I really dislike the downvote function because it reinforces self-censoring. And I completely loathe the implementation of it, you need xxxx upvotes to downvote posts....I have no words.

Well, in opposing it I especially read the faded comments and upvote any of those that are not completely abhorrent.

Take that, ycombinator.

>I especially read the faded comments and upvote

This seems to happen a lot more frequently here than anywhere else.

I'm not really sure what that says, other than people still read comments that are faded. Also that people shouldn't worry about self-censoring.

I don't have a problem with downvotes or the karma needed to do it, but

I do sometimes wish it were possible to reply to a dead comment, especially if you vouch for it and it's still dead.

Sometimes they're worth defending, or is relevant in a non-obvious way, and sometimes the comment itself is discussion worthy, as it relates to the topic, even if it's wrong or seems trollish.

How could it have been reworded to avoid the "fedora-tipping" connotation?

I'm being sincere here since I also appreciate book recommendations and I get probably half my book recommendations from HN.

I think the point is to instead of using the keyboard, use the mouse to click the up arrow, and leave it at that. (I know how tempting it is to reply quickly to something, I have the urge to just post whats going on my mind right away unfiltered. So I am very forgiving, but not everyone is)

That only tells the person who owns the comment that you appreciate it, with comment scores you're correct that almost all "I like this" comments are wrong, without comment scores then they become useful again.

Worth considering that comment scores were hidden for a reason. Exposing that information to everyone, as opposed to just the comment author, does not necessarily improve the discussion.

This sort of comment is why I still read HN!