Not a mod, but this came up here: https://beehaw.org/comment/29314 and is linked in the Beehaw FAQ post about downvotes being disabled. The context is in the comment thread linked there.

From what I understand, the main reasoning was that if you want to disagree with someone you have to put some thought and effort into it such as a comment which could be a jumping off point to a discussion.

If you decide to look at Python, I really enjoyed going through the “Automate the Boring Stuff with Python” lessons/book. It breaks it down really well in non technical terms and I thought the work was pretty fun. It may be a good way to get a feel for it. I think once you learn one language it’s a bit easier to pick up your next one (at least that how it went for me).