Flagging is a way to keep flame wars off HN. The actual reasons why people flag a post aren't important; what's important is that without the option to flag, th

Flagging is a way to keep flame wars off HN. The actual reasons why people flag a post aren't important; what's important is that without the option to flag, these same people would almost certainly escalate a flame war instead as their passions get the better of them. This can of course be abused by "flagging rings", but it's a small price to pay for a mostly civil and on-topic front page.