Of course comments are going to be mostly negative. Including this one.
HN doesn't really have a problem with vacuous comments like "this is great" or "this is shit" which are equally as bad as each other since they add nothing of value. Those get downvoted. Commenters shouldn't be putting people down without saying anything constructive, but it's not our job to bolster anyone's ego with boundless support and positivity either.
The main purpose of comments is to provide criticism, or point out things that are similar that others might be interested in as a follow-up on a good article.
As a result that's going to come across as either negative (picking holes, focusing on what's wrong - since that's what criticism mainly consists of), or derisory (this isn't new, here's a bunch of similar stuff). In both cases there may not be any intention of malice or even a negative tone to the comment, but unless the author sugar-coats everything by adding weasel phrases like "this is awesome but...", it's going to come across as negative by default.
Comments can also contain questions, which can often read as criticism/negativity. E.g. "why does this exist when there is already Foo?". How one chooses to interpret comments like these is up to the reader. I find it's best to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. Never attribute to malice that which can be attributed to poor communication.
It's always nice to see or be able to comment along the lines of "this is awesome and here's why it's awesome" in a way that the explanation adds some value. But usually it's just redundant fluff and more ego stroking.
The reason these comments are less common isn't because western culture is broken, the education system is broken, or because the illuminati wants to oppress us by keeping us all demotivated. It's just because the opportunity for insightful, positive comments is much rarer than the opportunity for insightful, negative comments.
Positivity is nice and all, but I'd rather have zero comments than waste my time reading dozens of "this is great" me-too comments. Insightfulness is a million times more important than positivity.
It's not about people showing off how clever they are, it's about commenters doing what commenters are supposed to do: provide commentary and criticism that adds value. If you want to immerse yourself in positive comments, there are plenty of Reddit circlejerks that do just that. HN is not that. If you think HN is negative, try reading Slashdot for a month instead. You'll appreciate just how good HN comments really are when you come back.
HN doesn't really have a problem with vacuous comments like "this is great" or "this is shit" which are equally as bad as each other since they add nothing of value. Those get downvoted. Commenters shouldn't be putting people down without saying anything constructive, but it's not our job to bolster anyone's ego with boundless support and positivity either.
The main purpose of comments is to provide criticism, or point out things that are similar that others might be interested in as a follow-up on a good article.
As a result that's going to come across as either negative (picking holes, focusing on what's wrong - since that's what criticism mainly consists of), or derisory (this isn't new, here's a bunch of similar stuff). In both cases there may not be any intention of malice or even a negative tone to the comment, but unless the author sugar-coats everything by adding weasel phrases like "this is awesome but...", it's going to come across as negative by default.
Comments can also contain questions, which can often read as criticism/negativity. E.g. "why does this exist when there is already Foo?". How one chooses to interpret comments like these is up to the reader. I find it's best to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. Never attribute to malice that which can be attributed to poor communication.
It's always nice to see or be able to comment along the lines of "this is awesome and here's why it's awesome" in a way that the explanation adds some value. But usually it's just redundant fluff and more ego stroking.
The reason these comments are less common isn't because western culture is broken, the education system is broken, or because the illuminati wants to oppress us by keeping us all demotivated. It's just because the opportunity for insightful, positive comments is much rarer than the opportunity for insightful, negative comments.
Positivity is nice and all, but I'd rather have zero comments than waste my time reading dozens of "this is great" me-too comments. Insightfulness is a million times more important than positivity.
It's not about people showing off how clever they are, it's about commenters doing what commenters are supposed to do: provide commentary and criticism that adds value. If you want to immerse yourself in positive comments, there are plenty of Reddit circlejerks that do just that. HN is not that. If you think HN is negative, try reading Slashdot for a month instead. You'll appreciate just how good HN comments really are when you come back.
The system works. Mostly.