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Comment by badRNG | Hacker News Reader

HN has a downvote button, but only for those who've engaged on HN for a bit prior to downvoting. It helps prevent abuse.

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What's "a bit"? I've been here since 2017, 371 karma, still no downvote option.

If I am not mistaken, it is an option at 500 karma.

I gave this comment an upvote. Let's get you over the threshold.

Trust me: that strategy only works on April 1st.

It's the thought that counts -and I appreciate the thought!

I was poking fun at myself. I'm probably the only one who thinks it's funny.

haha, I lost some points on that comment.

"Karma is meant to be spent" -which is a bit of a conundrum to me because I can't figure out how to "spend" karma without simply spamming every thread I see in hopes of getting up-votes (which I'm pretty sure is the opposite of what the karma system's intent is).

I've been on HN for nearly 10 years and can't downvote stories. Not a complaint, just an observation.

You need a "score" of at least 500 to get to use downvotes.

> Not a complaint, just an observation.

Same. It feels like a passive-aggressive elitism, and not simply an anti-abuse feature.

Given the site we're on, I don't have a problem as much with the elitism (I'm not the target demographic, after all -I'm older and not working in tech) as much as with the "passive-aggressive" part of the rhetoric behind withholding downvote capability.

It IS an anti-abuse / anti-sockpuppet feature. I can see why you think it is elitism since, in a way, it is. But I don't understand why you think it's "passive aggressive".

You have a karma > 4k... I don't understand. Maybe you haven't noticed the little down arrow next to the poster's username?

I can't downvote stories, but can downvote comments. Just to clarify. I edited my original comment so perhaps you replied before my edit.

No one can downvote stories as far as I know, flag is the downvote at the story level.

You should be able to downvote comments, since you have more than 501 karma. The analog for downvoting submissions is the "super downvote" of flagging (and in turn vouching), which requires 31 karma.

The flag button serves as a downvote for stories. Seems like a good system since people are less likely to hit flag just because they disagree.

9 years and 2500 karma in, still no downvote button on stories... I believe it is documented somewhere that the button does not exist.

Just for comments though, right?

Stories can only be flagged, which as I understand can lead to bans/losing the privilege if it's abused.

Yes. I think you need 500 karma and it's only for comments.

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