I agree it's not the same as mods literally removing content or banning users but it still yields the same result. People observe what type of thought gets upvo

I agree it's not the same as mods literally removing content or banning users but it still yields the same result. People observe what type of thought gets upvotes and repeat those views/opinions over and over. This of course is exactly how reddit works too outside of mods. > hopefully means that those downvoting are somewhat good citizens. Definitely not. It only takes a few flags on HN to completely remove something from the front-page. It only takes a few downvotes to grey it nothingness.