Well I just find it hypocritical that the mods would censor dubious and subjective criteria for what's considered unsubstantial a.k.a. whoever the HN elite circles dislike or feels like a threat to their narrative.
In my experience, people often have a (completely understandable and human) selective view of downvoting and flagging activity. There's a wide variety of opinions and perspectives on HN and I've seen all of them downvoted or flagged at one time or another, just as I've seen commenters of all persuasions be civil, well-reasoned, and, unfortunately, egregiously trollish and ranty.