On the left side of each post there are up and down arrows, which let you upvote or downvote it. You can upvote posts that you like so that more users will see them. Or downvote posts so that they are less likely to be seen.
which doesn't really back me up.
My downvote principle was meant more generally - most places that have a downvote policy say that it's not meant for shouting down people you disagree with, since that's not conducive for civil and nuanced conversations.
I understand the point (especially if some can't use downvotes) but I hope the alternative isn't something like this post, because I don't think I've ever seen a less civil one.
You’ve never heard anything less civil than “shut up”? You live a very sheltered life if that’s the case.
You are as pitiful a troll as ggsu7.
Why does “shut up” to a stupid comment bring out this nastiness from you? Why are you so angry?
That you want to continue this and keep throwing out crude provocations only reinforces my assumption.
You don't even have a good excuse, at no point have I mentioned you and this is a huge post full of rudeness, in any case that you take it as an allusion speaks volumes.
Hey pal, this is the internet. Lighten up, will ya?
That's the ideal, but we all know that's not how the majority of people use it.
Explain the downvotes for my "unrelated" comment which is apparently more unrelated than someone posting just "shut up".
Upvotes and downvotes are only there to tell people with no wrinkles how they should feel about a post. It creates a preconceived bias.
If you're not going to contribute anything but your rage, you should shut up. This is what the downvote button is for.
No, the downvote is meant to be for things that don't contribute to the discussion, not for things you disagree with.
Is this documented for Lemmy or just grandfathered from Reddit?
Not all instances even support upvotes. Some only support downvotes. Does every instance have to agree on the meaning?
Good question. The documentation says:
which doesn't really back me up.
My downvote principle was meant more generally - most places that have a downvote policy say that it's not meant for shouting down people you disagree with, since that's not conducive for civil and nuanced conversations.
I understand the point (especially if some can't use downvotes) but I hope the alternative isn't something like this post, because I don't think I've ever seen a less civil one.
You’ve never heard anything less civil than “shut up”? You live a very sheltered life if that’s the case.
You are as pitiful a troll as ggsu7.
Why does “shut up” to a stupid comment bring out this nastiness from you? Why are you so angry?
That you want to continue this and keep throwing out crude provocations only reinforces my assumption.
You don't even have a good excuse, at no point have I mentioned you and this is a huge post full of rudeness, in any case that you take it as an allusion speaks volumes.
Hey pal, this is the internet. Lighten up, will ya?
That's the ideal, but we all know that's not how the majority of people use it.
Explain the downvotes for my "unrelated" comment which is apparently more unrelated than someone posting just "shut up".
Upvotes and downvotes are only there to tell people with no wrinkles how they should feel about a post. It creates a preconceived bias.
Shut up.