Stories about politics and the war in Ukraine are off-topic[0], so being sad that off-topic conversations are being "stifled" by flags is like complaining that

Stories about politics and the war in Ukraine are off-topic[0], so being sad that off-topic conversations are being "stifled" by flags is like complaining that your book club refuses to discuss wrestling, or your gym not allowing you to use a weight bench for knitting[1]. There are lots of forums for discussing politics and world affairs. HN is not one of them. [0] From https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html: > If they'd cover it on TV news, it's probably off-topic. [1] You may really admire the physique of the people who work out there, but that doesn't give you the right to use the space differently than intended.