On a continuum with preferring the truth on one end, and preferring good vibes on the other: communities like HN and Less Wrong are very far on the preferring the truth end. Much more so than the general population, which prefers good vibes. I called this difference "radical", and I think that's apt.
You can see this in practice. Someone forcing an unpleasant truth on someone else is much more acceptable on HN, than in cocktail party conversation, or in the line at the grocery store, or even on reddit.
It's a statement about the kind of discussion that is welcomed/encouraged, not the beliefs of the median HN user.
