When I first started using Lemmy it seemed like such a nice place with interesting discussions. It seemed like the first group of people to join after the app exodus were being quite careful to be respectful of the existing culture.
Now, it seems as though the culture from Reddit has completely replaced it. Toxicity and all. I will say I do follow a lot of communities from a wide range of instances so it’s clearly not everywhere.
Am I the only one who’s feeling like we’ve just stormed in and bulldozed Lemmy?
Unpopular opinion, but I really hate the soft bubble space every social media is becoming and welcome the freedom of speech. I’m not saying people should be harassing each other, but it is nice knowing I could call someone a fucking dumbass when they’re being one and not expect an IP ban.
Yes and no. I’d prefer user choice/curating your own list of instance you interact with.
However, each community also adds further burden on moderation. The communities you allow affect the culture, and some are very clearly more trouble than others.
My current solution would be to have multiple accounts for different sections of the fediverse. Currently I only have a generic Kbin and a Lemmy account, but if you find a Lemmy instance that’s federated with the broader free-speech spectrum without just veering into insane territory itself, I’d be interested.
What if instead of that we asked why someone thinks a way, and what led to their conclusions?
The first step is allowing others to think a different way. On Reddit, using the wrong word can see you banned from 20 of the top subreddits and even earn you a site-wide ban.
I recall that 5-6 years ago on reddit, veering into a disapproved sub and saying anything at all, such as “Wow, I really disagree with this”, could result in automatic bans from other subs for participating in the disapproved sub. Also, the widely disapproved sub would quickly permaban you with a hateful message containing various insults.
Getting banned by a bot and having to beg somebody to actually read what you posted is an experience.
True. I got an automatic ban from r/BlackLivesMatter, as sub I participated in regularly, for calling out a wrongheaded comment on r/conservative, a sub I’d never visited before. And while the mods at the BLM sub were happy to review and correct this ban, it was still a bit jarring.
I think radical and hateful people should be called out but just insulting each other is going to radicalise them even further. The best way is to have a civil discussion and see the other’s pov, and when they can’t do anything but be an asshole, just ignore them.
I think that anywhere that welcomes bigots is truly welcoming only to bigots. Not every site needs to pretend forever that bigots are just misguided souls who just need a lil’ more understanding before they stop being bigots out of the goodness of their hearts because they’ve attained satori. Bigots can and do take advantage of sites like that.
If you want to engage with bigots, there’s plenty of places for you to go do that. reddit, facebook, threads, xhitter, truth social, 4chan, the comments section of any youtube video, hell even lemmy has exploding-heads.
There’s too many nazi bars already. Not every bar needs to be one.
Definitely agree, some people are just not worth even engaging with.
People can and do undergo change and become enlightened. Certain people, however, are not willing and do not engage in any sort of good faith exchange of ideas, and I agree - it’s useless. I’m not here to provide angry psychopaths or government shills with therapy.