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Comment by SlightlyLeftPad | Hacker News Reader

I do tend to agree with this sentiment however, if a policy change has a direct impact on the tech industry or science in general it probably is worth discussion here. I don’t believe that this needs to turn into an unintelligent discussion about which side is right here.

Edit: one thing to add, I also really appreciate that I can come here to HN and just see headlines without a political spin on everything. It’s one of the _very_ few places for that. I don’t know how to achieve both goals. The reality is probably that we need to see the things that have an impact on the industry and it’s fair to keep everything else off of HN.

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It doesn't need to, but it reliably does. The whole internet, and pretty much all English-speaking media, is talking about ONE THING. Trump. American politics. Elon Musk. There's a lot noise and very little else. People often don't discuss what's happening, they discuss what someone said, or as in the case of OP a bill that has no chance of being passed. They freak out about tariffs that are unlikely to ever be imposed for so many reasons, not the least of which is the tenable legality of claiming a natsec imperative to enforce them.

But people still focus on the words, the threats, the show, and they act like it's somehow a failure as a person or a citizen to not tear out your hair along with them. When the question of, "Ok, what can be done" comes up, there's a lot of vague or high-minded responses, and then it's back to to the races.

And the whole social media and media world is doing it. Why does HN have to? Will one more forum lowering its standards help in some way?

Personally, I want to see these topics on HN BECAUSE of the high standards for discussion here. What is stopping people from flagging individual comments that don't measure up to HN guidelines? Instead these entire submissions are being flagged in anticipation of an imagined future argument, which further derails anything there is to be said about it because the conversation turns to the subject of the flagging itself. THAT is what kills discussion.

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