Fuck hacker news

politics tech Publish: Sat, March 02 2024

Ask HN: Is asking if there is an index of churches that have been recorded spreading hate via their sermons enough to get your question removed from Hacker News?

Yes, it is. That is exactly what happened to me. But this is not the first time I’ve seen overzealous censorship of simple questions on such sites. More and more, I’ve found that there is little tolerance for any kind of “negative” context in most tech communities. They try so hard to sweep their issues under the rug to give an impression of a “kind and welcoming” community, even though it’s mostly anything but. Calling out bigotry in my industry has always been met with hostility rather than acknowledgment.

https://www.reddit.com/r/elixir/comments/nyfr58/why_i_wont_be_going_to_elixir_wizards_or_any/

When I called out a prominent speaker in my selected tech community back in 2020, I was mostly met with resentment and hostility for bringing political issues into a community that wished to stay out of the political spotlight while also putting a bigot on a pedistool and giving hin an audiance. Naturally, I fired right back at them.

I have since mostly been ostracized from the Elixir community. Zero fucks given. Good riddance. In secret, many thanked me behind closed doors.

So many feared the backlash that I’ve endured that they would only come to me in private messaging to thank me for my statements and for my support. Most of my male counterparts in this industry are bigots and fascists.

It’s no secret that the tech bros suck in my industry, but I bet you would not have known that it’s the greater majority that represents this demographic, and the minority live in fear of retaliation and loss of their livelihood, thus they stay censored and complacent. The easiest way to fight this is to just simply leave.

The best advice I have ever seen at this point in my life, and frankly, I wish I had embraced it sooner, is simply this:

If you see something wrong in your circle/community/events, etc., and you don’t know how to address it, the best thing you can do is just simply leave the group, event, community, etc.

They need you just as much as you may think you need them.

So, with that, goodbye Hacker News, you suck turds.