Comment by dang

Please take this as a point of discussion rather than as an argument. That title is something that I and many others would have come up with on our own without needing any provocation. In fact, the exact same thing has been said numerous times independently all over the net. There are so many instances that justify the assertion that you could make a very long list with the relevant HN stories alone. But that isn't the point of this reply.

The way I see it, any general or sweeping accusation against an entity may be construed as clickbait or too provocative for HN, even if the content backs it up sufficiently. But at what point are you going to draw the line where you consider the accusations to be credible enough to warrant such a scathing crticism? It's not as if these entities are renowned for their ethical conduct or even basic decency regarding the commons. Heated public lash back is often the only avenue they leave us. Case in point, I hope you remember the stand that the HN crowd took against WEI. Make no mistake, such discussions here don't go unnoticed. The talking points here often influence the public discourse, including by mass media. That's why there is such a fierce fight to control the narrative here.

I respect your right to your opinion. But this is essentially a political subject. And there is no getting around the fact that you cannot divorce politics from technology, or from any relevant subject for that matter. If that's considered as flame war, then I guess flame wars are an unavoidable and normal part technical discourse. It isn't personal (and no personal attacks should be involved), but the stakes are high enough for the contestants (often of high monetary nature). Attempts to curb such heated discourse will result in two serious consequences. The first is that you will give one or often both sides (ironically), the impression that HN is a place to amplify certain narratives without a balanced take. Secondly, you'll unintentionally and indirectly influence the outcome outside of HN. From my perspective, that leaves you in an unenviable predicament of such serious decisions.

So I implore you to consider these matters as well while taking such decisions. Especially to ensure that your personal biases don't influence what you consider as click and flame baits. From my personal experience, I know that you're putting in the utmost care, diligence and sincerity in those matters. But it's possible that the pressure to avoid controversies, fights and bad blood might have shifted your Overton window too far into the cautious territory over time. Probably a good yard stick is to see if the flamewar is important enough and whether it avoids personal harm (physical and emotional). I hope you'll consider this opinion when you make similar determination in the future. Regards!

Honestly, the guidelines must also include a clause prohibiting those activities. Sometimes the pattern is overwhelming. But it's prohibited to complain about it. Not an ideal situation. Hope you'll give it a serious thought.

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