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I have great respect for Mandela, but I have flagged this story because it's causing so much political flaming. "Please avoid introducing classic flamewar topi
by apsec112 13y ago
I have great respect for Mandela, but I have flagged this story because it's causing so much political flaming.
"Please avoid introducing classic flamewar topics unless you have something genuinely new to say about them."
"The worst thing to post or upvote is something that's intensely but shallowly interesting. Gossip about famous people, funny or cute pictures or videos, partisan political articles, etc. If you let that sort of thing onto a news site, it will push aside the deeply interesting stuff, which tends to be quieter."
(with reference to the comments here, not the story itself)
- richardjordan 13y agoHe's one of the most important world figures of the second half of the 20th century. Pretty legitimate news topic given the other non-tech topics that get plugged into this feed nowadays.
- waterlesscloud 13y agoTrue, but it's also true over half this thread is political flame-warring.
- rimantas 13y agoCan you explain why he was one of the most important world figures, not jus African? I am start to suspect there is some white guilt involved :(
- richardjordan 13y agoif that's what you suspect then you're grossly ignorant of world affairs for the second half of the 20th century
- CanSpice 13y agoYou should probably flag the comments instead of the story, then. This is hardly gossip about someone famous, or shallowly interesting news.
- dredmorbius 13y agoDiscord and disagreement are not of themselves bad things. Mandela was one of the greatest humans of the 20th (and early 21st) century. His death is notable. He was hugely polarizing during his lifetime, condemned as a terrorist not only by the government he was fighting against, but by heads of state of the US and England, among others. He was also awarded the Nobel Peace Prize (not an infallible measure of greatness). More notably, on being elected president following release from prison after 27 years, he sought not revenge but reconciliation. South Africa continues to face tremendous problems, but thanks to him, his leadership, and his example it's doing far better than many who observed it during the 1970s and 1980s could have anticipated. As for relevance and modern messages: today's Mandelas would all but certainly be making use of technology and hacker tools, directly or indirectly. This would expose them to the benefits (reach and soapboax) and disadvantages (surveillance, baiting and trolling, misrepresentation). There are lessons for those who are designing, building, and running systems, including HN itself to figure out how to promote the best features while minimizing the negatives. And there's simply his example: working for conciliation, peace, and betterment, despite a complex past. As he said: "I am not a saint, unless by a saint you mean a sinner who keeps on trying".
- scoot 13y ago"If you flag something, please don't also comment that you did."
- rodgerd 13y agoMandela is hardly a flamewar topic outside the unreconstructed racists who left South Africa for places like Australia and New Zealand once they lost their hegemony at "home", and their fellow-travellers (such as Thatcher). It says more about denizens of Hacker News that there are so many of apartheid's useful idiots here than it does about Mandela.
- mikeash 13y agoI agree with the idea in general that stories which generate flame wars should be kept off the site. But this story is important and deserves to be at the top. The fault here lies not with the story, but with the commenters.
- dinkumthinkum 13y agoIt's really interesting that Nelson Mandela is a flamewar topic here. Somehow, I'm not surprised.