>my first HN comment was downvoted to good learning effect for me

Well, if that downvoting was for disagreement, then the lesson you would've learned is not to stray too far from the group's thinking.

>Feel free to downvote this one

You won't get a downvote from me. For some time I didn't downvote at all. If I issue an occasional downvote now it's for what I consider overt bad faith, but never for disagreement.

i've found downvotes are routers of (un)clear signals sent from noisy thinkers. They are a terrible guide for influencing your approach, argument or reasoning. Conversely, having someone comment and agree/disagree provides much more meaningful signal to grow and improve from.