Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: Why are HN comments so cynical?

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

11–20 of 50 posts

Re: Ask HN: Why are HN comments so cynical?

#11

Post by ramesh31 »

icedchai wrote: post #8

If you've worked in the startup space long enough, you become cynical. The failure to success ratio is very, very high. On top of that, many of the "successes" are not. You'll run into fake deals (no money changing hands), fake acquisitions (investors and founders got zero), fake bosses ("friend" of a founder with fancy title that doesn't do anything)... on and on.

>The failure to success ratio is very, very high.The failure to success ratio is very, very high.The failure to success ratio is very, very high.

You come to realize that this is just software in general. The default mode of a software project from its inception is failure. The amount of intense effort and dedication it takes to steer that outcome towards success is so monumental, that you stop caring at all about "ideas" until they have been materialized.

Re: Ask HN: Why are HN comments so cynical?

#12

Post by codingdave »

I don't think the level of cynicism has changed - there has always been a strong critical take on pretty much everything here. But I do agree that the tone of it has changed. It used to be more constructive and now people are more snarky.

But the tone ebbs and flows over time, too. Eventually the community moderation gets the point across via downvoting pointless or rude snark and flagging people who are outright toxic, and we get back to the norm.

Give it time.

Re: Ask HN: Why are HN comments so cynical?

#14

Post by JoeyBananas »

I am convinced that cynicism is a good thing. Often, the people who are not cynical or angry are avoiding the real problems. Or they don't care, are just hanging around collecting a paycheck, etc.

You imply that being cynical has become "the norm," but there's always more friction involved in being cynical. Happy bullshitters never get in trouble.

Re: Ask HN: Why are HN comments so cynical?

#15

Post by syncbehind »

JoeyBananas wrote: post #14

I am convinced that cynicism is a good thing. Often, the people who are not cynical or angry are avoiding the real problems. Or they don't care, are just hanging around collecting a paycheck, etc. You imply that being cynical has become "the norm," but there's always more friction involved in being cynical. Happy bullshitters never get in trouble.

>Often, the people who are not cynical or angry are avoiding the real problems. Or they don't care, are just hanging around collecting a paycheck, etc.

I vehemently disagree with every thought presented in this comment.

These sentiments seem to come from a very jaded space. To think that the only people who are not cynical / angry are those that are avoiding the "real problems" (in what/ whose definition?).

In my experience, the happiest people are those who have acknowledged these problems. If they have the opportunity (and power) to act on resolutions they do so and if not, they came to peace with that reality. It certainly is possible to process the same things as you and engage with these so called real problems without turning into a cynic.

Perhaps these "happy bullshitters" are more adept at acknowledging these problems and their ability to act on it.

Re: Ask HN: Why are HN comments so cynical?

#16

Post by aarondf »

JoeyBananas wrote: post #14

I am convinced that cynicism is a good thing. Often, the people who are not cynical or angry are avoiding the real problems. Or they don't care, are just hanging around collecting a paycheck, etc. You imply that being cynical has become "the norm," but there's always more friction involved in being cynical. Happy bullshitters never get in trouble.

This is a sincere question: is your life, specifically, better because you're cynical and angry? I'm not talking about "the industry" in an abstract sense, but on a personal level are you happy?

Re: Ask HN: Why are HN comments so cynical?

#18

Post by runjake »

icedchai wrote: post #8

If you've worked in the startup space long enough, you become cynical. The failure to success ratio is very, very high. On top of that, many of the "successes" are not. You'll run into fake deals (no money changing hands), fake acquisitions (investors and founders got zero), fake bosses ("friend" of a founder with fancy title that doesn't do anything)... on and on.

I have a very hard time believing the majority of current HN commenters have worked in the startup space.

Re: Ask HN: Why are HN comments so cynical?

#19

Post by bjourne »

Yeah, the amount of snark, nitpicking, and cynism has gone through the roof. They should rename the site to Nitpicker News. Case in point. Someone posted their tool to help people with ADHD focus. Most comments were "Aw, don't make me watch a video." The video was 65 seconds long. Or someone posts a chart maker tool and the first complaint is that the poster used the phrase "visually stunning" to describe the tool's output. Or the very common "I clicked on the link and the page asked me to sign up to their newsletter. What is wrong with the world?" complaint that is posted on every article regardless of topic.

Re: Ask HN: Why are HN comments so cynical?

#20

Post by mikewarot »

It's my experience that anything that whiffs of self promotion tends to get downvoted away, which seems reasonable.

Anything that expresses a non-mainstream opinion might hit the initial downvote limit, but recover over time if it turns out to have some merit. (My fascination with capability based security falls into this niche)

Something non-obvious, but informative, tends to get a bit of upvoting.

The rare really good point that builds discussions... those get rewarded richly.

So, the moderation system, as near as I can tell, works as intended. The feedback cycle takes a while to train us for better behavior, but it seems to work.

You do have to weigh all of the above, against the factors that overcome inertia, and lead to someone posting.

Most people reading are likely to see something expressed at least as good as they would, and thus just lurk.

It's only when you've got a nit to pick, or an interesting tangent, or need to self-promote, that people tend to post. These are the forces always pushing against moderation.

Post reply on HN