I landed on HN after more or less knowing/using almost all existing social media at that time. So would be the case with many other avid HN users if I have to take an educated guess. I admit that the transition to this culture took a while. Many 'flamebait' comments and several accounts later, I'd like to think I improved. Not just on HN but overall - real and virtual lives. This does not mean that my intent earlier was to create toxicity on all the other platforms I had been on. Atleast as far as I know. It was mostly about letting the anger out while being mostly ignorant about the bigger picture and consequences. I am still the same person with similar values. I would still be enraged by the things I was back then. Only the way I react and communicate changed and is still changing. All I mean here is, HN is a growing community where most new comers would have experienced culture on other platforms before they discover HN. While that is no excuse to tolerate flamebaitedness, there is a good chance that the person is still learning HN culture. But honestly and gratefully, dang and other 'caretakers' make HN what it is. I sometimes think there is too much control on how communication happens here. With every passing day, I can clearly see why it should be that way.