Because when people's belief systems are threatened, they react as if they are being personally attacked. Apple's cult following is treated as a religion by it

Because when people's belief systems are threatened, they react as if they are being personally attacked. Apple's cult following is treated as a religion by its fans. I see this with religions or cults that attack others who criticize them with similar tactics: denial, obfuscation, manipulation, deflection, shaming, name-calling, threats, etc. Aside from technical criticisms - which the tech community in HN values and encourages, a different and recent example is that of long time labor abuses. The initial articles have not gathered enough attention, but once they did, you start to notice some user burying and flagging. They have just recently resurfaced due to more evidence being discovered. Apple: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25570247 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25570247 Tesla: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25360432 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25360432 Sometimes you have to punch your way into brainwashed people's minds to make them see the truth (ex: overwhelm them with evidence).