I've seen some pretty silly things on the HN front page that have stayed up for way longer than expected. But I've noticed multiple articles that criticize Andreessen's manifesto have been flagged to not be on the front page. Some of the criticism might certainly be meh, but it gives me vibes that folk are merely flagging because they're uncomfortable with the criticism.
So I'm curious -- is there an archive, or an API that would show how often a thread is flagged, deleted, or pulled from the front page?
What I mean is that proving a point seems like the likely reason anyone would use it. I mean that seems like the reason you want it. It seems redundant to me, I mean you are able to have your say here in this askhn.
Anyway, the state of affairs you describe is exactly how flagging is supposed to work on HN. It keeps intellectual dumpster fires in the dumpster and away from the tires.
Don’t misunderstand me. I think the criticism of Andreesen’s recent essay is much milder than his horseshit warrants.
It just isn’t very interesting in a preaching to the choir way. And intellectually interesting is the bar for HN.
Good luck.