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This is an extraordinarily insightful comment about online discussions. Might I suggest adding a summary of it to the HN guidelines, or perhaps even create a "p
by abtinf 10y ago
This is an extraordinarily insightful comment about online discussions. Might I suggest adding a summary of it to the HN guidelines, or perhaps even create a "philosophy of HN" page that contains these sorts of principles that ought to guide HN discussion. I'm seeing this after the political-detox-week thread, and I think it provides crucial context: political discussion online creates a "picture of a monster" that one imagines can inflict real harm to the self and to loved ones.
- dang 10y agoThank you for so kind a reply; I'm glad I came back here and saw your comment and crusso's. Your last sentence is a contribution of its own, and I agree with you—it's primal threat circuitry that's being activated. That's why arguments on the internet are so tiring! I don't have much incentive to group my comments together, but I do use HN as a place to post mini-essays from time to time—to get stuff that's been on my mind off my chest. The problem is that you'd have to wade through reams of "personal attacks are are not allowed on Hacker News" and "we've detached this subthread and marked it off topic" to find them.