For what it's worth (And I've had plenty of disagreements with dang), I also think he has an impossible job.
By seeing the worst of both extremes, it can be easy as a moderator to think "well there are people who think HN is too right wing, and people who think HN is too left wing. That must mean we're in the center!"
> By seeing the worst of both extremes, it can be easy as a moderator to think "well there are people who think HN is too right wing, and people who think HN is too left wing. That must mean we're in the center!"
Indeed, and all the more so because (a) the numbers of people who make such claims are roughly balanced, and (b) their comments resemble each other so closely. But I would never use the word 'center' in this context because it connotes political centrism. People sometimes misinterpret my moderation comments on political-bias claims as an implicit advocacy for centrist politics, but that's jumping to a different orbit.
You're right, and I didn't mean to suggest that's your intent either.
I think the point I was getting at is that no online community has equal participation across the full spectrum of social and political opinions, or representations.
But having an equal volume of opposing but comparable magnitude feedback from the extreme positions doesn't mean that both positions are equally represented amongst the community.
Going deeper would require me to enter conjecture and flamewar-baiting territory but my broad opinion is that the Online Right is far more sophisticated in its ability to persuade than the Online Left.
For what little it's worth, I do classify both as emotional and usually disengage when either happens.