Re:Ask HN: Flagging front page stories
by bmelton on Tuesday December 10, 2013 @11:39AM
(#6881677)
I think that each of us should ask ourselves the question, "Is this topic good for HN" more often.
The commentary on the linked threads is, arguably, low quality discussion, and tends to bring out the worst in us -- self-included. Any topic that might encourage commentary like "Democrats shouldn't be allowed to vote" or "Republicans are racists" should be looked at with skepticism, as even the best meaning of us is subject to responding fueled by emotion.
There are times when political discussions on HN are extremely relevant to the HN community. There are times when they are not. Each of us imposes different value judgements as to which are which, but if we each choose to upvote them slightly less, and flag them more aggressively where we find them inappropriate, then perhaps we could tip the scales in favor of less of them appearing on HN, which I think is the preferable alternative to more.
The commentary on the linked threads is, arguably, low quality discussion, and tends to bring out the worst in us -- self-included. Any topic that might encourage commentary like "Democrats shouldn't be allowed to vote" or "Republicans are racists" should be looked at with skepticism, as even the best meaning of us is subject to responding fueled by emotion.
There are times when political discussions on HN are extremely relevant to the HN community. There are times when they are not. Each of us imposes different value judgements as to which are which, but if we each choose to upvote them slightly less, and flag them more aggressively where we find them inappropriate, then perhaps we could tip the scales in favor of less of them appearing on HN, which I think is the preferable alternative to more.