No politics please, we're hackers, too busy to improve the world
Oh dear.  I couldn&#x27;t disagree more with the assessment of this story&#x27;s position on Hacker News.<p>There is a difference between sticking your head in the sand politically and having a forum where people with differing political opinions can come together and discuss ideas in other areas than politics.  You can both be politically active AND participate in a forum that avoids politics.  Hacker News policy and avoidance of most political issues is precisely right in this regard.  I know I come here to listen to stories dealing with computer technology and expert&#x2F;practitioner commentary on those stories and business people engaged in the business of technology, particularly start-ups.  At those times public policy has direct bearing to these subjects, such as patent law or net neutrality, I do expect to see discussion here.<p>Some here have been saying this has to do with US&#x2F;Paris Accords.  I agree with those topics being purged from this forum.  I mean, really!  How many readers of Hacker News do you think are on the fence about this subject: probably not zero, but my money says pretty damn close.  I would wager that most here not only have already formed opinions on the subject, but strongly held opinions on the subject.  If that&#x27;s the case what possible value is yet another place to shout how right you are and wrong the other guy is at the top of your lungs given the number of other venues for such virtue signaling?  I doubt you move the needle in one direction or the other on such terms.<p>So, what can you possibly achieve by being political in all venues and discussion forums?  I suppose you can further entrench the move to ideological purity in all endeavors, further degrade any ability to find common ground with people that don&#x27;t otherwise agree with you, further degrade the political discourse, and achieve a flourishing sense of tribalism in a large, complex society.<p>Is politics important?  Sure it is.  But so is time and place.