> most HN users on all sides would. Such a rift would kill the community. What good would that do?
Who are you excluding today with your actions? How do you know it would kill the community? I actually don't think so — the Rust community, thriving by any metric, has very strict codes of conduct. That's because the Rust community correctly optimizes for the safety of marginalized people over political diversity.
I know plenty of people that do not participate on HN today because of moderation that cares more about tone than content. Why not ban all the fascists and welcome those people? I promise that the sky won't fall.
Yes, I disagree with the premise that HN should be "dedicated to intellectual curiosity". This forum is way too important for that. For example, getting your side project on the front page of HN can have a large material impact on your life. Too many people are excluded from that today — they simply do not feel safe participating here.
You will necessarily make some groups of people feel unsafe and excluded. This is the basic truth about large communities. The question comes down to who you're going to care about: gay people or homophobes, for example. Immigrants or nativists. People affected by the structural injustices in the tech industry, or people that proudly support the same injustices. These are all mutually exclusive choices. Choose carefully.
> most HN users on all sides would. Such a rift would kill the community. What good would that do?
Who are you excluding today with your actions? How do you know it would kill the community? I actually don't think so — the Rust community, thriving by any metric, has very strict codes of conduct. That's because the Rust community correctly optimizes for the safety of marginalized people over political diversity.
I know plenty of people that do not participate on HN today because of moderation that cares more about tone than content. Why not ban all the fascists and welcome those people? I promise that the sky won't fall.
Yes, I disagree with the premise that HN should be "dedicated to intellectual curiosity". This forum is way too important for that. For example, getting your side project on the front page of HN can have a large material impact on your life. Too many people are excluded from that today — they simply do not feel safe participating here.
You will necessarily make some groups of people feel unsafe and excluded. This is the basic truth about large communities. The question comes down to who you're going to care about: gay people or homophobes, for example. Immigrants or nativists. People affected by the structural injustices in the tech industry, or people that proudly support the same injustices. These are all mutually exclusive choices. Choose carefully.