I'd rather the symbol be there and occasionally see this discussion happen then the symbol be omitted and occasionally have the discussion where we try and figure out if the person was serious. When talking in person there are all sorts of visual and vocal cues and the speaker has cues in response to confirm the sarcasm was received. There are two parties that can correct that misunderstanding and have well established tools to do so.

/s is basically the internet-enabled equivalent of a sarcasm tone or a wink - it is much more difficult to detect genuine subtle sarcasm on the internet because of the absence of common communication tools. /s is also a valuable accessibility tool for those that might have difficulty with social cues and subtlety so, for all my autistic friends, I'm happy to defend it.

I believe Poe's law makes it basically inescapable and HN is no exception to it

I think the sarcasm indicator is useful especially for some neurodivergent folks who may not pick up on social cues well. And the sacram indicator does not in any way detract from the joke.

Tone does not translate well through text.

If you can tell sarcasm from text, that doesn't mean everyone can.

For my part, the smiley face was much-appreciated as I've seen people who genuinely would think that with a straight face.

--- EDIT: Spelling of a word

Oh seems like we've got a joke connoisseur in our midst, ah yes very distinguished

:)

subtlety is dead on the internet of the lowest common denominator, and that enabled by AI assistance is very low indeed

In Soviet Russia, Microsoft is the shit!

You opinion on this matter means a lot to me and I will definitely take it into account for my future posts /s