"But -- oh, I forgot, he's American. He's a white guy. He's part of the elite. He gets to wash away his mistakes. We all know that the only people in America who are accountable for their mistakes are the poor minorities."

This is the type of comment that goes against the spirit of HN, not what mychael posted. If the above quote doesn't sound needlessly inflammatory and discriminatory to you, you need to get some perspective.

It's disappointing to read this kind of curt dismissal here, and I feel that it goes very much against the spirit of the Hacker News forum. Instead of directing people to other venues, please take responsibility for your own actions and do your level best to elevate the conversation.