> Be kind. Don't be snarky. Have curious conversation; don't cross-examine. Please don't fulminate. Please don't sneer, including at the rest of the community. Edit out swipes.

> Eschew flamebait. Avoid generic tangents. Omit internet tropes.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

The fact that this rule is now seen as optional is, IMHO, a genuinely bad sign for the health of the Hacker News community.

It's just the simplest explanation, I wouldn't overthink it.

True. I for one thought it was pretty clear it was a simpleton comment you didn't think through.

Snark for me, not for thee