“Briefly stated, the Gell-Mann Amnesia effect is as follows. You open the newspaper to an article on some subject you know well. In Murray’s case, physics. In mine, show business. You read the article and see the journalist has absolutely no understanding of either the facts or the issues. Often, the article is so wrong it actually presents the story backward—reversing cause and effect. I call these the “wet streets cause rain” stories. Paper’s full of them.

In any case, you read with exasperation or amusement the multiple errors in a story, and then turn the page to national or international affairs, and read as if the rest of the newspaper was somehow more accurate about Palestine than the baloney you just read. You turn the page, and forget what you know.”

– Michael Crichton (1942-2008)

> What if the assumed quality is an illusion and every discussion is actually as misinformed as this one, you just lack the knowledge to recognize it?

That would not be the entire explanation:

- I almost have bragging rights on certain topics and still find the discussions about said topics here on this site mostly good.

- Other people do actually have serious bragging rights and still continue to show up, so I guess HN isn't that bad.

Edit: although some of the reason for the last point could be the same as the reason why parents change diapers as pointed out a few hours or so ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23077102 ;-)

It's called Gellman amnesia but it's usually attributed to newspapers

Gell-Mann Amnesia Effect. Is the word you are looking for.