EDIT: Removed the "flagged" bit. Explicitly mentioning it here as an acknowledgement that it was a violation of the guidelines to mention flagging explicitly.
http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
>But I am sick of people selling/advertising drugs on HN.
This comes up all of the time in these types of threads, which have been less common since that surge of legalize cannabis threads. Please move along, your complaints are uninteresting, counterproductive, and off-topic for this thread. The OP didn't ask if you think this is a good conversation topic for Hacker News.
The "not Hacker News" meme is the most uninteresting thing here and it ruins many otherwise good threads which is why it is discouraged in the guidelines. This story isn't even on the front page. All you needed to do was flag it and move along.
I am not going to argue with you because this argument has already been beat into the ground thoroughly in the cognitive enhancement threads. Suffice to say, the minority of people that agree with you consistently lose the argument. Discussion of drugs on Hacker News is not inherently off-topic. And yes, I sell legal drugs, just like the health food store the OP refers to. You probably sell software. We're allowed to sell things on Hacker News. If you have a business and you're a member of Hacker News in good standing, it is completely accepted to discuss or promote your business here, whether it is a software business or not.
says the drug seller.
"The OP didn't ask if you think this is a good conversation topic for Hacker News."
He doesn't need to. I don't care what either the OP or you think of selling/soliciting drugs on HN. I see it, I flag it.
" And yes, I sell legal drugs, just like the health food store the OP refers to. "
When the health food sells health food on HN (and any entity selling anything legal can post advertising posts on HN) and it is an accepted and encouraged practice, then you have a point.
"We're allowed to sell things on Hacker News. If you have a business and you're a member of Hacker News, it is completely accepted to discuss or promote your business here, whether it is a software business or not."
By this logic, anyone with any kind of business could join HN and have a forum to sell his product, and still be within the spirit of HN.
I see it as abusing a trust when you sell drugs here. Let the moderators decide this one.
I don't enjoy "arguing" with you either. I saw someone selling drugs. I flagged it. The moderators will ignore the flag or confirm it. That's ok by me.
If someone with an interesting product (drugs, nuclear weapons) wants to join HN and spark conversation, that's OK by me.
Sure, I have a "belief" that people trying to sell aspirin or caffeine on HN should be flagged.
"someone with an interesting product (drugs, nuclear weapons) wants to join HN and spark conversation, that's OK by me."
There are other places for buyers and sellers of dubious drugs and nuclear weapons to "spark conversations". The first is barely legal but slimy. The second is illegal and should be reported to the authorities.
fwiw this isn't the first time this guy has tried to sell dubious drugs on this forum.
see http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=71371. (thankfully killed). Read the comments there.
By flagging this I am just requesting this be killed too. Of course it is the moderators privilege to let it live. Which is fine by me.