I'm curious what you mean by "inherently insulting". Do you think there are words that are insulting "inherently" whereas there are other words that are only contingently insulting?

I ask because it seems to me there's nothing inherent at all about the use of any word, so whether or not "normie" is insulting comes down to the degree to which people tend to use it insultingly. And I believe common use is overwhelmingly derogatory.

There may be exceptions, of course, and you personally may even be more familiar with the exceptions than the typical usage.

Hm.. when talking about the inherent meaning of a word (and whether there is such a thing) I might make reference to denotation vs. connotation, but I'm not prepared to dig into the semantics here.

I would say that my experience with regard to the use of the word "normie" is indeed different from yours.

Regardless, on a site called Hacker News, in an era where "geek" has a neutral or even slightly positive connotation (despite it's history and origins) I think the default should be to assess how an author actually uses a word, rather than how it often used in broader society.

When your goal is to initiate those in the out-group, it's counter-productive to use an in-group term in the title, especially when that term refers to members of the out-group itself. Insulting has nothing to do with it; in-group terms are not welcoming to the out-group.