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>you don't seem to understand what makes HN a cool place to hang out ... the stupid question does a lot more harm than the inartful calling-out I guess I have
by edmccard 9y ago
>you don't seem to understand what makes HN a cool place to hang out ... the stupid question does a lot more harm than the inartful calling-out
I guess I have a different perspective on HN than you do; because I've never noticed the "cool kids" wasting their time by griping about stupid questions (presumably they just scroll past them), and I've never seen anyone I consider one of the "cool kids" give warning that they were going to leave HN because of stupid questions.
EDITED to add: And I do know smart, successful, insightful people who don't post on HN precisely because of the kind of behaviors that you want to "let slide".
- lisper 9y agoI'm not griping about the stupid questions. The occasional stupid question is forgivable. Everyone asks stupid questions sometimes. But the proper response to being called out for asking a stupid question is, "Wow, you're right, that was a stupid question, sorry about that." Not, "Hey, that wasn't very nice!" HN is a site dedicated, ultimately, to high-tech entrepreneurship. In the startup world, if you don't do your homework, or worse, if you get offended when someone calls you out for not doing your homework, even if they do it undiplomatically, even if they level actual personal attacks at you, you will lose, and your competition will happily dance on your grave.