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It subtracts value from the site. It's getting really, really old. Critical thought doesn't seem welcome here.
by penguindev 12y ago
It subtracts value from the site. It's getting really, really old. Critical thought doesn't seem welcome here.
- peterwwillis 12y agoDepends what you mean by critical thought. 'Critical' as in "expressing adverse or disapproving comments or judgments"? Nope, not welcome. 'Critical' as in "crucial or highly important", or "able to discern"? Sure, that's welcome. The criteria for comments on HN is actually fairly demanding [https://news.ycombinator.com/newswelcome.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newswelcome.html]. If your comment does not teach something, if it's not positive or civil, or if it's rude or dumb, it's basically supposed to be downvoted automatically. The kinds of comments that get downvoted the most are negative ones (obviously), followed by generalized opinions, attempts at jokes, politics, and finally, meta-complaints about the discourse on HN. In doing so, it raises the value of the site for people who don't find those kind of comments deeply interesting. On a personal level, it gets really, really old when people complain about how unfairly other people treat them. If you're getting downvoted and you don't want to be downvoted, either change your tune to get upvotes, move on to a community that likes you the way you are, or stop caring if you're downvoted or not.