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Ask HN: Is there anything that can be done about politics on HN?
3 points by doubt_me on July 14, 2017 | hide | past | favorite | 3 comments
Can HN make a new section or not?

Why isn't ycombinator interested in investing in their own board? The benefits outweigh the negatives by a million times.

Plus it probably costs them close to nothing to do it if money really is the issue here.

No the real issue here is that we are all content with PR campaigns disguised as protests. Net Neutrality is much bigger than a blackout/ slowdown protest. While it's still nice and very welcome it isn't what we all so desperately need right now which is a backbone. A techno political revolution so big it will change history forever and cement us as the winners in an unwinnable war.

It can all simply start just by making a new section where us politically motivated HN users can talk freely without being flagged within the first 30 seconds of posting anything slightly sometimes extremely relevant material.

-2k char limit- I commented the rest



Example 1. ISPs voluntarily assigning themselves as a public utility without any help from the federal government, essentially nullifying and voiding any further net neutrality argument forever.

It sounds absolutely insane right? Well good, that is the point. As insane as they are for fighting literally everything about making the internet an enjoyable experience or a beneficial one. As insane as they are for welcoming and warming to the idea of throttling and controlling our internet we need to hit them harder than ever before and constantly non stop until we get what we want.

Which means doing things kinda the old fashioned way. Talking about it. With other people. Not flagged or downvoted into oblivion.

With all the people on Hacker news and how much reach this relatively small site gets I can guarantee it's only a matter of time until we all become a target. (I don't remember a single flagged political discussion on HN before the last election happened)

And besides if the techno political revolution doesn't start on HN where will it start? How much longer are we going to wait until the billionaires decide they don't want a free internet? How much longer are we going to wait until corporations decide five eyes actually isn't enough for them?


You still have time to return your HN to place of purchase for a full refund.


I think the problem is brand dilution. HN is a niche site mainly for technical discussion, and "anything that gratifies one's intellectual curiosity", with a very narrow definition of that. It's not a general discussion forum.

You can understand this better if you imagine that HN is just a subreddit with a very strange customization.




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