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Welcome to HN, where your comments aren't censored, but insead they are 'groomed' by those who consistently cherish 'valuable' conversations by pandering to 'ka

Welcome to HN, where your comments aren't censored, but insead they are 'groomed' by those who consistently cherish 'valuable' conversations by pandering to 'karma' points. The 'correct' dialog is to discuss how it's natural for our systems of governance to want to spy on everyone, and the 'correct' actions fall between accepting this or petitioning our masters to roll back 'some' of these advances. Your individual outrage is of no value to the collective.

pastas 12y ago
How would the incentive of 'karma points' drive down votes? The two don't seem related to me (I say this from having a balance -10 karma points at the moment). Some comments, like the OP's clearly lack the elements of reasoned thought. In my experience, my downvotes seem to have been wielded when my comments offend the values of the down voter's social group - not when they fail to logically interface with the discussion. I think its clear that the majority of users seek to reinforce others who share their beliefs and penalize those they disagree with. Which seems rather primitive.
mikestew 12y ago
pastas, your account is hell-banned so you need not worry about being downvoted anymore. As for your -10, you have your own narrative but let me give you the perspective of someone who had little interest in the "disassociating woman" article and no personal stake in it. Your first two comments on HN ever are a single word discounting the post, with nothing to back it up. To many (including myself) that's a waste of electrons. Your more eloquent responses amount to the same thing, just with more words. You can write that off as "just <my> opinion" (to which I add "duh"), but ask yourself what it was you said that has more substance than just being contrarian. In summary, if you come into a thread shitting all over things with nothing to back up what you say, you'll get downvoted.
- darkwingduck 12y ago
  I think you robo-posted to the wrong thread bud. #edit then in that case you'd think the post would be judged as having no value and be downvoted.... oh wait, that would require a lack of hypocrisy.
  - mikestew 12y ago
    Sorry, can't reply to dead posts so I highjacked your reply. If you don't have showdead turned on, you won't see the dead post from user pastas that I replied to. pastas has a theory on his -10 karma, a theory with which I disagree. The unrelated article was referenced because his comments there make a better example.
  - nitrogen 12y ago
    HN disallows replies to dead comments, so responses are sometimes posted as sibling comments instead.
- pastas 12y ago
  I accept that the first two responses did nothing other than express a reaction. However, it is incorrect and dishonest to say that those responses were down voted on lack of merit. Consider this reponse in the same thread. It has about as much merit, but expressed a sympathetic reaction to the article's writer instead of the disdain that mine did. >>> mukundmr 9 hours ago Very touching. I wish more resources were committed to understanding and solving problems of the mind. reply Was that down voted? No. Because it reinforced the consensus. That analysis is no different than upvoiting / downvoting on any other website. People like to reinforce others who agree with them and penalize those who don't. Period.

pastas 12y ago

How would the incentive of 'karma points' drive down votes? The two don't seem related to me (I say this from having a balance -10 karma points at the moment). Some comments, like the OP's clearly lack the elements of reasoned thought. In my experience, my downvotes seem to have been wielded when my comments offend the values of the down voter's social group - not when they fail to logically interface with the discussion. I think its clear that the majority of users seek to reinforce others who share their beliefs and penalize those they disagree with. Which seems rather primitive.

mikestew 12y ago

pastas, your account is hell-banned so you need not worry about being downvoted anymore. As for your -10, you have your own narrative but let me give you the perspective of someone who had little interest in the "disassociating woman" article and no personal stake in it. Your first two comments on HN ever are a single word discounting the post, with nothing to back it up. To many (including myself) that's a waste of electrons. Your more eloquent responses amount to the same thing, just with more words. You can write that off as "just <my> opinion" (to which I add "duh"), but ask yourself what it was you said that has more substance than just being contrarian. In summary, if you come into a thread shitting all over things with nothing to back up what you say, you'll get downvoted.

darkwingduck 12y ago
I think you robo-posted to the wrong thread bud. #edit then in that case you'd think the post would be judged as having no value and be downvoted.... oh wait, that would require a lack of hypocrisy.
- mikestew 12y ago
  Sorry, can't reply to dead posts so I highjacked your reply. If you don't have showdead turned on, you won't see the dead post from user pastas that I replied to. pastas has a theory on his -10 karma, a theory with which I disagree. The unrelated article was referenced because his comments there make a better example.
- nitrogen 12y ago
  HN disallows replies to dead comments, so responses are sometimes posted as sibling comments instead.
pastas 12y ago
I accept that the first two responses did nothing other than express a reaction. However, it is incorrect and dishonest to say that those responses were down voted on lack of merit. Consider this reponse in the same thread. It has about as much merit, but expressed a sympathetic reaction to the article's writer instead of the disdain that mine did. >>> mukundmr 9 hours ago Very touching. I wish more resources were committed to understanding and solving problems of the mind. reply Was that down voted? No. Because it reinforced the consensus. That analysis is no different than upvoiting / downvoting on any other website. People like to reinforce others who agree with them and penalize those who don't. Period.