Sure they are. Broad classes of messages are forbidden on HN. No matter what tone you use, you can't disparage nationalities, genders, or races here, or make arguments that would tend to have that effect; you can't attempt to psychiatrically diagnose other commenters; you can't question the good faith of a commenter here, or suggest that they're shills; you can't collect personal facts about other commenters and marshal them as arguments; the list goes on. These aren't tonal issues, they're substantive. What might set them apart is how sweeping they are.