Hackers clearly find these topics interesting - they get upvoted and spark debate. The problem is that if they spark excessively acrimonious debate, the topic g

Hackers clearly find these topics interesting - they get upvoted and spark debate. The problem is that if they spark excessively acrimonious debate, the topic gets treated as if it wasn't interesting in the first place. The stated aim is to avoid flamewars, not to avoid making people aware of controversial topics.