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The volume of threads alone does not tell the full story because the visibility of controversial content is just as important as its existence. Even if thousand

The volume of threads alone does not tell the full story because the visibility of controversial content is just as important as its existence. Even if thousands of comments exist on topics, the way the platform functions means these stories quickly fall off the front page and limits their influence. HN guidelines also discourage political or activating content, making it less likely that stories about these urgent issues, such as Trump stealing $80 million in FEMA aid from New York, will even be posted. The destruction of the federal government is a more critical issue than the origins of Proto-Indo-European people because it directly affects millions of lives in tangible ways. Yes historical curiosities are valuable, but they do not carry the same immediate, material consequences as a government being hollowed out from within.

dang 2y ago
That's a fair point and it's true that some of the threads I listed fell off the front page quickly, but others were on the front page for 7 hours, 9 hours, 22 hours, 26 hours, and so on. > a more critical issue than the origins of Proto-Indo-European because it directly affects millions of lives For sure. I've made the same point many times over the years. I dug up a sample: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42413334 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42413334 (Dec 2024) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36885572 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36885572 (July 2023) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27486354 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27486354 (June 2021) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25766970 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25766970 (Jan 2021) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23332076 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23332076 (May 2020) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22902396 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22902396 (April 2020) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22644521 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22644521 (March 2020) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21152524 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21152524 (Oct 2019) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20453883 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20453883 (July 2019) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16968668 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16968668 (May 2018) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16581518 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16581518 (March 2018) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15948011 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15948011 (Dec 2017) The question isn't whether current events are more important than, say, "making my own basketball hoops" or "3rd century irrigation systems" or "Do spiders dream?" or any of the other obscure things that have spent time on HN's front page. Current events are far more important than these, and indeed almost anything on HN's front page. But if you're arguing that HN should prioritize stories by importance, then you're arguing that HN should become a current affairs site. That's not the mandate of the site. If you're not arguing that, then I think we agree in principle, and disagree only about the degree to which the valve for such stories should be open. I get that you think it should be opened further, and many users agree with you; but then, many users feel that it should be tightened further. We have to think about satisfying the whole community (as best we can), not just one constituency; and we have to think about preserving the site for its intended mandate, which could all too easily be washed away by a tsunami of legitimately more important stories.
- leanstartupnoob 2y ago
  I'd arguing that HN should take a stand against the unprecedented shift towards authoritarianism. At best be are in a new era of McCarthyism. At worst the entire federal government is going to crumble and be dissolved. This is not hyperbole! Trump and Elon have started the first round of firing federal workers. A friend's organization just laid off 1500 people because 80% of their funding comes from the federal government. Yes, HN is a special place. But your silence allows countless other special places to be destroyed. By the end of Trump's term HN might not even survive anyway.
  - dang 2y ago
    I hear you and I hear the other users expressing similar feelings, but what you guys need to understand is that the community is split on this, and the larger part does not want the frontpage to be taken over by this (or by anything else, presumably). The more repetitive these threads get, the lower-quality they become. The most recent ones have been truly terrible, by the standards of https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html. That's another key indicator of which way to adjust the valve. The more people are unable to discuss this topic thoughtfully, the further it drifts from the intended spirit of the site.

dang 2y ago

That's a fair point and it's true that some of the threads I listed fell off the front page quickly, but others were on the front page for 7 hours, 9 hours, 22 hours, 26 hours, and so on. > a more critical issue than the origins of Proto-Indo-European because it directly affects millions of lives For sure. I've made the same point many times over the years. I dug up a sample: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42413334 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42413334 (Dec 2024) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36885572 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36885572 (July 2023) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27486354 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27486354 (June 2021) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25766970 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25766970 (Jan 2021) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23332076 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23332076 (May 2020) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22902396 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22902396 (April 2020) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22644521 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22644521 (March 2020) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21152524 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21152524 (Oct 2019) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20453883 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20453883 (July 2019) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16968668 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16968668 (May 2018) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16581518 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16581518 (March 2018) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15948011 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15948011 (Dec 2017) The question isn't whether current events are more important than, say, "making my own basketball hoops" or "3rd century irrigation systems" or "Do spiders dream?" or any of the other obscure things that have spent time on HN's front page. Current events are far more important than these, and indeed almost anything on HN's front page. But if you're arguing that HN should prioritize stories by importance, then you're arguing that HN should become a current affairs site. That's not the mandate of the site. If you're not arguing that, then I think we agree in principle, and disagree only about the degree to which the valve for such stories should be open. I get that you think it should be opened further, and many users agree with you; but then, many users feel that it should be tightened further. We have to think about satisfying the whole community (as best we can), not just one constituency; and we have to think about preserving the site for its intended mandate, which could all too easily be washed away by a tsunami of legitimately more important stories.

leanstartupnoob 2y ago
I'd arguing that HN should take a stand against the unprecedented shift towards authoritarianism. At best be are in a new era of McCarthyism. At worst the entire federal government is going to crumble and be dissolved. This is not hyperbole! Trump and Elon have started the first round of firing federal workers. A friend's organization just laid off 1500 people because 80% of their funding comes from the federal government. Yes, HN is a special place. But your silence allows countless other special places to be destroyed. By the end of Trump's term HN might not even survive anyway.
- dang 2y ago
  I hear you and I hear the other users expressing similar feelings, but what you guys need to understand is that the community is split on this, and the larger part does not want the frontpage to be taken over by this (or by anything else, presumably). The more repetitive these threads get, the lower-quality they become. The most recent ones have been truly terrible, by the standards of https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html. That's another key indicator of which way to adjust the valve. The more people are unable to discuss this topic thoughtfully, the further it drifts from the intended spirit of the site.