

Report: Nearly Half Of Detroiters Can’t Read - mikecane
http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2011/05/04/report-nearly-half-of-detroiters-cant-read/

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colanderman
The comments on that article are depressing at best.

Is this an English-language-only poll? I'd imagine there's a difference in
productivity between those who are truly illiterate and those who simply can't
read English.

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pavel_lishin
Is there a significant amount of non-English speakers in Detroit?

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ColinWright
Can someone explain to me why this is getting upvotes, and why people think it
fits the guidelines.

How is it something that "gratifies one's intellectual curiosity." ?? (
<http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html> )

How does it match the requirement that submissions "do have to be deeply
interesting." ( <http://ycombinator.com/newswelcome.html> )

Please, help me understand. What is the interest?

Thx.

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naveensundar
Please fully read the page you linked to :)

"Please don't submit comments complaining that a submission is inappropriate
for the site. If you think something is spam or offtopic, flag it by going to
its page and clicking on the "flag" link. (Not all users will see this; there
is a karma threshold.) If you flag something, please don't also comment that
you did."

~~~
raganwald
I personally think that asking the question lies in a grey area where it is
often a complaint couched as a question, sometimes a genuine question that
should nevertheless not be asked, but sometimes appropriate. If a post has a
lot of votes and a lively discussion, complaining or asking is
counterproductive. Flag it and cross your fingers that the moderators will
recognize when something is popular but harmful to Hacker News.

If a post is fairly new with little discussion, perhaps patience is a better
strategy. The discussion may emerge and you will be able to see for yourself
whether the post is an exception to the apparent rules.

Sometimes a post has a lot of upvotes but very little discussion, and the
discussion is fairly thin. In that case, the question can be sincere and
helpful. After all, if there is very little discussion it's hard to figure out
whether to flag it or not, perhaps there is some hidden value to the post.

I'm saying nothing about this post or this question, mind you, just musing
about when such a question might be appropriate and sincere.

