the reason i dislike seeing these articles on HN is that:

1. strong defensive positions float to the top... which could be astroturfing.

2. the merits of the concept aren't discussed; the convo falls back to whataboutism.

maybe it's all fair, but on a site where everyone's ~anonymous, it's hard to take the discussion at face value.

The topic comment at the time I’m writing this is asking fair questions, in my opinion.

- Many people feel the death penalty is wrong in every case.

- Some have a general familiarity with high-level politics of elites and wonder about selective enforcement.

These don’t feel like they’re in bad faith. The merits are difficult to know from the outside, so there will always be speculation based on someone’s lived experience and perceptions. Better to have those aired with a chance to respond, in my opinion.

Especially for China, since it is a global power that operates differently from others. In my own country (United States), for example, we have brazenly open corruption with no consequences.

Most people here are anonymous, for all the discussions. Either trust that your fellow HNers are legitimate, or… ?