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my perception is that it was much closer to that in the past (EDIT: On a second read of our discussion, we may even be just talking about slightly unrelated th

my perception is that it was much closer to that in the past (EDIT: On a second read of our discussion, we may even be just talking about slightly unrelated things, in that you're unhappy there's more politics period, and I'm trying to justify that by saying "it's the same subject matter, politics is just necessarily more a component". One could justifiably not care about that distinction; it just strikes me as meaningful) I don't think you're wrong persay, and while I've only been here over the last 6-7 years I've read the first hundred posts thousands of times due to HN being my defacto "social scraping test", and with a sampling of the first 10 stories, I'd stand by my assertion that unfortunately politics has been taking a heavier hand in things that previously may have seemed uncorrupted. to give some concrete examples (from the first 10 posts): https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4 (Real estate costs in NY, still a common topic, but nimbyism/zoning is a central focus, largely political) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5 (Big-co aquisitions, now when discussed come alongside concerns re: consolidation, antitrust, etc) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6 (Forecasting software; while not specifically based off of private data, the discussion nowadays would likely pivot to that due to topical relevence) tl;dr, I don't necessarily agree with how much you may be implying the content has shifted, I just think politics plays a much stronger role in said content, or in our awareness of it, but again, this is perceptual and I'm not going to tell you "you're wrong" in having been there yourself. The site will ultimately be what the community makes it. Yup, and I try to limit my corrosion of this to trying to sway opinion softly. This all comes down to, for me, being more scared about LACK of attention/action, than if some threads go sideways.

mindcrime 8y ago
tl;dr, I don't necessarily agree with how much you may be implying the content has shifted, I just think politics plays a much stronger role in said content, or in our awareness of it, but again, this is perceptual and I'm not going to tell you "you're wrong" in having been there yourself. Sure, and likewise I can't say that you're "wrong". It is somewhat subjective. In that sense, it's possible for us to both be "right" at the same time. Anyway, it's not - to me - a huge deal. There's a sort of change that I would like to see (I think), but I'm not so unhappy with the current state that I'm going to quit posting or anything. I mean, I'm here now, and in the end I'm pragmatic even when being so is a thorn in my own side. :-)
- existencebox 8y ago
  Aptly, and to me more indicative of _actual_ change (and somewhat sadder) than the politics about "now HN" is the fact that both of us have been greyed for what was, I think, a very reasonable discussion. (the fact that it's both gives me a chuckle while being slightly fascinating) The flagging/downvoting communities seem to have taken on a very reddit feel as opposed to what I rose-tintedly remember.

mindcrime 8y ago

tl;dr, I don't necessarily agree with how much you may be implying the content has shifted, I just think politics plays a much stronger role in said content, or in our awareness of it, but again, this is perceptual and I'm not going to tell you "you're wrong" in having been there yourself. Sure, and likewise I can't say that you're "wrong". It is somewhat subjective. In that sense, it's possible for us to both be "right" at the same time. Anyway, it's not - to me - a huge deal. There's a sort of change that I would like to see (I think), but I'm not so unhappy with the current state that I'm going to quit posting or anything. I mean, I'm here now, and in the end I'm pragmatic even when being so is a thorn in my own side. :-)

existencebox 8y ago
Aptly, and to me more indicative of _actual_ change (and somewhat sadder) than the politics about "now HN" is the fact that both of us have been greyed for what was, I think, a very reasonable discussion. (the fact that it's both gives me a chuckle while being slightly fascinating) The flagging/downvoting communities seem to have taken on a very reddit feel as opposed to what I rose-tintedly remember.