There's "breaking the rules" and then there's "breaking the rules according to a certain interpretation" and then there's "I don't like what he said, so I'm going to interpret the rules in a way that justifies removing his post".
It all comes down to some guy telling me how to talk. I don't like it. Anybody who likes it has rocks in his head.
Since I was not born with a language, yes I've been told how to talk for a sizeable portion of my life.
In fact learning things like tact and politeness, especially as it relates to the society I live in, has been monumental in my success.
Do you go to your parents house and tell them to screw off? Do you go to work and open your mouth like a raging dumpster fire? Do you have no filter talking to your husband/wife/significant other? Simply put your addition to the discussion is that of an impudent child. "I want everything and I want to give up nothing" is how an individual becomes an outcast, and I severely doubt this is how you actually live outside the magical place known as the internet, though I may be surprised.
I think it's possible to know how to control one's tongue and also not like being told what to say or how to speak, quite possibly because one knows how to do that and because they have their own mind.
I mean, I also don't like that I'm not infinitely wealthy, have a limited lifespan, and am subject to the cruelties of entropy. My like or dislike of these has little to do with addressing the problems by all the above situations in a rational and realistic manner while considering the outcomes in granting myself unlimited godlike power in doing so.
And by moving the goalposts you aren't addressing my comment, but still…
What "godlike power" are you referring to? The ability to moderate what turns up in your own social media feed? The ability to respond to comments someone else has deemed to break rules. I would hope for a bit more than that for godlike power.
I may be unique in this regard, but I am aware of the fact that sometimes I make mistakes, and I don’t highly value all of my conversation, sometimes I just rant, or enjoy engaging in more superfluous conversation. Sometimes the best conversations aren’t “highly valuable”!
> It all comes down to some guy telling me how to talk.
Nobody is "telling you how to talk."
People are free to choose their terms for voluntary social interactions. You don't have a right to inflict yourself on others who wish not to interact with you.
I like it even less when 100 IQ people are not told how to talk, repeatedly - they render coherent conversation and decision-making impossible.
I'll give up some of my freedom, to limit everyone else's freedom every day of the week - the only concern I have is roughly the IQ of the people doing the limiting.
You can actually email dang/the mods and make your case. Make sure to read up on the extensive documentation he shares for how he moderates and how he thinks about moderation right here on HN first, plus any discussion on past suggestions. Mastering the search box helps. A lot of modern HN policy and functionality started as recurring suggestions that became experiments.
It all comes down to some guy telling me how to talk. I don't like it. Anybody who likes it has rocks in his head.