Ask HN: Why is Hacker News flagging any negative conversations about vaccine?
Just saw a completely innocuous post get flagged. Is this place really going to resort to thought policing? I thought this site was a place for ideas to stand on their own not get battered down because they don't fit your own beliefs.
13 comments
This will get flagged fast. The more innocuous reason is because they are "boring" and just rehashing the same stuff or something that was on Joe Rogan doesn't meet the standard of what should be on the site, same as if it was "Eminem buys an NFT" which was also flagged today
I do feel like recently this site has become more intolerant of any sort of dissent from mainstream views though. Or at least asymmetrical: the same "boring" covid cheerleader posts are allowed to stand while anything saying we've gone too far is flagged. I think we'd be better off talking about it less overall.
I do feel like recently this site has become more intolerant of any sort of dissent from mainstream views though. Or at least asymmetrical: the same "boring" covid cheerleader posts are allowed to stand while anything saying we've gone too far is flagged. I think we'd be better off talking about it less overall.
what point was the "innocuous" post making?
They aren't tech related and don't offer any new information. It is the same arguments over and over.
Also, this site is not all that interested in free and open debate anymore. This aspect has been diminishing for years. It is better moderated than some other sites though which is why it has hung on for this long.
Also, this site is not all that interested in free and open debate anymore. This aspect has been diminishing for years. It is better moderated than some other sites though which is why it has hung on for this long.
There were two articles about Betty White dying on the front page yesterday. How is that even remotely tech related?
I flag those but it is a Sisyphean task.
> They aren't tech related and don't offer any new information. It is the same arguments over and over.
But that's true of articles on the same topic but with the opposite opinions, but they don't get flagged as often.
But that's true of articles on the same topic but with the opposite opinions, but they don't get flagged as often.
My opinion?
Hacker culture was originally predominantly skeptics, the type that resist authority and think for themselves. Over time, the original hackers were diluted to the point of being on the margins of the tech scene. This happens to all subcultures that become 'cool'.
So, once programming became more established it found a wider audience, and a certain type of risk intolerant, rigid minded person became attracted to the scene, due to the structured nature of programming. These people and others of similar thinking are the least likely to consider they are wrong, and are the ones so opposed to anything that challenges the narrative they've been telling themselves.
The number of people willing to skeptically challenge prevailing opinions has always been fairly low. Most of the people I know want the comfort of absolute belief, even the nonreligious people.
I've worked with hundreds of developers and this has been my experience. Think of this anecdote what you will.
Hacker culture was originally predominantly skeptics, the type that resist authority and think for themselves. Over time, the original hackers were diluted to the point of being on the margins of the tech scene. This happens to all subcultures that become 'cool'.
So, once programming became more established it found a wider audience, and a certain type of risk intolerant, rigid minded person became attracted to the scene, due to the structured nature of programming. These people and others of similar thinking are the least likely to consider they are wrong, and are the ones so opposed to anything that challenges the narrative they've been telling themselves.
The number of people willing to skeptically challenge prevailing opinions has always been fairly low. Most of the people I know want the comfort of absolute belief, even the nonreligious people.
I've worked with hundreds of developers and this has been my experience. Think of this anecdote what you will.
interesting take that coincides with some of my own observations
How does flagging work on HN? Mods or user initiated?
User initiated though moderators can also do it. Your account has negative karma and you don't see the 'flag' and 'vouch' links yet. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsfaq.html
I believe that flag (and, I presume, vouch) takes more karma than "not negative", though I don't recall what the threshold is.
According to https://github.com/minimaxir/hacker-news-undocumented#flaggi... it's 31.
Thought police. It's crazy.
Can't say I agree with everyone on everything but I'm not going out of my way to assault you with my non-expert opinion.
Can't say I agree with everyone on everything but I'm not going out of my way to assault you with my non-expert opinion.