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Maybe I've spent too much time on the other parts of the internet, but I kinda disagree with this: > Very often, useful comments are crowded out by one-uppy po

Maybe I've spent too much time on the other parts of the internet, but I kinda disagree with this: > Very often, useful comments are crowded out by one-uppy point scorers and the top half of a reasonable thread can be filled by long side-discussions that can’t be scrolled past fast enough. Vitriol abounds. Compared to other discussion boards, I usually find HN threads are far more thoughtful and less antagonistic. I mean, from the author's own example, compare the Brexit threads on HN[1] and Reddit[2]. The top comment on the HN thread is a thoughtful comment on why the EU is important and what the EU should aspire to be - whether you agree with the author or not, it's not overly charitable to say the author wasn't simply making a "one-uppy point scorer". The top comment on the Reddit thread is a joke about making a bet on Brexit. There absolutely are HN threads full of vitriol and "one-uppy point scorers", but they're more rare - compared to, again, other parts of the internet. And yes, there are other online discussion boards that are even more thoughtful. Still, I don't think the characterization is entirely fair. I guess my point is that the opinion threads can also often be very illuminative. The top thread on that HN Brexit post is actually a pretty interesting discussion about 18th century revolutions. Perhaps a bit basic to someone well-versed in modern western history, and certainly needs to be taken with a healthy dose of skepticism, but still interesting nonetheless. 1: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11966167 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11966167 2: https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/4pkt3k/bbc_forecasts_uk_votes_to_leave_the_european_union/ https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/4pkt3k/bbc_forec...

lolikoisuru 8y ago
>Compared to other discussion boards, I usually find HN threads are far more thoughtful and less antagonistic. You realize this is because HN shadowbans people whose opinions don't fit the crowd, right?
- jachee 8y ago
  It may not be a literal shadow ban, but don't get too left/socialist/anti-capitalist/"SJW" or the cis-het white capitalist tech bros will downvote you into oblivion. e.g. Any post about removing "master/slave" terminology.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
waivek 8y ago
/r/worldnews is a news subreddit https://www.reddit.com/r/geopolitics/comments/4pkw1n/britain_votes_to_leave_eu https://www.reddit.com/r/geopolitics/comments/4pkw1n/britain...
slx26 8y ago
Agree with your comment. Even on opinion articles HN often offers greater value than many other sites. Of course there can still be a lot of vitriol. HN is also criticised for being an echo chamber. Well, when a site becomes popular, your users will always be between a representative sample of society (and will be hard to avoid vitriol), and a particular group of people (and you will end up with an echo chamber). Of course there might be a lot of things to improve, but I think it's unfair to criticise HN when it's doing much better than many other sites. Well, maybe the article doesn't even get to that, but I have this feeling of misplaced blame. The real problem lies in society, not in the website. There's no shortcut to education...
tensor 8y ago
Perhaps if you are a developer. If you are anyone else, the comments can be pretty toxic. The amount of "managers are useless", "phds are useless", "designers are useless", and so on that I see here is extremely off putting. For some careers, like academia/phd, there are almost monthly slam fests with tons of toxic comments about how developers are so much smarter and better.
- geezerjay 8y ago
  > For some careers, like academia/phd, there are almost monthly slam fests with tons of toxic comments about how developers are so much smarter and better. That's quite the mischaracterization. Some of us happen to have research background and know very well how the phd daily grind goes. It's due to our personal experience and first-hand accounts of the whole academia/phd life and hardship that we do have and present negative opinion on the whole industry. Just because opinions don't cast academia in a good light it doesn't mean they aren't accurate accounts of what academia life actually is.

lolikoisuru 8y ago

>Compared to other discussion boards, I usually find HN threads are far more thoughtful and less antagonistic. You realize this is because HN shadowbans people whose opinions don't fit the crowd, right?

jachee 8y ago
It may not be a literal shadow ban, but don't get too left/socialist/anti-capitalist/"SJW" or the cis-het white capitalist tech bros will downvote you into oblivion. e.g. Any post about removing "master/slave" terminology.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]

waivek 8y ago

/r/worldnews is a news subreddit https://www.reddit.com/r/geopolitics/comments/4pkw1n/britain_votes_to_leave_eu https://www.reddit.com/r/geopolitics/comments/4pkw1n/britain...

slx26 8y ago

Agree with your comment. Even on opinion articles HN often offers greater value than many other sites. Of course there can still be a lot of vitriol. HN is also criticised for being an echo chamber. Well, when a site becomes popular, your users will always be between a representative sample of society (and will be hard to avoid vitriol), and a particular group of people (and you will end up with an echo chamber). Of course there might be a lot of things to improve, but I think it's unfair to criticise HN when it's doing much better than many other sites. Well, maybe the article doesn't even get to that, but I have this feeling of misplaced blame. The real problem lies in society, not in the website. There's no shortcut to education...

tensor 8y ago

Perhaps if you are a developer. If you are anyone else, the comments can be pretty toxic. The amount of "managers are useless", "phds are useless", "designers are useless", and so on that I see here is extremely off putting. For some careers, like academia/phd, there are almost monthly slam fests with tons of toxic comments about how developers are so much smarter and better.

geezerjay 8y ago
> For some careers, like academia/phd, there are almost monthly slam fests with tons of toxic comments about how developers are so much smarter and better. That's quite the mischaracterization. Some of us happen to have research background and know very well how the phd daily grind goes. It's due to our personal experience and first-hand accounts of the whole academia/phd life and hardship that we do have and present negative opinion on the whole industry. Just because opinions don't cast academia in a good light it doesn't mean they aren't accurate accounts of what academia life actually is.