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If you don't want to have an argument, why do you want to get involved in the discussion, via the downvote, at all? Edit: It's probably not obvious why I ask.
by js8 10y ago
If you don't want to have an argument, why do you want to get involved in the discussion, via the downvote, at all?
Edit: It's probably not obvious why I ask. But it strikes me very much as "I want to help you, but I don't want to do any real work". In which case, it's probably advisable just to leave him alone.
- barrkel 10y agoSome people want an argument for entertainment purposes. Arguments can become time consuming, and if they take a bad turn, can result in negative feelings. There's plenty of reasons to express disagreement but be disinclined to engage directly and at length.
- js8 10y ago> if they take a bad turn, can result in negative feelings And downvote doesn't? Especially without an explanation? > Arguments can become time consuming If you don't want to do it, why not just ignore the thing entirely and leave to some else to comment?
- brudgers 10y agoOne type of argumentative comment I don't like to read on Hacker News is the line by line rebuttal. It cherry picks remarks and opens multiple fronts of attack in order to extend the argument.
- js8 10y agoWhy does the form matter that much? I only use it to refer to specific parts of the GPs speech. In this case, personally, I always feel more puzzled, and so unhappy, with just a downvote rather than plainly stated disagreement. Doesn't that happen to you? Maybe that's because I don't perceive the argument as a "battle", in which one wins or loses through upvotes and downvotes. I am just being curious, why people feel certain way. I am also solely responsible for what I read on the Internet. If I don't like what I just read, why should I only downvote, without an argument? Is it really helping other people to decide what to read, or is it imposing my own ideas onto them? (Upvote is different, because by upvoting you say "this specific thing is worth reading". But by downvoting, you say "all other things are more worth reading", even without knowing what the other things might be.)
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]
- barrkel 10y agoI always feel more puzzled, and so unhappy, with just a downvote rather than plainly stated disagreement. Some people aren't even wrong. They start from a different set of assumptions, sometimes missing the whole point of a topic, or sometimes they have a particular grudge or grievance that they wedge into discussions, etc. Arguing with them is like getting caught up with a tar-baby, because their angle is oblique and skewed, and getting on the same page just takes too long. And sometimes people just get too emotionally invested in what they write. Engage them with an alternative point of view and they dig in and come back, endlessly. If you feel negativity from a downvote, that means you're emotionally invested, and that can turn into a "battle", despite your protestations to the contrary. It's a slight on your ego, and it can be a battle even when you deny it the name - a rose by any other name, etc.
- brudgers 10y agoThere are arguments I do not want to read on Hacker News.
- js8 10y agoWell, I am not against downvoting, I am against downvoting without an explanation. A simple "I don't want to read about this here" would suffice.