3 ms·

There's a fair bit of antagonism and peculiar beliefs from what I saw. Referring to HN as "mostly Marxist" is a prime example.

gffbkugf 5y ago
that may just be because hn is neolib city
xupybd 5y ago
Yeah the comments are all political and some are less than friendly in their tone. I've found that going too partisan on HN ends in down votes. I'd probably agree with some of the politics they're pushing but I'd avoid bringing that discussion here. It doesn't fit with the rules here and I think the rules here are responsible for one of the friendliest environments online.
- inglor_cz 5y ago
  Plus, it is likely untrue as well. I am a kid from behind the Iron Curtain and I met quite a bit of Marxist thinking in the real world, including former Communist ideologues (I mean, people who were paid by the Central Committee to develop and spread the ideology full time, not just amateurs). But HN does not seem to be "mostly Marxist", though there are a few "eat the rich" commenters, as everywhere; but definitely a minority. American Reddit seems, on average, quite a lot more left leaning than HN. I guess programmers are too individualist to be attracted to Marxism en masse. Also, highly paid employees tend to feel the brunt of the current Western taxation policy, because they have fewer loopholes to use and they tend to live in high CoL areas at the same time.
  - naruvimama 5y ago
    Marxist can mean many things. It is clear in the former soviet states or in the western world. However, Marxism is a global project. In India for instance Marxists are mercenaries for hire. The network built by the soviets and later coopted by the Americans have their tentacles deep in the English press and universities. So they do control school textbooks and the minds of the English educated urban kids. But sooner or later kids figure out this propaganda. And anyway social "sciences" is not what the bright kids aspire to learn.
    - ctrlp 5y ago
      The Marxist downvoters are out in force today. Well done, comrades!
- ctrlp 5y ago
  Even the friendliest forums a liable to politicization during times of political upheaval. 2020-2021 should qualify, imho. Should we ensure HN is a safe place to talk about Rust, compilers, space, css, etc, even as the world is under strict pandemic politics and dissension is raging? Or should we use this niche community try to gather and influence each other's political thinking before it becomes illegal? All the hot topics are technical -- we are living through a technocratic revolution.
  - mkr-hn 5y ago
    HN has improved at hosting discussions on the intersection of tech and politics over the years, but it has a long way to go. Most threads on it still turn into slap fights within an hour.
    - ctrlp 5y ago
      How dare you! [0][1][2][3][4]
naruvimama 5y ago
Just like in the real world, there certainly are ideological groups. While some are adhoc others are highly organized. So once you are on target or even a mild comment that challenges their ideology gets heavily down voted. We see the long terms effects of this behavior in the real world, not just individuals but institutions stay away from questioning certain ideologies as a norm.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]

gffbkugf 5y ago

that may just be because hn is neolib city

xupybd 5y ago

Yeah the comments are all political and some are less than friendly in their tone. I've found that going too partisan on HN ends in down votes. I'd probably agree with some of the politics they're pushing but I'd avoid bringing that discussion here. It doesn't fit with the rules here and I think the rules here are responsible for one of the friendliest environments online.

inglor_cz 5y ago
Plus, it is likely untrue as well. I am a kid from behind the Iron Curtain and I met quite a bit of Marxist thinking in the real world, including former Communist ideologues (I mean, people who were paid by the Central Committee to develop and spread the ideology full time, not just amateurs). But HN does not seem to be "mostly Marxist", though there are a few "eat the rich" commenters, as everywhere; but definitely a minority. American Reddit seems, on average, quite a lot more left leaning than HN. I guess programmers are too individualist to be attracted to Marxism en masse. Also, highly paid employees tend to feel the brunt of the current Western taxation policy, because they have fewer loopholes to use and they tend to live in high CoL areas at the same time.
- naruvimama 5y ago
  Marxist can mean many things. It is clear in the former soviet states or in the western world. However, Marxism is a global project. In India for instance Marxists are mercenaries for hire. The network built by the soviets and later coopted by the Americans have their tentacles deep in the English press and universities. So they do control school textbooks and the minds of the English educated urban kids. But sooner or later kids figure out this propaganda. And anyway social "sciences" is not what the bright kids aspire to learn.
  - ctrlp 5y ago
    The Marxist downvoters are out in force today. Well done, comrades!
ctrlp 5y ago
Even the friendliest forums a liable to politicization during times of political upheaval. 2020-2021 should qualify, imho. Should we ensure HN is a safe place to talk about Rust, compilers, space, css, etc, even as the world is under strict pandemic politics and dissension is raging? Or should we use this niche community try to gather and influence each other's political thinking before it becomes illegal? All the hot topics are technical -- we are living through a technocratic revolution.
- mkr-hn 5y ago
  HN has improved at hosting discussions on the intersection of tech and politics over the years, but it has a long way to go. Most threads on it still turn into slap fights within an hour.
  - ctrlp 5y ago
    How dare you! [0][1][2][3][4]

naruvimama 5y ago

Just like in the real world, there certainly are ideological groups. While some are adhoc others are highly organized. So once you are on target or even a mild comment that challenges their ideology gets heavily down voted. We see the long terms effects of this behavior in the real world, not just individuals but institutions stay away from questioning certain ideologies as a norm.

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]