I'm not them; HN's comment policies on civil discourse are largely about what can say (and call) other users, that doesn't apply to the person above as they're

I'm not them; HN's comment policies on civil discourse are largely about what can say (and call) other users, that doesn't apply to the person above as they're top of their own thread (i.e. it impossible for them to be targeting another user of HN). Swearing in and of itself isn't against the site's policies. Only thing in the comment policy you could even call up is "gratuitous negativity" but I'd argue their comment provides enough value (e.g. phytonutrients) to just call it negative rather than gratuitously negative. I'd recommend you yourself review the policy before calling out others: https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html