As far as I can tell, if something shouldn't be on HN, we have the ability to flag a post. You cannot flag comments downvoting is there to discourage, trolls a

As far as I can tell, if something shouldn't be on HN, we have the ability to flag a post. You cannot flag comments downvoting is there to discourage, trolls and abuse. We can say that it might be better to never down-vote - but many users have the ability, and it's a regular practice. Neglecting the fact is a little like ignoring the fact the emperor is wearing no clothes. I am well aware of that and it has lead to a decline in the standard that HN used to be (while my account may not reflect it I have been around here for a long time, and witnessed the decline first hand). It has been complained about on HN ad nasium. No one is neglecting the fact that it happens, I am just stating that doing so makes HN a worse place the results are obvious and have already lead to some valuable people leaving.