Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's not the issue. I get insulted all the time and after a while it doesn't count for much.
I should have been clearer; being nice to an obvious troll that you banned just a short while earlier is likely to invite more trolling rather than less, which negatively impacts everyone else. It's great that you're not taking it personally, but it doesn't seem good for HN. I may have pointed it out before, but there is data demonstrating that your approach works poorly compared to alternatives: https://dl.acm.org/d…
This is one of the biggest things we can do to bolster the health of the body politic or commons (or pick whatever term is good) here. It pays off hugely in good will and good faith. If the median HN reader sees me going out of my way to be neutral and answering criticism reasonably, that's a win. It's even more of a win when the criticism was rudely delivered.
In my experience, it's important to be nice (or at least neutral) when doing that, because otherwise the signals get crossed—am I providing accurate information or venting frustration? The hivemind definitely doesn't like it when the moderator does the latter, so I try to avoid it to the extent possible (and I suck at it a lot of the time.)
I need to read that paper. Thanks for the link.