this post was submitted on 06 Apr 2026
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Unpopular Opinion

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A little maybe, but not much.

I've seen people say they left reddit to join Lemmy because of the toxic users. To each their own, but I personally think Lemmings aren't much better. Some people over here can't understand that sensitive questions can be asked without bad intent. People are way too defensive about their opinions.

It is disappointing, but it's the better option.

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[–] jrs100000@lemmy.world 67 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (4 children)

I dont know. Not that Lemmy users are necessarily great all the time, but Reddit has decayed to the point that its barely better than a generic Facebook feed.

[–] Karl@literature.cafe 16 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Yeah, my feed was pretty awful when I left reddit. Too many reposts.

Lemmy is better on that aspect.

But I feel that it should be possible for me to ask questions I couldn't ask anywhere else without people jumping on me with their accusations

[–] teyrnon@sh.itjust.works 11 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Like what question do people jump on you for on lemmy here?

Personally I don't take that much offense, if someone is rude to me I give it back to them, or ignore them. It's anonymous online communication so you have to expect getting flak.

[–] Karl@literature.cafe 9 points 1 week ago (5 children)

Well, I asked the question : 'Do you think strict 2 child policy be a thing?' Mind you, I didn't even say it should be. The only reason I asked that is because I wonder if it would become necessary in the future. And some guy accused me of wanting to control women and all that.

[–] tburkhol@lemmy.world 30 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I hope you can see where, in the current political climate, questions like "Should 2-child policy be a thing?" "Should transgenders use the gender assigned at birth?" or "Should immigrants be immediately returned to their country of origin?" might seem disingenuous to the populations affected by those very real policy proposals.

[–] chunes@lemmy.world -2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Immediately proving their point with incendiary questions that aren't really comparable

[–] atomicbocks@sh.itjust.works 10 points 1 week ago (1 children)

You asked if people should be forced to live a certain way and were surprised that you got a vitriolic response??? In this political climate????? Maybe know your audience a little better.

[–] Buelldozer@lemmy.today 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

In this political climate???

I was online a decade before "Eternal September" started and having to check the "political climate" before making a post wasn't a thing until sometime in the last 8 years or so.

This kind gatekeeping has had horrible consequences for the culture of the internet.

[–] atomicbocks@sh.itjust.works 11 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I grew up with lesbian parents in the south in the 90s. Checking the political climate is all I have ever done my entire life, internet or not. I don’t agree that there has ever been a time when that wasn’t a requirement online or offline.

Like for real? Obama’s tan suit happened 12 years ago and you think the Internet has only been politicized for 8? You must have managed to avoid pretty much all social media before Facebook, which is weird because Eternal September happened in the 90s and came from Usenet which has been political since the 80s.

[–] Buelldozer@lemmy.today 0 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

and you think the Internet has only been politicized for 8?

I didn't say the internet wasn't politicized. I said that having to "check the political climate" before making a post, i.e. self censoring, is new(ish). You gonna tell me that you never posted online that having lesbian parents is okay before it became accepted to do so? I'll bet you did and I'll bet you did it more than once.

This idea that posts running counter to the current cultural / political climate shouldn't be made is pure horseshit. Usenet was stuffed to the gills with counter culture of all kinds, it was expected and accepted. Yes there were epic flame wars but that's because people didn't self censor an unpopular opinion because of the "current political climate". I was there.

Online discourse is a pale shadow of what it once was and I put the blame squarely on the rise of this idea that people should self-censor in order to avoid giving offense. Fuck that and fuck people who believe that's how it should be.

Edit: One Usenet if a user really REALLY couldn't stomach what another user was spouting then they put 'em in the kill file. That's what "plonk" meant.

[–] atomicbocks@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 week ago

You are just saying what I said, that OP should’ve expected a flame war based on what they said. I never said that they shouldn’t have made the post. It feels like you’re ignoring what happened over the last 40 years in order to keep looking at the halcyon days of the Internet with nostalgia goggles.

[–] lagoon8622@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

You poor little baby. Maybe you can pay someone for a hug or something

[–] Buelldozer@lemmy.today 0 points 1 week ago

Hey that was a good idea. I swung by your house and got a few hugs from your mom. Thanks!

[–] teyrnon@sh.itjust.works 10 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Religious people were apeshit about china's two child policy. They hated it. I don't doubt you got some flak bringing it up, but it's also an issue of the government telling people what they can and can't do, which may be where more of these people are coming from.

One thing is certain, there is zero chance of it happening in the US anytime soon, because of the religious people.

[–] Buelldozer@lemmy.today 6 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

but it’s also an issue of the government telling people what they can and can’t do...

There's a strong segment of Lemmy, perhaps even a majority, who have absolutely no problem with a government telling people what they can and can't do. The only thing these people disagree on is the details.

[–] Skavau@piefed.social 3 points 1 week ago

Given the decline in birth rates, I don't know why you'd think it'd be necessary tbh.

[–] Chee_Koala@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

You should check out one or two talks by Hans Rosling, the Scandinavian statistics prof/king. Very interesting correlations between quality of life/healthcare and family size, and he makes the info digestible for a wide audience.

Also, I would advise you generously block anyone who proves to you that they are not interested in discussing, but only in... let's say shouting.

[–] naeap@sopuli.xyz 4 points 1 week ago

I know what you mean...

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

those reposts are by AI bots, or spammers looking to warm up thier accounts. i see alot of people complain on those subs, but it usually fall on deaf ears most of the time, by mods, and certainly admins dont do anything about it, because its more advertisement potential for them. but they are quick to target accounts that arnt benefiting them.

I sometimes go to it on a computer with shitty privacy settings. It's terrible now. There is no quality content and it seems state-owned. After not using it for a while I was shocked by how bad it got since I left.

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

reddits is dead internet theory come true, mostly run by propaganda bots(russia, israel, and PALINTIR). OF spammers, link/url.ad spammers. FACEBOOK is what reddit will become eventually.

[–] JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social -2 points 1 week ago

Reddit has decayed to the point that its barely better than a generic Facebook feed.

That is certainly not the case for a well-curated personal feed.

My feeling is that if your feed is shitty, you can look in the mirror at the one who curated it.