4 ms·

> Dummies are way cheaper than grad students. It's painful to read a statement like that, knowing that HN is largely intolerant of jokes. Holding them back is

> Dummies are way cheaper than grad students. It's painful to read a statement like that, knowing that HN is largely intolerant of jokes. Holding them back is very painful.

tomcam 6y ago
> HN is largely intolerant of jokes. That has also been difficult for me. This cohort is sublimely brilliant in many ways and I treasure that, but it almost seems to be at the price of a sense of humor. Another thing I've found is that simply asking questions often gets treated as an act of aggression. I have tried lots of ways of being more diplomatic and have failed completely. I will accept this as a shortcoming of my own, and I truly have attempted to be nicer somehow. My new solution is to ask them and just take the downvotes on the hopes that I also get a thoughtful answer. Doesn't work very well.
- z3t4 6y ago
  Dont worry about the downvotes, you will gain them back when you post popular opinions or sensational news ;) But you can help by upvoting good questions, and things you do not agree with if its presented with facts. And upvote buried posts you think was wrongly downvoted.
  - tomcam 6y ago
    Thanks for the pointers. I do indeed upvote good stuff even if I disagree, and buried posts (I like to check the New section regularly).
- throwaway_pdp09 6y ago
  I get the no jokes thing. Most jokes aren't funny (most assuredly includes mine when I've tried here). As for asking questions, I don't see that. I can post contentious stuff which gets downvoted without any constructive response (eg. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24118034 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24118034) but normally asking questions gets a helpful, polite response from others.
  - tomcam 6y ago
    > I don't see that. Glad to hear it. Could just be me, or that I have an abrasive way of asking questions. Have tried for a couple of years to regulate my behavior that way, but just haven't got the knack and recently decided to give up. Now I ask and just take the downvotes.
    - throwaway_pdp09 6y ago
      Peeked at your history (stalker alert). Your questions look ok. Don't worry about it.
      - tomcam 6y ago
        Thanks kindly. I have tried to be better behaved because I am a guest in this house.
- praptak 6y ago
  I think HN tolerance for jokes is exactly where it needs to be. Some good and non-obvious jokes make it through. Anything more would degrade into the stream of low effort humor which makes many other forums painful to read.
  - tomcam 6y ago
    I think you are probably right.
  - mumblemumble 6y ago
    For those who weren't there and don't bear the scars, some keywords to Google: first post grits Natalie Portman in Soviet Russia... CowboyNeal
- Chris2048 6y ago
  There are lots of stupid, low-effort jokes that are little more than obvious tribal reference and hat tips. Allow one thing, it's hard not to allow them all; and in a subjective, memetically-active area with lots of easily-amused eyeballs around, stupid jokes end up deluging niche topics. That said, a clever joke often manages to evade the downvotes, effectively meaning there's just a high-bar for humour. YA-TWSS need not apply.
klyrs 6y ago
I've experimented with jokes. That isn't a cheap shot or pun, and it isn't the only thing I've got to say. But even if a cold truth said starkly gets a laugh, I don't really call it a joke, personally. I usually don't call people assholes here, either, but this is just one of those lines that professors really must not cross but it's distressingly unsurprising.
kjs3 6y ago
Sigh...yeah...first thing I thought was "are you sure" then "how can you tell the difference", but knew I'd get tut-tutted about how 'that's not what we want on HN'.

> Dummies are way cheaper than grad students. It's painful to read a statement like that, knowing that HN is largely intolerant of jokes. Holding them back is very painful.

tomcam 6y ago

> HN is largely intolerant of jokes. That has also been difficult for me. This cohort is sublimely brilliant in many ways and I treasure that, but it almost seems to be at the price of a sense of humor. Another thing I've found is that simply asking questions often gets treated as an act of aggression. I have tried lots of ways of being more diplomatic and have failed completely. I will accept this as a shortcoming of my own, and I truly have attempted to be nicer somehow. My new solution is to ask them and just take the downvotes on the hopes that I also get a thoughtful answer. Doesn't work very well.

z3t4 6y ago
Dont worry about the downvotes, you will gain them back when you post popular opinions or sensational news ;) But you can help by upvoting good questions, and things you do not agree with if its presented with facts. And upvote buried posts you think was wrongly downvoted.
- tomcam 6y ago
  Thanks for the pointers. I do indeed upvote good stuff even if I disagree, and buried posts (I like to check the New section regularly).
throwaway_pdp09 6y ago
I get the no jokes thing. Most jokes aren't funny (most assuredly includes mine when I've tried here). As for asking questions, I don't see that. I can post contentious stuff which gets downvoted without any constructive response (eg. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24118034 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24118034) but normally asking questions gets a helpful, polite response from others.
- tomcam 6y ago
  > I don't see that. Glad to hear it. Could just be me, or that I have an abrasive way of asking questions. Have tried for a couple of years to regulate my behavior that way, but just haven't got the knack and recently decided to give up. Now I ask and just take the downvotes.
  - throwaway_pdp09 6y ago
    Peeked at your history (stalker alert). Your questions look ok. Don't worry about it.
    - tomcam 6y ago
      Thanks kindly. I have tried to be better behaved because I am a guest in this house.
praptak 6y ago
I think HN tolerance for jokes is exactly where it needs to be. Some good and non-obvious jokes make it through. Anything more would degrade into the stream of low effort humor which makes many other forums painful to read.
- tomcam 6y ago
  I think you are probably right.
- mumblemumble 6y ago
  For those who weren't there and don't bear the scars, some keywords to Google: first post grits Natalie Portman in Soviet Russia... CowboyNeal
Chris2048 6y ago
There are lots of stupid, low-effort jokes that are little more than obvious tribal reference and hat tips. Allow one thing, it's hard not to allow them all; and in a subjective, memetically-active area with lots of easily-amused eyeballs around, stupid jokes end up deluging niche topics. That said, a clever joke often manages to evade the downvotes, effectively meaning there's just a high-bar for humour. YA-TWSS need not apply.

klyrs 6y ago

I've experimented with jokes. That isn't a cheap shot or pun, and it isn't the only thing I've got to say. But even if a cold truth said starkly gets a laugh, I don't really call it a joke, personally. I usually don't call people assholes here, either, but this is just one of those lines that professors really must not cross but it's distressingly unsurprising.

kjs3 6y ago

Sigh...yeah...first thing I thought was "are you sure" then "how can you tell the difference", but knew I'd get tut-tutted about how 'that's not what we want on HN'.