There's a lot of populations on HN. Some of us avoid those topics like the plague. So no general indictment can be made.

Those topics are poisonous because they can't be driven to a conclusion in two paragraphs or less. And most everything's been said, so they run in circles rehashing tired points. Not to say they aren't important topics. But it takes an essay of 100 pages to cover all the ground, or a PhD even. But everybody has opinions, often based on whatever they just were thinking about. Their arguments come off as sophomoric (which they mostly are). Folks point that out, and away they spin.