Yes, and I believe that's consistent with my point. It generally fits your bias, so in your view the range of discussion seems comfortable and optimal. That's precisely what I'm saying.
So, for example, I could make an anticapitalist statement, or say something about how I don't think Paul Graham (or some other HN prophet) has ever uttered a philosophically novel or interesting idea, and I'd be downvoted to hell because dissent on those topics is verboten.
That may be true (although there may be a constructive way of phrasing an idea such that that doesn't happen, I don't know), but I don't think anyone would try to doxx you or have you fired for saying so. Do you agree?
That seems like a reasonable threshold? I should feel like this is a forum for nuanced discussion so long as nobody seeks to harm me personally? I hadn't even thought of that, but now that you raise it, I think I'll sign off.
I didn't intend to say that it's a reasonable threshold. I think of it more like Maslow's hierarchy, and IMO Hacker News is significantly higher than, say, Twitter.
Yes, perhaps that's part of the fatal flaw here, aside from the disagreeable people. But I have indeed had comments removed by a moderator that were nothing more sinister than dissent.
You would be downvoted because you wouldn’t be saying anything of value. I don’t care at all about pg and I care even less if an armchair philosopher who doesn’t like capitalism doesn’t like YC or it’s founder (shocker!).
agreed on the anti-capitalist part but to the credit of HN the last time I commented on something related to Paul Graham I think I wrote a pretty harsh comment (IIRC it was about haters) and people weren't downvoting and the entire thread in fact was pretty dismissive of it, because it honestly was a pretty bad piece in an awful tone.
It's somewhat better here than say, on an average subreddit.
So, for example, I could make an anticapitalist statement, or say something about how I don't think Paul Graham (or some other HN prophet) has ever uttered a philosophically novel or interesting idea, and I'd be downvoted to hell because dissent on those topics is verboten.