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It blows my mind how quickly everything even remotely critical of the trump administration gets flagged since they've taken office. While I'd expect some to get flagged, the speed and throughoutness of it is really unusual for HN.

I'm not American so the discussions were always interesting to read for me - but this time around, every thread I click on is dead by the time I see it. Never been like that since I've started frequenting HN in 2012



Conspiracy to me but it seems like coordinated flagging.

I've noticed on a local US subreddit any political action or protest is immediately swarmed by people criticizing it or calling it useless. The comments might end up down voted but the level of engagement far exceeds a typical thread.

Then looking through their comment history they're doing it across many other city subreddit. No trend of them being an active participant in any one location.


People have pointed out they flag politics here because it violates the rules. Simple as that


There won't be a "here" anymore because of the politics, at least not a recognizable here. That's the absurdity of trying to ignore the 800 lbs. gorilla in the room when he's bashing your head in. Sometimes, the rules need to change to adapt with unusual times. Because silence gives consent.


I don’t understand your comment and the new user status makes it suspect.

Either way, it’s against the rules. Discuss politics on Reddit they say, not here


On HN we discuss tech, which was mostly apolitical until Elon decided to make it very political. So yeah, politics is now in. I don't like it either, but you'll have to take it up with him. Flag all you want, it's not going away until that situation changes.


Technology was never apolitical.

Silicon Valley sprung up from the military industrial complex.

One of Tesla’s main driving forces was to ease the burden of the common man.


I said “mostly” , and that was a different era.

The military-industrial complex is well supported by both parties (sadly) so not really a “political issue” in today’s sense.


Politics has been discussed here for as long as I can remember.

And I’ve been a member for a pretty long time now.


I don’t say that it doesn’t happen (it is right now). I said it’s against the rules and that’s why the flags happen


Nah. Politics happily stays when it comes to promotion of home schooling and what not.


Yeah, that's BS. Which rule specifically is this post violating?


https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

I didn’t flag I’m just addressing the comments


everything is politics


Sure, but the US president and his latest asinine crusade is more political than the 3D printed robot arm that's a few links ahead of this one currently

It's a gradient, where everyone has an individually-set line, I won't disagree with you there. Some things cross a majority of people's line though, and other topics do not


There's so many prolific posters here debating the same simple facts over and over, pointing out they don't care about a discussion without contributing any of it. But surely all that weird stuff we see cannot possibly ever influence flagging, because the people who state their motivations for flagging are the only people who flag. If anyone did anything fishy they'd just say it, obviously.

You cannot "point out" an internal motivation anyway, you can only claim it. At this point, the question "why should I believe you?" seems an appropriate response, since not a single one of them I've seen could explain why why they don't click "hide" instead of "flag". Or allow people to opt-in to a view that ignores flags. Can you?

And hey, there's a link in the footer of every page to something that mentions Musk of a group of "the world’s top AI experts", to garner interest in a "100% free conference and every attendee is hand-picked." But that has nothing to do with anything, either.

I'd say some people bank on fascism winning but also don't want to be seen in case fascism doesn't win. Trapped between two kinds cowardice. Simple as that.


much handwringing and I have no idea what your point is? There’s guidelines and people flag when they think it violates the guidelines? I did t flag but am just sharing what I’ve seen. If you don’t like the guidelines, send your political monologue to the mods and see if they care


> send your political monologue to the mods and see if they care

I already did, they also got nothing ^^


you disproved your own point. Congratulations




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