It doesn't matter how many people agreed with it—HN is a constitutional democracy and some rules override upvotes. In this case, the rule is that you shouldn't respond to a crappy comment (which that one was) with an even crappier and less civil one.

I point out irony with the age of one user and somehow that's "even crappier" and "less civil" than his comment which is ridiculing every single college graduate and "incompetent older people" as being useless and a waste of this his time? Why was his comment not detached?

I think you and Scott need to re-evaluate your heavy-handed rules and consider your direct role in enabling the entitled, elitist, and often misogynistic attitudes that are so prevalent within the current tech culture. Instead of allowing the community to let this user know that, hey, maybe you shouldn't diminish every single person other than yourself, that maybe the problem actually lies with himself? Someone needs to let these individuals know their behavior is unacceptable, and you are in a unique position to achieve just that: You could have detached his thread, but instead you choose to focus on anyone criticizing him?

Instead you're providing this ridiculous protectionist world in which people like him get away this attacking an entire class of people but as soon as someone turns the tables on him, you swoop and provide protection? This is pretty fucking ridiculous.

Please, what Dan and Scott are trying to do is promote civility. It's a hard and thankless job. It's your choice to make it harder or easier for them.

They agreed with you that the comment you were replying to was inappropriate; they just wanted you to be civil in pointing that out. If you look at their comment feeds, that's what they consistently and tirelessly do, regardless of the topic or ideology at hand.

I point out irony

... but you did it in a personally pointed and uncivil way. That's what matters here.

ridiculing every single college graduate

The comment was overheated and crass, but it didn't actually say that.

Why was his comment not detached

It was a root comment. Root comments can't get detached. But the comment is ranked low in the thread.

I think you and Scott need to re-evaluate your heavy-handed rules

From the guidelines and Dang and Scott's comment feeds, the rules are simple and reasonable: be civil. Even in response to incivility.

They seem perfectly happy for people to call out bad behaviour in others - hey it saves them from having to do it.

But they hate it when users go tit-for-tat and create a cascade of incivility, as it diminishes the community for everyone and makes their job harder.

They're even happy getting suggestions from the community, but again, be civil about it. Attacking them as being partly responsible for all the ills in tech culture is a bit much, given their long history of relentlessly and earnestly working to curtail incivility and bigotry in all its forms on this site.

But hey you got it right with this follow up comment:

maybe you shouldn't diminish every single person other than yourself...

That's very well said :)

But in all seriousness, you're getting outraged and taking things personally when it would just make things better for everyone if you could be a bit reflective and say "OK guys, fair cop, I'll try to do better next time".