February 22, 2026
When “toxic” goes nuclear
Ask HN: Is HN becoming more toxic?
‘Toxic’ or just touchy? Hacker News users turn on each other over vibes and downvotes
TLDR: A thread asking if Hacker News is getting more toxic immediately spiraled into users accusing each other of hidden agendas, misused downvotes, and ideological invasions. The fight over whether the community is still civil or secretly rotting shows how fragile even “polite” online spaces have become.
On Hacker News, the tech world’s favorite serious forum, a simple question — “Is HN becoming more toxic?” — instantly turned into… well, a pretty toxic fight about toxicity. One user opened with a slap, calling the original post “toxic in itself” and accusing it of using “weasel words,” proudly declaring they “skim EVERYTHING” and trust the site’s strict moderators like digital babysitters.
Others shot back that the real problem isn’t insults, it’s drive‑by downvotes. One commenter complained that people just smash the down arrow when they disagree, instead of explaining why, and another claimed they often see “the most intelligent and best technical answer” buried in downvotes like a smart kid getting bullied at school.
Then politics crashed the party. One user blamed a “vocal minority” with a missionary-like ideology invading every space, while another, whose post got flagged, said they only sound like a radical leftist because America has lurched so far right. Meanwhile, an older user wondered if they’d aged out of the culture shift, insisting that critical thinking shouldn’t be called “toxic” at all. Between people insisting HN is still polite, others warning the American experiment is on life support, and someone nervously refusing to name their “other” heavily moderated site to avoid a flame war… the real answer might be: yes, it’s getting toxic — especially when you ask if it’s getting toxic.
Key Points
- •The discussion centers on whether Hacker News is becoming more toxic, with differing views on the current level of toxicity.
- •Some users emphasize trust in HN’s strong moderation and believe offensive content is generally handled appropriately by moderators.
- •Multiple commenters argue that downvotes are often used to signal disagreement rather than content quality, and that this can obscure the value of thoughtful or technical contributions.
- •Participants compare HN’s discourse favorably to the broader internet, describing it as relatively civil, but note that overall news and social media consumption feels increasingly rage-inducing.
- •Political and ideological tensions are seen as influencing discussions on HN, with some users concerned about ideological incursions and others linking their political expressions to perceived threats to U.S. democracy and the conditions underpinning the tech community.