Great question. I often wonder that myself. Clearly I'm not the only one.

Presumably it's the same reason people stay in your corrupt city, or nation, despite it likewise being such a toxic, authoritarian shithole (Nazi Germany 2.0) that any sane person would want to escape from. Maybe the instinct of people like us is not to run and hide from bullies who hide behind downvotes and flags, but instead punch you in the mouth.

Who am I? Just some loser who created his own entire Linux distro from scratch. The sort of guy who was posting on Slashdot long before HN was a wink in Hermann Goering's eye. Nobody special.

There's no use in keeping a miscreant like me around, I can assure you. Stop wasting time responding to my sound logical arguments and just fire up the bot army and downvote/flag me into oblivion, as you people have always done--starting from DAY ONE of the FIRST account I ever created here.

Yes, that's right--I HAVE NEVER ONCE BEEN ALLOWED to just post my thoughts on anything here. It ALWAYS ends the same way, IMMEDIATELY. This is the first time I have EVER had an account more than a few days. Holy shit, the green text is about to disappear, and I'm still posting! Incredible.

(And that's 100% my fault, of course. If there's one constant around here, it's that the angry, perpetually-offended, butthurt mob is never, ever considered wrong.)

I understand. Believe me, I do. The truth is, all this downvoting and flagging and lecturing and whining about Da Fukken Roolz that you creatures do is the ONE THING that gives you any power or control in the world. Otherwise, you are completely powerless under the weight of giant corporations and the government--and deep down inside, beneath all your bluster and denial and egotism, you know it well.

You are nothing more than a slave to a big machine--and that's all you will ever be, until they recycle you into Soylent Green. A mental block prevents you from becoming anything other.

It will no doubt amaze you to learn that there are in fact negative consequences that will manifest to you and your forum and "polite society" in general--not just to your victims, as you intend--from so many years of rudely slamming the door in the face of one valuable contributor after another.

Turns out people of worth don't want to be around losers and whiny pricks who do not value our contributions, or who insist on following us from post to post lecturing us about "da roolz", like we're naughty children who are in desperate need of your expert guidance and instruction. (Fact check: WRONG.)

As for why I'm here, personally, despite the arrogance and general uselessness of so many posters here: because there are in fact a few other people here who are worth associating with. So very few. So rare.

Hope this helps drag you kicking and screaming in the direction of the nearest clue.

TLDR: Why do you hate facts?