The guidelines apply to equally everyone, and plenty of users who post highly-ranking submissions take care to observe the guidelines and contribute positively to the community in all their posts.

People have been proclaiming the decline of HN's quality since months after its inception. It still keeps growing, and most importantly, keeps becoming a better place for showcasing new projects.

Everyone can make the choice about whether their role on HN will be to raise the standards or to drag them downwards. The choice is yours, but consider that some of the people downvoting and flagging your comments are the users who are notable for consistently making the most positive contributions to HN over the long term.