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That's a very good point. It's not obvious how to balance this. What would be better?

The status quo isn't ok, because it violates HN's values of substance and civility. Not having any threads at all is not an option. Selectively shutting down threads when they go off the rails seems draconian. Banning people for making poor contributions to poor threads is wrong; the same people often make good contributions elsewhere. Thoughts?



I don't think there are really any shortcuts. This sort of problem is likely to always require nuanced and direct human intervention.

Sometimes the acrimony and the controversy is an integral part of a news story. Without the gossip from the peanut gallery, it might not be news.

Relevant social topics often smell terrible. I think it just comes with the territory...




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