I think the author made somewhat of a mistake in picking the article to point at that he did, if his goal was to start a real conversation. Bringing sexism into the fold will make people assume that this article is based on refuting sexism, which is going to create controversy that none of the actual points he made in the article need.

That said, I feel at least the latter 90% of the article is on-topic for HN.

Well I thought it might generate some interesting discussion on what alternative revenue models might work.

It's an article about the monetization of web content, negative consequences of that system, and possible better alternatives. This is the bread and butter of Hacker News.

I've been involved in some discussion about these sort of topics (overzealous egalitarianism) on HN. It seems as though there is an audience for it. Nowadays HN seems to discuss "the weather of the internet" as much as it discusses startups.

Does not belong because you find it offensive? Or simply not relevant?

If the latter then I must remind you the Hacker News is not news about hackers but rather news hackers would find interesting. If the article doesn't gratify your intellectual curiosity then simply don't upvote it.

Me neither Jeff. Lately, I find myself at a loss as to why I visit this place at all anymore.

I agree. The fact we're even discussing this is kind of ridiculous.