It might help to ask why we want to avoid this. The most obvious reason is that the comments then become not visible to someone scanning the entire thread. If that’s the concern, then that’s a minor issue. Moreover, if that is the cause, then the situation will only become worse if people also can’t see them in the recent comments thread.
Presumably, in the ideal universe, under most circumstances, people will start a new thread to discuss a relevant idea in a highly downvoted prior subthread. But a thread has turned into an actually productive entity, I don’t see how that isn’t a good thing.
If the goal of collapsing downvoted comments is to make it easier for people to find valuable conversations without wasting their time reading downvoted comments, then having valuable conversations downstream of downvoted comments (such that, in order to read the valuable conversation, you also have to read the downvoted comment) subverts that goal.
You’re right, of course, that hiding those comments doesn’t guarantee that valuable conversations won’t wind up downstream of them. But I’d expect it to lower the odds
You’re right, of course, that hiding those comments doesn’t guarantee that valuable conversations won’t wind up downstream of them. But I’d expect it to lower the odds
Karma isn’t synchronous, so the discussion can take place before the parent is downvoted. For example, this thread contains a discussion that probably mostly occurred before Eliezer’s comment was voted down to −4… making this very thread an example of the reason why this shouldn’t be done.
(Among other things, it means you can make an entire thread of conversation vanish by targeting a parent with a few downvotes, which really over-powers downvoters.)
If people are doing this lots, it’s not clear how pruning productive discussion is a good thing other than from something like an urge for tidiness. I see no reason to assume it will spring up elsewhere.
(shrug) If encouraging people to read downvoted-to-oblivion comments is a minus, then there’s a non-tidy benefit. Clearly, people differ in terms of how much they believe it is.
As for the same discussion springing up elsewhere… again, (shrug). If the convention of not having interesting discussions on hidden branches takes hold, and I want to respond to something on a hidden branch, I can respond on an open thread instead. But you’re right that I might not do so.
This is the behavior we want to avoid.
It might help to ask why we want to avoid this. The most obvious reason is that the comments then become not visible to someone scanning the entire thread. If that’s the concern, then that’s a minor issue. Moreover, if that is the cause, then the situation will only become worse if people also can’t see them in the recent comments thread.
Presumably, in the ideal universe, under most circumstances, people will start a new thread to discuss a relevant idea in a highly downvoted prior subthread. But a thread has turned into an actually productive entity, I don’t see how that isn’t a good thing.
What am I missing?
If the goal of collapsing downvoted comments is to make it easier for people to find valuable conversations without wasting their time reading downvoted comments, then having valuable conversations downstream of downvoted comments (such that, in order to read the valuable conversation, you also have to read the downvoted comment) subverts that goal.
You’re right, of course, that hiding those comments doesn’t guarantee that valuable conversations won’t wind up downstream of them. But I’d expect it to lower the odds
Karma isn’t synchronous, so the discussion can take place before the parent is downvoted. For example, this thread contains a discussion that probably mostly occurred before Eliezer’s comment was voted down to −4… making this very thread an example of the reason why this shouldn’t be done.
(Among other things, it means you can make an entire thread of conversation vanish by targeting a parent with a few downvotes, which really over-powers downvoters.)
If people are doing this lots, it’s not clear how pruning productive discussion is a good thing other than from something like an urge for tidiness. I see no reason to assume it will spring up elsewhere.
(shrug) If encouraging people to read downvoted-to-oblivion comments is a minus, then there’s a non-tidy benefit. Clearly, people differ in terms of how much they believe it is.
As for the same discussion springing up elsewhere… again, (shrug). If the convention of not having interesting discussions on hidden branches takes hold, and I want to respond to something on a hidden branch, I can respond on an open thread instead. But you’re right that I might not do so.
By the way, I’m enjoying the irony here.