LOL. A serious post (I know, it's hard to tell at this point, isn't it?): Why does HN need the karma points system at all ? Downvoting is hardly used on other social networking sites any more, which should tell you something. Getting one pedantipoint has to be a motivation for "I have stuff to say about JIT." posts. Blocking & muting people is quite effective on Twitter, for example. The dream of a civil discourse wi…
HN “needs” karma points because HN has karma points and is over all a good forum. Changing it at this point risks changing the balance that makes HN what it is. I don’t block or mute people on forums where that is allowed because I don’t want to see a different conversation from everybody else.
As for the second paragraph: to each his own. You have that choice.