For sure, the moderation comments are tedious. If it helps at all, they're even more tedious to write than to read [1].
However, even though they look the same as regular HN comments, they play a different role—they are out-of-band feedback signals which help the system regulate itself. Without them, the site guidelines would have negligible effect and HN would melt down into a hot core of rage and sensationalism.
One way to think of them is like a medicine which is toxic in its own right, but which you take when the alternative is worse. It would be wonderful if we could drop them altogether and have the site stay as good or better, but alas that's not an option.
However, even though they look the same as regular HN comments, they play a different role—they are out-of-band feedback signals which help the system regulate itself. Without them, the site guidelines would have negligible effect and HN would melt down into a hot core of rage and sensationalism.
One way to think of them is like a medicine which is toxic in its own right, but which you take when the alternative is worse. It would be wonderful if we could drop them altogether and have the site stay as good or better, but alas that's not an option.
[1] https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&so...