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> 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

by 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 ago
One 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 ago
  Why 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 ago
    I 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.

by js8 10y ago

brudgers 10y ago

One 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 ago
Why 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 ago
  I 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.