It's time to admit Lemmy has won the "the biggest reddit alternative" award, why it's time for all of us to consider supporting it (here's why) + reopening r/LemmyMigration

Lee Duna@lemmy.nz to Reddit@lemmy.world – 1734 points –
It's time to admit Lemmy has won the "the biggest reddit alternative" award, why it's time for all of us to consider supporting it (here's why) + reopening r/LemmyMigration
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Overwhelmingly left and far left on the political spectrum, embracing all things LGBT+

And that's what makes it great. I don't get this idea that it'd be better if that wasn't part of the demographic. Like, what value does being anti-LGBT or neutral-but-whiny bring to the table, for example?

Bringing opposing points of view like that for the sake of it didn't help Reddit, but only strained moderation and made the user experience worse when we had to deal with so many hateful bigots for no good reason. I saw one sub get overrun by these people and practically squeeze everyone out in a coordinated effort. One of those subs became unequivocally anti-trans in a matter of weeks. It was awful.

And that’s what makes it great.

Not really. It's very tiresome when pretty much every thread turns into "capitalism bad" even from the most benign topics. Not that I disagree with it but it's just everywhere, to the point it's becoming a meme. That's what viking is talking about, there needs to be more diversity in the discussion otherwise it's just everyone circlejerking saying the same things over and over. It's not attractive to anyone that doesn't share those same views.

You can open a thread and almost play a lemmy bingo with the comments:

  • No matter the topic, capitalism will be blamed
  • Why are you driving 10 miles to that place? You should walk instead!
  • We should ban cars and replace them with trains. Put trains everywhere!
  • Linux good, Firefox best
  • A story on a cop dying will have lots of comments celebrating their murder and calling for more policemen to die

Like, what value does being anti-LGBT or neutral-but-whiny bring to the table, for example?

Anti-LGBT, none. But discussions here are increasingly centered on LGBT topics, which just doesn't concern me one way or another. And yes, I simply avoid them, it's just popping up in every thread, related or not. I'm not close minded or anything, I just don't want to have every discussion drift into issues that don't concern me.

On the political side, why is it either left, right, or neutral but whiny? There's quite a large number of neutral and not whiny people out there. My issue is that when I try to point out that some idealistic leftist topics will never work in a material society, I'm being attacked for no reason, so I withdraw from discussions (or don't even engage anymore at all); thus contributing my share to the growth of the echo chamber and the decline of post volumes.

As far as being anti-LGBT, there is no room for outright bigotry on any online space. Not being a FOSS zealot, not being anti-capitalist, and owning a car is not bigotry though

I'm relatively moderate politically but certainly not anti-diversity, but as a hypothetical example, lets say you're a new urbanist with a full on ban cars mentality, if I suggested say, daylighting intersections and offering cheap/free parking lots instead of street parking, that opinion might be downvoted to oblivion / mods may ban me because I don't follow that orthodoxy. If you're someone who enjoys the conversation and rebuttal portion ( I do, its something I enjoy about reddit), getting 100 people into a post who all think the same is boring as sin. Honestly, if for example on reddit, r/conservative wasn't such an echo chamber, i'd contribute on that subreddit too just to hear difference of opinion and try to understand the logic behind certain viewpoints.

Honestly what kind of conversation are you looking to have? I don’t need to waste my time listening to libertarian babies who haven’t fully developed their sense of empathy nor even a genuine awareness that they will be sick and frail one day like the people they constantly shit on for needing handouts.

I’d rather an echo chamber with people having genuinely progressive, illuminating conversations than a bunch of babies all screaming words they don’t even really understand the meaning of…. which is all to say I am perfectly fine with how left this space is.