I'm sure I've crossed the line into personal swipes before — who hasn't, at one time or another? I get emotional about this stuff because I care about it, and I

I'm sure I've crossed the line into personal swipes before — who hasn't, at one time or another? I get emotional about this stuff because I care about it, and I'll admit it angers me to see people spreading ideas that I consider not just wrong, but dangerously so. When that happens, its difficult to respond like some perfect critical-thinking debate bot. But I'm somewhat baffled that you consider what I posted in this case a "rant". Fair enough, saying "total nonsense" was probably unnecessary, but it is still a comment on the quality of the argument, not upon the person, and as such seems to be within the rules. As for the rest, what exactly is uncivil about it? I absolutely would make these same arguments face-to-face if somebody made the original argument. In fact, I'd be probably be rather less civil about it in person. I consider the post I responded to to be spreading a genuinely dangerous idea. Such ideas need to be rebutted, and, practically speaking, the force of the rhetoric needs to be increased commensurate with the dangerousness of the idea, in order to avoid giving an impression of false equivalence between it and other, more harmless ones. If it isn't commensurate, then surely that is what the community moderation is for? But in this case you seem to have acted unilaterally to hide my post. I'm all for HN to be a bastion of constructive discussion. But that shouldn't be an excuse to allow toxic ideas to go unchallenged, or to be treated with a degree of respect that they do not deserve. The failure of intellectuals to vigorously contest destructive ideas, confining their criticism to a passionless and academic vernacular, has been a recurring historical problem. In the long term, it contributes directly to the rise of situations and movements that curtail any debate, anodyne or otherwise. HN does not exist in a political vacuum. The type of discussion you say you want to foster is only possible because of a set of political principles and circumstances that are by no means "normal", historically speaking. Failing to defend those principles, or censoring those who do, helps those who would destroy them, and will harm HN eventually.