> Very often, useful comments are crowded out by one-uppy point scorers and the top half of a reasonable thread can be filled by long side-discussions that can’t be scrolled past fast enough. Vitriol abounds.
Compared to other discussion boards, I usually find HN threads are far more thoughtful and less antagonistic.
I mean, from the author's own example, compare the Brexit threads on HN[1] and Reddit[2]. The top comment on the HN thread is a thoughtful comment on why the EU is important and what the EU should aspire to be - whether you agree with the author or not, it's not overly charitable to say the author wasn't simply making a "one-uppy point scorer". The top comment on the Reddit thread is a joke about making a bet on Brexit.
There absolutely are HN threads full of vitriol and "one-uppy point scorers", but they're more rare - compared to, again, other parts of the internet. And yes, there are other online discussion boards that are even more thoughtful. Still, I don't think the characterization is entirely fair.
I guess my point is that the opinion threads can also often be very illuminative. The top thread on that HN Brexit post is actually a pretty interesting discussion about 18th century revolutions. Perhaps a bit basic to someone well-versed in modern western history, and certainly needs to be taken with a healthy dose of skepticism, but still interesting nonetheless.
1: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11966167
2: https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/4pkt3k/bbc_forec...