I'm also here with you. I don't get the issue. I know some fonts are more easily readable than others. I can understand the argument that maybe some fonts cause more strain than others. But there are other commenters who are saying that this font type is evoking emotions from them, particularly negative emotional ones. I don't get it.
Like music or art, I think that one starts to see, and appreciate, nuances as one learns and experiences more. If you’re drawn to the beauty and nuance of fonts, you start to develop preferences and appreciations for details. If you’re simply utilitarian in your font use (which is perfectly fine, of course), you probably don’t care about much beyond legibility. I find some fonts aesthetically beautiful, and some awful (Comic Sans is in the middle for me, though closer to awful), but I don’t expect others to share my tastes: I like jazz and filling out tax forms, too.
My hot take is that Hacker News isn’t immune from having an online community status quo, it’s just a different one. The averaged out HN perspective is one of hyperbolic ridicule. And honestly it’s fine! You’ll never have an online community without this effect, or really any community. The same group also generates extremely useful content more often than not, I’m still thankful we have this :)
