale for "downvoting" (really flagging) is that somebody is being unreasonably negative. I think it's rare that a well-researched non-disparaging comment is flagged more than a couple times. We have all said things on HN that have been flagged, we all know it feels bad. That doesn't mean there shouldn't be moderation.