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Ask HN: Who are the most controversial (yet still popular) HNers?

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Re: Ask HN: Who are the most controversial (yet still popular) HNers?

#11

Post by DanBC »

inopinatus wrote: post #9

I disagree with many things that tptacek has to say, but I rarely downvote him. Indeed his remarks seem to be a source of much debate and I find that commendable. In my view, downvoting should not be used to indicate disagreement, but to maintain the relatively high signal to noise ratio this forum enjoys. I reserve downvotes for ambit claims that are patently false, personal abuse, offensive language, wilfully beggi…

What do you use flagging for? What's the difference between your use of flags and downvotes?

Re: Ask HN: Who are the most controversial (yet still popular) HNers?

#12

Post by sametmax »

What do you want to do with this information ?

Getting downvoted in HN is not very hard. You can mention how Bill Gates is trying to buy a stairway to heaven or that Rust should replace C and you'll get spanked. If you express personnal opinions enough times on a website full of intellectuals you are bound to displease regularly unless you have nothing interesting to say.

It's a good thing. You can't be right all the time. You can't agree all the time. Actually, quite often you won't.

But to be downvoted spectacularly, it's quite easy: promote religion, or borderline sexist/racism allusions and you're it. Doesn't matter if you are right or not.

On the other end you can be pretty much who you want to be. I mean I worked in porn and had only one snarky remark about it during the last years.

Re: Ask HN: Who are the most controversial (yet still popular) HNers?

#13

Post by mnm2 »

guardian5x wrote: post #3

Maybe TerryADavis, he gets a lot of praise and admiration on HN for creating TempleOS, but his comments are often downvoted, and with good reason.

omg: https://news.ycombinator.com/threads?id=TerryADavis

He says things and expresses himself in a way, which is in strong violation with social norms and hacker news guidelines. How could that be?

Re: Ask HN: Who are the most controversial (yet still popular) HNers?

#14

Post by alex_duf »

inopinatus wrote: post #9

I disagree with many things that tptacek has to say, but I rarely downvote him. Indeed his remarks seem to be a source of much debate and I find that commendable. In my view, downvoting should not be used to indicate disagreement, but to maintain the relatively high signal to noise ratio this forum enjoys. I reserve downvotes for ambit claims that are patently false, personal abuse, offensive language, wilfully beggi…

I quite like your guidelines on what to upvote or downvote.

I'll try it as well.

In fact, I wish there was a voting etiquette described here: https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Nothing too formal, but just a "here's how the community like to use voting tool"

Re: Ask HN: Who are the most controversial (yet still popular) HNers?

#16

Post by inopinatus »

DanBC wrote: post #11
inopinatus wrote: post #9

I disagree with many things that tptacek has to say, but I rarely downvote him. Indeed his remarks seem to be a source of much debate and I find that commendable. In my view, downvoting should not be used to indicate disagreement, but to maintain the relatively high signal to noise ratio this forum enjoys. I reserve downvotes for ambit claims that are patently false, personal abuse, offensive language, wilfully beggi…

What do you use flagging for? What's the difference between your use of flags and downvotes?

I flag very rarely, for egregiously offensive language, insults, gaslighting, bigotry.

Re: Ask HN: Who are the most controversial (yet still popular) HNers?

#17

Post by nailer »

shubhamjain wrote: post #10

> I'm interested in diversity of opinions, not echo chambers, and people who can combine having their own unique point of view that doesn't follow the crowd, as well as still pleasing the crowd a lot of the time are very interesting to me right now. I disagree. It's an overused defence: voicing idiotic opinions is "having a unique point of view"; being rude and domineering is "having an outspoken and blunt demeanour"…

> Your opinions should stand on facts, not your I-don't-give-a-shit attitude.

I agree yet look at this completely differently: your opinions should stand on facts, not how you feel about those facts or the tone of the person stating them.

Re: Ask HN: Who are the most controversial (yet still popular) HNers?

#18

Post by [deleted] »

shubhamjain wrote: post #10

> I'm interested in diversity of opinions, not echo chambers, and people who can combine having their own unique point of view that doesn't follow the crowd, as well as still pleasing the crowd a lot of the time are very interesting to me right now. I disagree. It's an overused defence: voicing idiotic opinions is "having a unique point of view"; being rude and domineering is "having an outspoken and blunt demeanour"…

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: Who are the most controversial (yet still popular) HNers?

#19

Post by 19eightyfour »

shubhamjain wrote: post #10

> I'm interested in diversity of opinions, not echo chambers, and people who can combine having their own unique point of view that doesn't follow the crowd, as well as still pleasing the crowd a lot of the time are very interesting to me right now. I disagree. It's an overused defence: voicing idiotic opinions is "having a unique point of view"; being rude and domineering is "having an outspoken and blunt demeanour"…

It's a nice community-supporting sentiment but I think the idea that such a powerful tool as a down vote is only used for noble purposes, rather than to condemn and silence dissent or as an "easy out" substitute instead of a comment for something one disagrees with, is a fiction. Am I saying all downvotes are tools of censorship and punishment of diversity? No. But I feel down votes are powerful tools, and to me the idea that they are only used for good, while noble and community supporting, is naive.

So from the point of view that considers down votes something of a problem, what solution do I see? Nothing really conclusive. I think a step in the right direction is if downvotes only affected the comment they pertained to, and not overall reputation -- then I'd feel a lot more free.

Re: Ask HN: Who are the most controversial (yet still popular) HNers?

#20

Post by moomin »

https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=mjg59 is a good one: a talented developer with strong views of free software, personal freedom and social justice. I can easily see individuals furiously upvoting and downvoting him on a single day.

(Not everything he says triggers these reactions, but it's entertaining when it does.)

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