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db0@lemmy.dbzer0.commod to /0@lemmy.dbzer0.com – 353 points –

~500 comments about our instance and admins in the past week. Talk about needing to touch some grass...

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I think everyone who hates hexbear should just.... Make a hexbear.net account and go hang out there. That's what i did, waaaay back when sh.itjust.works defedded. I hadn't heard about them before and i just had to see what the food was about first-hand.

It's not the den of wolves people seem to fear. In fact, i spend nearly as much time hanging out in their threads as on this instance. I have always liked learning new perspectives and stuff, and i believe I've gained quite a bit from making that place one of my innanet homes

I'm on an instance federated with them, and subscribed to a couple of their comms, but their most popular politics boards are exactly what you'd expect from it being where r/chapoTrapHouse went.

I swear 90% of the people deriding hexbear were offended by one post and never went back or saw a post that was entirely full of sarcastic comments and thought it was unironic. I'm not even ML, I call myself an anarchist and argue about all kinds of shit on hexbear and I have found it to be a very caring community, and actually doesn't tolerate transphobia or imperialist apologia unlike most online spaces.

Hexbear sends their commissar clown car around to threads they disagree with, especially in political/news communities, and brigade them with their tankie bullshit ideology.

Well? Care to elaborate on your findings?

They definitely aren't china/russo spies or the funnier ideas ive seen folks have. They skew about the same age range and nationality as the rest of Lemmy. Lotsa yanks yaknow? They aren't afraid to show you your own ass if you drop trou around them, and they have the mental acuity to expose every pimple, so you better have a thick skin if you want to speak on something you aren't as informed on as you think you are. I do have one (id like to think) and i got my clock cleaned over there once, had to touch grass for a few days. But i didn't get banned or harassed for it. (Probably because i didn't double down on my opinion) in fact i am still friendly with those same people, even the ones who hurted my feefees.

I think maybe the shock many commenters feel going over there is actually whiplash from the perspective change. From arguing politics from a position of "the left" towards people on "the right" political spectrum.

When you're talking communists as a liberal, you are the right wing. This whiplash is dizzying and difficult, and not at all pleasant. Unless you plan to learn, and go there with the idea that you are going to learn something, it's not going to be a fun expedition. Proselytizing types get mocked and banned.

Reason i say one must learn isnt to say one must convert, there are simply a lot of things we have been told about what communism/capitalism actually are that are simply untrue. In addition, there's a lot of additional historical context those who don't dedicate themselves to the subject just won't know that kinda changes the way one views how we came to be where we are today.

And one doesnt have to believe or agree with the conclusions drawn to gain this insight and perspective, but i feel knowing more is always better than Knowing less. At the very least you may find yourself understanding where they come from, and agree with many points they make.

Ive just read my ramble and i don't know if it is descriptive or helpful at all haha. Lemme just say in closing i think those folks have good heads on their shoulders and I'm quite glad i found them. taking the time to try to understand what they're about was a lesson for me in both political theory and history and i am better for it

Yeah I agree with a lot of what you've said here. I actually switched to db0 from lemm.ee as my primary instance when hexbear defederated from ee. I mostly lurk anyways but I do like seeing their posts from time to time, at the very least it's good to get a wider perspective on things. Tbh Lemmy in general and especially the leftist instances have made me reconsider some of my long standing beliefs and have contributed greatly to my radicalization lol

What do you mean by "radicalization"? I know you're talking in hyperbole, but are you saying that you're more fervent of your original ideas, or that going over there made a huge impact on the things you believe in?

Thank you! Sounds point, and I appreciate you typing all that. I will check it out with an open mind. But that will be difficult. I come from a place where socialism/communism was implemented, in which the message was "being rich is a bad thing," and the government is just a bunch of hypocrite authoritarian corrupts. So I have my reservations.

But I'm always willing to learn.

Not who you asked, but it really is just a group of rowdy leftists that do not tolerate liberalism of any manner. Defederation has resulted in an inflated mythology surrounding them, as though they are a pack of rabid animals, but if you go on their site it's pretty normal for a leftist space.

but if you go on their site it's pretty normal for a leftist space

A dirtbag left space, certainly. You’ll get dogpiled for most any dissenting opinions, but it’s generally “here’s [link] where you’re dumb and wrong, do better” not “kys bootlicker”.

I don’t get ppb as the peak of comedy, they can keep that

I tried finding the point of that opinion piece you linked and found only frustration. Not going after you but the author really. On a different note, could you tell me what ppb is? I looked it up and only found parts per billion

I think that’s the point, no? They’re enthusiastic, but turn that energy into online spaces to argue. Yes there’s organizing in meatspace, but largely devolves into online circle-jerks. Like us all.

Ppb

To your point about organizing there are seemingly more folks on there who do it for real, i don't have numbers tho just vibes from hearing peeps on there talking about their work. Ymmv. But you're not chiding them for not being political enough are you? They have no more responsibility to do that than you or i do (a responsibility i personally haven't risen to since Bernie).

Ppb

Ahhhahaha i should have known. But i love ppb (and all their cool custom emojis) so we'll have to disagree on that one.

Yep, hence describing them as rowdy. They are kinda like twitch chat in many ways.

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100% agree. Largely, defederation from Hexbear by the larger servers has resulted in a sort of vastly inflated mythology surrounding it.

Just visit it, and see for yourself what it's actually like, it won't hurt.

I don't think people view it as a den of wolves more so a small car filled with clowns. Their instance code of conduct requires a trigger warning to show a picture of an egg.

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