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This really ought to be allowed a discussion here on HN. Given the influence that SV and tech culture has within the administration and that industry's reliance

This really ought to be allowed a discussion here on HN. Given the influence that SV and tech culture has within the administration and that industry's reliance on a large number of foreign workers and those in the US who started as such and became permanent residents and naturalized citizens, it is not without relevance here. Ditto the common thread in conversations here regarding a productive "move fast and break things" approach, when it becomes non-productive, and its current rapid application to US governmental changes directly from this industry. yes, it will get heated and there will in all likelihood be trolls and flames but also valid discussion, even if headway isn't made on anyone with an entrenched position, since we will all at least see a bit more detail and justification for those positions. If it can't be discussed, at least briefly for significant events of this sort if not for continuing coverage, that would be a pretty awful statement about this community and the influence to it. I'm more optimistic about that, but if that optimism doesn't show at least some small fruit amidst some toxicity well, that too is important to know about the current state of an industry that's supposed to be on the forefront of change and advancement.

zzzeek 2y ago
such a large part of what's going on extends directly from billionaire tech culture - Musk, Thiel, A16Z - this culture is where things like "we should annex Canada and Greenland" come from. It links closely to "countries should carefully engineer the racial makeup of their nations" as well as "Democracy is obsolete" - both concepts that require draconian and centralized authoritarian control over the lives of citizens both immigrant and non-immigrant alike, as we see now taking place in the US at breakneck speed. Hacker News is to some extent in this extremely rarefied zone where billionaire tech culture reaches out into the broader tech culture to find new recruits as well as where potential recruits seek connections to this club. This is why I think it's very important that "the other viewpoint" is presented here. Being a tech billionaire is inherently political; you can't be a tech billionaire and claim you aren't a heavily political figure (seriously, PG did a post on the evil of "Wokeness" of all things and the 1000+ comment thread went strong for days). HN's claimed desire to be "non political" is a ruse meant to favor the politics of tech billionaire culture to the exclusion of all others. edit: and there's the flag. please disperse, citizens!

zzzeek 2y ago

such a large part of what's going on extends directly from billionaire tech culture - Musk, Thiel, A16Z - this culture is where things like "we should annex Canada and Greenland" come from. It links closely to "countries should carefully engineer the racial makeup of their nations" as well as "Democracy is obsolete" - both concepts that require draconian and centralized authoritarian control over the lives of citizens both immigrant and non-immigrant alike, as we see now taking place in the US at breakneck speed. Hacker News is to some extent in this extremely rarefied zone where billionaire tech culture reaches out into the broader tech culture to find new recruits as well as where potential recruits seek connections to this club. This is why I think it's very important that "the other viewpoint" is presented here. Being a tech billionaire is inherently political; you can't be a tech billionaire and claim you aren't a heavily political figure (seriously, PG did a post on the evil of "Wokeness" of all things and the 1000+ comment thread went strong for days). HN's claimed desire to be "non political" is a ruse meant to favor the politics of tech billionaire culture to the exclusion of all others. edit: and there's the flag. please disperse, citizens!