3 ms·

Parent misses the point. Hacker News is an example of what one specimen in a healthy ecosystem of forums would look like. However, we do not have a healthy eco

Parent misses the point. Hacker News is an example of what one specimen in a healthy ecosystem of forums would look like. However, we do not have a healthy ecosystem, and as such Hacker News comes off as oppressive to those with outlier opinions, because another forum of equal quality (both content and diversity of users), similar size and a similar topic of discourse doesn't really exist. Being banished from HN means being banished from what some consider to be the upper echelons of discussion around the tech and startup scene.

theNJR 7y ago
That's the nature of large groups of people though. If the outlier opinions have merit, shouldn't there be a forum for their expression?
- soulofmischief 7y ago
  I can only post 4 comments every two or so hours, effectively prohibiting me from most of the fast-paced front page discussion and overall prohibiting me from engaging. Why? Because I likened whale poaching to genocide [0]. I didn't even believe I was sharing a controversial opinion, because apparently that is starting a flame war and I've been warned for it before after asking a relatively simple (and apparently naive) question about black holes and getting engaged by a vitriolic and hateful user who kept flagging me while simultaneously calling me names and hurling insults. But here I am, because Reddit is garbage, 4chan has melted, and niche forums are dying and the bulk of communication is no longer taking place within them. And there are so many amazing and talented people to draw inspiration from on HN. In my town's local subreddit, I am similarly severely limited to a few posts every couple of hours, because I voiced the opinion in what is apparently a majority conservative subreddit that someone was making racist, unempathetic comments regarding black people and pitbulls. I'm considering going back to a bunch of email lists... [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20326029 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20326029

theNJR 7y ago

That's the nature of large groups of people though. If the outlier opinions have merit, shouldn't there be a forum for their expression?

soulofmischief 7y ago
I can only post 4 comments every two or so hours, effectively prohibiting me from most of the fast-paced front page discussion and overall prohibiting me from engaging. Why? Because I likened whale poaching to genocide [0]. I didn't even believe I was sharing a controversial opinion, because apparently that is starting a flame war and I've been warned for it before after asking a relatively simple (and apparently naive) question about black holes and getting engaged by a vitriolic and hateful user who kept flagging me while simultaneously calling me names and hurling insults. But here I am, because Reddit is garbage, 4chan has melted, and niche forums are dying and the bulk of communication is no longer taking place within them. And there are so many amazing and talented people to draw inspiration from on HN. In my town's local subreddit, I am similarly severely limited to a few posts every couple of hours, because I voiced the opinion in what is apparently a majority conservative subreddit that someone was making racist, unempathetic comments regarding black people and pitbulls. I'm considering going back to a bunch of email lists... [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20326029 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20326029