4 ms·

Is there a karma level on HN where you can downvote articles? I can down and upvote comments, but only upvote articles. Will there be a point in my karma life

Is there a karma level on HN where you can downvote articles? I can down and upvote comments, but only upvote articles. Will there be a point in my karma life when I can downvote a submission like this?

pkdpic 5y ago
Thats a good question.
greenyoda 5y ago
Nobody can downvote articles on HN. However, if an article is off-topic or otherwise violates site guidelines, you can flag it. I don't think this article should be flagged however, since it's a rare glimpse into how the Chinese Communist Party tries to influence world opinion (although I doubt many could be convinced that China is a democracy).
- baash05 5y ago
  Off topic? I just read an article about Sesame Street, and followed it up with an article about tornados, followed by a video of "Planes I see from my front yard." I'm not sure what topic HN really falls under.
  - greenyoda 5y ago
    It's discussed in the first couple of paragraphs of the HN Guidelines: https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
hillcrestenigma 5y ago
I just thought that this whitepaper from the Chinese government was interesting to share. I do recognise that the whitepaper is propaganda but not all my submissions have to reflect my thoughts and opinions. Given that Hacker News occasionally has discussions on politics I believe that it is fitting to share, propaganda or not.
- celticninja 5y ago
  Sharing propaganda is never a good idea. The only benefit is to the producers of the propaganda.
  - simonblack 5y ago
    Except that: "Who is it that gets to define what is propaganda and what isn't?" The West is no more blameable or blameless than anybody else. Many of the West's 'truths' have been later discovered to be 'lies'. Remember Saddam's WMDs? Remember those nasty Huns spiking Belgian babies with their bayonets? Remember the Vietnamese gunboats attacking a US destroyer in the 'Tonkin Gulf Incident"? Remember the Soviets sneakily placing nukes in Cuba, whereas the US would never, never have sneakily placed similar nukes in Turkey months and months long before that? If you always listen only to one set of propaganda you'll never be able to see what the objective facts are likely to be. It's called 'Confirmation Bias". Be prepared to spend time looking at lots of other viewpoints. Most of them eventually cancel each other out, leaving a solid core of 'probable truth'.
    - celticninja 5y ago
      I can find evidence of my governments lies, many of their coverups fail. I don't assume I am dealing with an honest bunch of politicians. You can't do that in China. Pro govt propaganda in the West is usually pulled apart by an independent media, electoral safe guards also help identify wrongdoing. You cannot do that in China, there is one story, theirs, that's it. Question it and you get disappeared. The net effect is you cannot trust any news from China, unless that news was reported and then quickly scrubbed from the Chinese internet. In those case the story is almost certainly true.
    - moistly 5y ago
      Listening to yet more propaganda is not the way to find objective facts! Reject all propaganda.
      - simonblack 5y ago
vanusa 5y ago
I think it should be upvoted, actually - for showcasing just how bonkers the CPC really is.
dane-pgp 5y ago
Here's a guide to how it doesn't work: * 1 point - unlocks commenting * 5 points - unlocks submissions * 10 points - unlocks "ask" * 50 points - unlocks "show" * 100 points - unlocks flagging comments * 500 points - unlocks downvoting comments * 1000 points - unlocks flagging submissions * 5000 points - unlocks downvoting submissions * 10000 points - unlocks editing/deleting your own comments/submissions of any age * 50000 points - unlocks editing/deleting other people's comments/submissions of any age (i.e. mod status) * 100000 points - unlocks selection by YC for your startup

pkdpic 5y ago

Thats a good question.

greenyoda 5y ago

Nobody can downvote articles on HN. However, if an article is off-topic or otherwise violates site guidelines, you can flag it. I don't think this article should be flagged however, since it's a rare glimpse into how the Chinese Communist Party tries to influence world opinion (although I doubt many could be convinced that China is a democracy).

baash05 5y ago
Off topic? I just read an article about Sesame Street, and followed it up with an article about tornados, followed by a video of "Planes I see from my front yard." I'm not sure what topic HN really falls under.
- greenyoda 5y ago
  It's discussed in the first couple of paragraphs of the HN Guidelines: https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

hillcrestenigma 5y ago

I just thought that this whitepaper from the Chinese government was interesting to share. I do recognise that the whitepaper is propaganda but not all my submissions have to reflect my thoughts and opinions. Given that Hacker News occasionally has discussions on politics I believe that it is fitting to share, propaganda or not.

celticninja 5y ago
Sharing propaganda is never a good idea. The only benefit is to the producers of the propaganda.
- simonblack 5y ago
  Except that: "Who is it that gets to define what is propaganda and what isn't?" The West is no more blameable or blameless than anybody else. Many of the West's 'truths' have been later discovered to be 'lies'. Remember Saddam's WMDs? Remember those nasty Huns spiking Belgian babies with their bayonets? Remember the Vietnamese gunboats attacking a US destroyer in the 'Tonkin Gulf Incident"? Remember the Soviets sneakily placing nukes in Cuba, whereas the US would never, never have sneakily placed similar nukes in Turkey months and months long before that? If you always listen only to one set of propaganda you'll never be able to see what the objective facts are likely to be. It's called 'Confirmation Bias". Be prepared to spend time looking at lots of other viewpoints. Most of them eventually cancel each other out, leaving a solid core of 'probable truth'.
  - celticninja 5y ago
    I can find evidence of my governments lies, many of their coverups fail. I don't assume I am dealing with an honest bunch of politicians. You can't do that in China. Pro govt propaganda in the West is usually pulled apart by an independent media, electoral safe guards also help identify wrongdoing. You cannot do that in China, there is one story, theirs, that's it. Question it and you get disappeared. The net effect is you cannot trust any news from China, unless that news was reported and then quickly scrubbed from the Chinese internet. In those case the story is almost certainly true.
  - moistly 5y ago
    Listening to yet more propaganda is not the way to find objective facts! Reject all propaganda.
    - simonblack 5y ago

vanusa 5y ago

I think it should be upvoted, actually - for showcasing just how bonkers the CPC really is.

dane-pgp 5y ago

Here's a guide to how it doesn't work: * 1 point - unlocks commenting * 5 points - unlocks submissions * 10 points - unlocks "ask" * 50 points - unlocks "show" * 100 points - unlocks flagging comments * 500 points - unlocks downvoting comments * 1000 points - unlocks flagging submissions * 5000 points - unlocks downvoting submissions * 10000 points - unlocks editing/deleting your own comments/submissions of any age * 50000 points - unlocks editing/deleting other people's comments/submissions of any age (i.e. mod status) * 100000 points - unlocks selection by YC for your startup