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Ask HN: Is there an HN for optimists?

42 points by RKoutnik ↗ HN
The last few months have been pretty rough for us liberal optimists. HN used to be a solace for me where I can read about the folks building the future & get inspired. I'm tired of the endless semantic bickering and want to dwell someplace where taking risks is valued above never failing.

Is there still somewhere like that on our great internets? Contact info is in my profile if you're not comfortable sharing details publicly.

EDIT: I couldn't ask for a more perfect juxtaposition :D

https://twitter.com/rkoutnik/status/820284756315226112

27 comments

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PaulHoule
Tip o'Niell liberal or The Economist liberal?
achariam
I've been feeling the same way for the past several months. So I decided to build a community that reflects that. Just started inviting a few friends and co-workers to a private beta. There's a little more info over at https://www.elyxel.com
bakztfuture
Can I get an invite?
achariam
Sure thing, feel free to send me an email. I tried looking and couldn't find yours on your profile.
jswrenn
Lobsters (http://lobste.rs) is much lower volume than HN, but it's a community I'm glad to be a part of, nonetheless. The comments tend to be far more positive than they are here on HN.

I've sent you an invite!

Edit: added missing 'e' to URL.

eitland
Would you mind sending one to me as well?
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neurocroc
Can I also please get an invite. This community looks amazing.
jswrenn
Sure! What email address can I send the invite to?
neurocroc
this one : nikita.voloboev@gmail.com

Sorry for not replying earlier, only saw that you replied now. Thank you.

thescribe
Looks interesting, how hard is it to get an invite?
natch
Not sure if it's too meta to comment on whether true optimism can draw on constructive negativity as one of its mechanisms for self reinforcement, but here goes...

Sometimes feedback that points out problems is misinterpreted.

I find that when presented with a new idea (either from outside, or it could be my own brain coming up with it) my first inclination is to ask: OK, what obstacles do we have to tackle to make this real? Those obstacles represent a todo list of steps. Looked at one way, they can seem negative. Looked at another way, they can seem like the fundamental tools of a true optimist.

(What do I mean by "true" optimist? I mean someone who views possibilities in a pragmatic way and wants to figure out how things can happen despite obstacles, rather than just hoping the problems will vanish.)

On HN, the new ideas (and recycled ones) flow fast and furious. As does the negative feedback. And also some gratuitous negativity, unfortunately, as you point out.

I hope you find what you are looking for. In the meantime I find HN to still be pretty decent.

RodericDay
I am exactly the opposite. I am jaded and cynical despise when people engage in what some people derisively call 'techno-utopianism'.

As such, I think maybe you would enjoy reddit.com/r/futurism.

chmod775
Are you sure it is wise to surround yourself with people who explicitly share the same views as opposed to a more diverse community?

The term echo chamber springs to mind.

tyingq
Your own comment history has plenty of criticism in it. Not unwarranted criticism (from the few I read), but certainly not exclusively inspirational/optimistic replies.

Trying not to be too cynical, but it looks like you're really looking for a community of exclusively like minded peers vs optimism. Not sure how you do that across a broad space of topics.

charlesism
HackerNews was much more optimistic only three or four years back. It used to be full of posts about "smart toothpicks disrupting the dental industry" etc. I found it a little nauseating.

The last few years, for some reason, the tone here seems to be a bit more jaded.

I love HN the way it currently is. People here are polite and sane, but there is enough skepticism that the site is no longer full of ridiculous garbage.

99% of the internet is content to work itself up over press releases, hype, and shoddy reporting. HN is the one site I go to where people have level heads.