Thank you so much for reviewing flagged content and giving a second chance to this post
As a rare contributor to these sites, I often feel blunt and unbalanced when some old users just flag your work made with good intents so that it vanishes, without taking any time to even comment why, fix it, or think about prejudices for the platform (which it not just their bubble) and users.
My first new page on wikipedia was immediately marked for deletion as some random user who wouldn't bother message me, reference it on related articles or contribute just flagged it for being orphaned and bad. I won't bother creating pages anymore. (While OSM has forums to discuss things and is overly chill about learning to contribute on the actual map)
I will not complain that this happens often on HN as it does not. Most users are kind and curious. * Flags aren't overwhelmingly abused. *
However, this particular story is about sex workers who opened up, giving rare accounts that you won't find anywhere in a way that not only agrees to guidelines but looks like any popular story here.
Sex workers are often discriminated against in a lot of places. Flagging this story could warn that HN is public places and everyone isn't that safe or open minded.
Any actual discussion shouldn't be trapped in private Discord servers, this site should remain the place to challenge your technical, sociological and business related perspectives.
I hope this was already clear, but in case not: we don't have any problem with the OP and did turn off the flags on it. Same as the last time it was discussed:
Btw I do think that some of the flags may have been because of the "whorelord" bit in the title, which counts as linkbait in HN's sense (https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html). That's why we took it out.
dang, it's not like I don't understand what HN is trying to do (...on paper, at least). I know how it works (or, how you wanted it to work).
The problem is that there is a fundamental tension between an user-controlled ranking system and an editorial board.
And make no mistake, the mod team + few (trusted) people that flag stories constitute an editorial board.
I would be very happy if HN would plastered somewhere, really visible, the fact the content is editorialized and, while the upvotes matter, they're not the whole story. Not that I can see that happening, I can imagine the shitstorm coming from the wider (more naive) audience.
In the end, as the audience grows, it will become harder and harder to reconcile this two systems. People will grow angrier and angrier as they are unable to discuss the things they want to discuss. Not that they can leave, everywhere else is shit. And so, the grumbling will continue, and the huge war-chest of good you amassed these past years will slowly go down until there's nothing left.
If you wouldn't mind reading that and letting me know if you still have a question that isn't answered there, I'd be interested in hearing what it is.