4 ms·

Hacker News is great precisely because it is very much _not_ a free speech paradise.

• exodust 4y ago
  Maybe it would be even greater as a free speech paradise, where we could express opinions in the words and manner we choose. Perhaps some kind of "HN gloves off" mode might work. Or HN After Dark. Then the traditional civil mode could be retained, while allowing the more wild tangents to run their course in a separate but related area or mode. I think this is inevitable for online discussion. Politicians have their formal, respectful discourse zones, but gloves come off in certain places and contexts where heated exchange is not only acceptable, but expected. And these are the people running things. So to deny the same for the general population, will never sit well.
  • erk__ 4y ago
    Well you can just turn on showdead in the options, by far most of the dead comments are not really adding anything useful to conversations
    • exodust 4y ago
      Dead comments can be useful, just like civil comments can be useless. Free speech doesn't make assumptions, it says "yes, the kitchen can get hot".
• logicalmonster 4y ago
  For some people this is enough: but HackerNews is only great for discussion within the context of socially acceptable topics. Want to have some open and honest discussions about programming languages, databases, APIs, careers, or math? There are few places where you can read more interesting and intelligent discussions on things like this. Want to have some civil, but honest discussion about anything truly contentious: say race, religion, crime, homelessness, foreign affairs, IQ, sexuality, immigration, etc? Fully open and honest discussions on these sorts of topics are just not possible unless you have a very commonplace and milquetoast viewpoint.