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Why do people down-vote just because they don't agree? Save the down-votes for off-topic or offensive comments.

by lotusleaf1987 16y ago

mkramlich 16y ago
Agreed. This is why I think PG should make a change to the voting system to make it so that only admins could ever bring a comment's score below 1. As it is now, I see a lot of users' karma penalized simply because at least one other user disagrees with their comment. Offensive or off-topic, fine. But simple disagreement is not a fair reason. Down-voting a comment from say 8 to 7 because you disagree seems reasonable. But bringing it down from 1 to 0 or worse seems unreasonable and contributes to groupthink and political correctness.
- lsc 16y ago
  This is a cultural problem, I think, and one that is hard to fix through technical measures. The root of the problem is that the rating system is programmed as a measure of /comment quality/ while people use it as an "I agree" or "I disagree" which is something different entirely. We could add a separate counter for "Agree/disagree" and "quality comment" but you'd still need the cultural change. You need your users to value quality comments, even if they disagree with the content of those comments. Looking at an argument you disagree with and seeing it's merits is a hard thing to do yourself; it's a very difficult thing to get other people to do. If we want to change things, I think a better thing to look at is maybe making who voted publicly viewable? I know I quite often upvote people I argue with (I mean, if your comment is worth responding to, surely it is worth an upvote) and I think if they can see that I upvoted them, it sometimes inspires conversation rather than argument.
- lotusleaf1987 16y ago
  Exactly, downvoting shuts down free debate. It's the opposite of free speech because you're essentially getting punished if not everyone agrees. I don't necessarily agree with every comment, but I'd rather them be made than not. A marketplace of ideas.
tokenadult 16y ago
Here is pg from 911 days ago on why downvoting for disagreement is okay: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=117171 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=117171 He is pondering changes to the voting system, as this issue is discussed every month or so.

Why do people down-vote just because they don't agree? Save the down-votes for off-topic or offensive comments.

Agreed. This is why I think PG should make a change to the voting system to make it so that only admins could ever bring a comment's score below 1. As it is now, I see a lot of users' karma penalized simply because at least one other user disagrees with their comment. Offensive or off-topic, fine. But simple disagreement is not a fair reason. Down-voting a comment from say 8 to 7 because you disagree seems reasonable. But bringing it down from 1 to 0 or worse seems unreasonable and contributes to groupthink and political correctness.

lsc 16y ago
This is a cultural problem, I think, and one that is hard to fix through technical measures. The root of the problem is that the rating system is programmed as a measure of /comment quality/ while people use it as an "I agree" or "I disagree" which is something different entirely. We could add a separate counter for "Agree/disagree" and "quality comment" but you'd still need the cultural change. You need your users to value quality comments, even if they disagree with the content of those comments. Looking at an argument you disagree with and seeing it's merits is a hard thing to do yourself; it's a very difficult thing to get other people to do. If we want to change things, I think a better thing to look at is maybe making who voted publicly viewable? I know I quite often upvote people I argue with (I mean, if your comment is worth responding to, surely it is worth an upvote) and I think if they can see that I upvoted them, it sometimes inspires conversation rather than argument.
lotusleaf1987 16y ago
Exactly, downvoting shuts down free debate. It's the opposite of free speech because you're essentially getting punished if not everyone agrees. I don't necessarily agree with every comment, but I'd rather them be made than not. A marketplace of ideas.

tokenadult 16y ago

Here is pg from 911 days ago on why downvoting for disagreement is okay: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=117171 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=117171 He is pondering changes to the voting system, as this issue is discussed every month or so.