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I don't recommend wasting the time to do it. I have already done the experiment twice and the way it works is that some topics/stories on HN are under careful s

I don't recommend wasting the time to do it. I have already done the experiment twice and the way it works is that some topics/stories on HN are under careful scrutiny for unwanted ideas. I'm not talking about prejudice or other backward ideas, but simply ideas that challenge the dominant world view that I'd describe as Silicon Valley Establishment Democratic Party Loyalist. There was a point during the 2016 campaign when Sam and others involved in YC decided to become openly and unabashedly partisan. Notably, not in an idea driven way but in a way that is power oriented. This emboldened those with partisan aims in the HN discussion to reach out to mods to help them rid the community of people critical of the establishment Democratic Party and its sacred cows. It's really too bad.

yesenadam 8y ago
Ok thanks for responding. Do you have evidence for what you said? Like links to comments or....well, I don't know what. I suppose there isn't any proof, or you would've mentioned it by now.
- resters 8y ago
  I don't want to link to the comments because the comments themselves aren't the evidence. After participating in a few threads where I politely argued some ideas that were unwanted, my account was shadow banned. I didn't realize it for a while actually. Discovering that the mods read my comments and somehow thought the account needed to be banned was pretty insulting to me. I really appreciate HN and the broader YC community and so being singled out that way for making polite and respectful arguments was (I think) really rude and inappropriate on the part of the mods. When I emailed the mods to discuss, the excuse was that there was a "flame war". In my opinion, respectful discussion is productive even if both parties talk past each other a bit for a while until something closer to a consensus is achieved. We are at an important time in the history of the US and I think it is profoundly irresponsible of the HN mods to try to ban any sort of political discussion from HN. Over the years I've learned a great deal from HN, most of it technical but occasionally have gotten some valuable political insights as well. Also, occasionally reading a political interpretation from someone whose technical views I respect can be really mind expanding.

yesenadam 8y ago

Ok thanks for responding. Do you have evidence for what you said? Like links to comments or....well, I don't know what. I suppose there isn't any proof, or you would've mentioned it by now.

resters 8y ago
I don't want to link to the comments because the comments themselves aren't the evidence. After participating in a few threads where I politely argued some ideas that were unwanted, my account was shadow banned. I didn't realize it for a while actually. Discovering that the mods read my comments and somehow thought the account needed to be banned was pretty insulting to me. I really appreciate HN and the broader YC community and so being singled out that way for making polite and respectful arguments was (I think) really rude and inappropriate on the part of the mods. When I emailed the mods to discuss, the excuse was that there was a "flame war". In my opinion, respectful discussion is productive even if both parties talk past each other a bit for a while until something closer to a consensus is achieved. We are at an important time in the history of the US and I think it is profoundly irresponsible of the HN mods to try to ban any sort of political discussion from HN. Over the years I've learned a great deal from HN, most of it technical but occasionally have gotten some valuable political insights as well. Also, occasionally reading a political interpretation from someone whose technical views I respect can be really mind expanding.