Ask HN: Why most "Hackers" are negative around here?
I don't understand why we get angry and offended by something we don't agree with.
Arrogance and over-generalization in posts cause backlash. Ownership by a venture fund, and a userbase centralized in the bay area emphasize a very narrow set of views over a wide array of topics. Regardless of accuracy of views, they tend to escape introspection and/or proper contextualization. There are even twitter accounts and subreddits dedicated to reposting/mocking the absolute nonsense that passes for conventional wisdom here.
So disagreement happens and there will be 1 to N participants that "know" they're "right" and make conversation impossible. People also put their personal reputation on the line by associating their account with their real identity and can't back down or be made the fool. People with business goals to advance try to manipulate the conversation to do so. In disagreement some play to the refs rather than prove a point. These are just some thoughts, there is more to say, but I don't care to write any more.
But, let's put more effort to keep HN a great place for hackers. That is, care more; there is a huge lot of people who will listen.
Whenever I find myself seeking distraction, I'm usually frustrated or fatigued, and in a cranky mood. Sometimes I check the site after I get off work, and haven't eaten yet. If I'm tired and hungry, my mood is all the worse.
Maybe I just got out of an argument I just lost, and I'm looking for an easy target to chew out, and reassert my ego, and feel like I'm back in control.
But how I behave on the internet towards pseudonymous strangers is drastically different from how behave towards living breathing people, with names and faces, in person. On the internet, you're not getting "the real me", or even some secret alter-ego that harbors my darkest, most terrible views an opinions.
It's just some old bullshit, while I'm spitting venom and stuck in a bad mood. Once I take a breather, and get things sorted out, I usually return to the stuff that matters with a cooler head, and treat the people who confront me face-to-face with respect.
Most of the comments there aren't negative. Critical, yes, but not negative.
Either that is a bad example, or I'm failing to see what you're complaining about.