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> HN is for topics that gratify intellectual curiosity I think that's the problem with a topic like this on HN. There will be little learning going on, with ma
by bachmeier 5y ago
> HN is for topics that gratify intellectual curiosity
I think that's the problem with a topic like this on HN. There will be little learning going on, with many statements made with certainty by individuals that have never studied any of these concepts in any detail. The level of dismissal in the comments is itself a reason to pull the plug.
- dang 5y agoThat's certainly a big problem, but HN can't be a site for intellectual curiosity and at the same time exclude every story with political or ideological overlap. People sometimes imagine that that would be better, but only in the context of a specific story or thread they don't like. If you try to imagine it as a general policy it breaks down altogether. Nor would this community accept such severe restrictions on the range of topics. I don't think we have any choice but to patiently work together at having more thoughtful conversation. I've written extensively about this: https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&sort=byDate&type=comment&query=political%20overlap%20by:dang https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&so.... Some good threads to start with might be https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21607844 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21607844 and https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22902490 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22902490. If anyone has a question that hasn't been answered there, I'd like to know what it is, and if you know a better way for HN to relate to political topics while fulfilling its mandate of curiosity, I'd really like to know what it is. Just please familiarize yourself with the past material first, because if it's something simple like "just ban politics" or "just allow everything", I've answered many times already why it won't work.
- f38zf5vdt 5y agoIt feels like why subreddits or /pol/ exist: to segregate that to a place where people are most interested.
- dang 5y agoHN is a non-siloed site, meaning we don't have subreddits, or any of the other ways that large communities segregate themselves. Here we're all in one big room together, like it or not. It's always been that way and I think it's part of its DNA. This has advantages and disadvantages, as with all such design choices, but it's good to be conscious of what one's design actually is, since otherwise one might end up fucking with the DNA, which doesn't seem like a great idea. https://hn.algolia.com/?query=silo%20by%3Adang&dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&sort=byDate&type=comment https://hn.algolia.com/?query=silo%20by%3Adang&dateRange=all... https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23308098 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23308098
- Nicksil 5y ago>fucking with the DNA This is the first time I've "heard" you curse. I don't know, it was just a little jarring. Not in a bad way. Just... different, I guess. Well done.
- dang 5y agoPredictability is bad for curiosity :) I was going to link you to https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&query=by%3Adang%20fuck&sort=byDate&type=comment https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&que... but it looks like most of those are quoting other people.
- Miraste 5y agoLooks like he started using "fuck" outside of quotes in 2016. https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=4&prefix=true&query=fuck%20by%3Adang&sort=byDate&type=comment https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=4&prefix=true&que... Understandable.
- IshKebab 5y agoYou don't have to read the comments. The article itself was very good I thought.