There was nothing to disagree with. What I said was entirely factual. The only conceivable reason to downvote without comment (aside from being utterly irrational) was being upset by those facts.
And yes, I was upset — that people were reacting out of ignorance. It wasn't that I was downvoted, but what the downvotes signified, so I wanted to particularly call attention to the secondary issue I had observed.
Okay, fair enough. I've let frustration at people on the internet adversely affect my replies far too many times myself. I know XKCD is terribly cliché, but I've taken to keeping "Internet Argument" [http://xkcd.com/438/] in mind. I find it helps ... ish.
I agree with the nobility of wanting to call people on inappropriate downmodding ... it just doesn't usually work as an edit to the downmodded post. No matter how hard you try, it'll almost always sound like either whining or agression. Just like trying to point people to the guidelines almost always sounds like rudeness or condescension. Sometimes you just can't win. ;)
... you know, on any other online community, I'd expect us to be flinging crap at each other like angry monkeys at this point. Even the disagreements on HN are refreshing.
And yes, I was upset — that people were reacting out of ignorance. It wasn't that I was downvoted, but what the downvotes signified, so I wanted to particularly call attention to the secondary issue I had observed.