Ideally you have a cache of extremely long messages where you selectively quote small sections of sources, out of context, that seemingly prove your point but on careful reads are unrelated or actually contradict.

But there's ten or fifteen "sources" and by the time you read through the post, all the articles posted, and form a coherent argument contradicting it, they've already posted a bunch of other places and/or the thread has moved on.

That's the ideal case where you're inclined to waste 20 minutes arguing agaisnt a comment on the internet and there isn't a mix of legitimate sources with total bull shit sources forcing you to do a secondary hop to prove a point agaisnt the fake source.

Of course, HN is also an invaluable resource when it comes to tech and sometimes other STEM subjects. It's just significantly less valuable for areas completely outside of it. I wouldn't trust HN as a neutral or critically thinking source for, say, the usefulness (or lack of usefulness) of gender studies.