Looks like people don't get it. Or maybe they have a different view on what's funny. In any case, commenting about downvotes just attracts more downvotes.

Just to clarify: Downvotes are made by other users who have hit a certain karma treshold. No moderators involved.

I appreciate that the voting keeps the conversation from devolving into a competition for laughs. But, sometimes it seems that HN has no sense of humor whatsoever.