I was just thinking as I read successive posts in Voat how much the overall tone of this site differs from that of Reddit. The vast majority of posts here could be catagorized as right wing or nationalist or conservative. Yet this is an open forum, a genuinely open forum unlike Reddit. What does that tell us? It tells us that public opinion is overwhelmingly conservative, and that Reddit's presentation of public opinion is strongly and artificially skewed to the left.
I see the same nationalist, conservative opinions in the comments sections of Web sites when those comment sections are not censored. When people are free to express themselves, the majority of them express conservative views, not liberal views. The liberal fascists control the media, but they can't control public opinion, they can only distort and mask it.
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10017666? ago
It's because a majority of this site is populated by people who got themselves or their communities banned for being raging assholes on other websites, so this is their safe space to be a raging asshole without someone calling them on their behavior. See: FPH.
Empire_of_the_mind ago
source, fatty?
10017683? ago
Source: you. Thanks for providing a shining example of my point.
Empire_of_the_mind ago
You're illiterate and don't deserve this, but here you go:
You fail to prove your thesis that most of the users here were banned from other sites for being assholes. I, for example, have never been banned from anywhere except for FPH, ironically. Regarding your second point, that this is a safe space where people won't call you out, well that is not true at all. Your post alone is proof of that, but throughout my and other's comment histories and in myriad threads you'll find plenty of examples of people calling out a-holes. We don't take it personal, hell, sometimes they're right! Move on, it's easy, being called an asshole by some random internet commentator is not a big deal. This is a harsh world and we don't believe in letting people go through it soft - that's not kind, that's cruel and will lead to greater suffering. You're stronger than you think - I honestly believe that.
10017795? ago
I think you misunderstood what I was saying with the "safe space" comment. What I meant is that you will not be moderated, banned, or otherwise have action taken against you for being a dick to people all the time on this site, so it's natural that dicks gravitate here. It's a safe space to be a dick.
Empire_of_the_mind ago
that's certainly an upside, but it also forces the question of why should people be banned for being rude to people on the internet? otherwise, I really don't think that's a key driver to the user demographics here. i think people come here so they don't have to wade through acres of obvious bullshit just to get a little insight into what's happening in the world and what other people think about it. you have to appreciate that much of what you see written on the internet is simply phony. if you're not interested in looking at phony garbage, you're apt to be dissatisfied with sites that are based upon that (it's a business model!). Voat isn't a business and only manages to stay running out of people's generosity and appreciation for it, so there is little incentive to market phony articles to the userbase. which gets right back to the OP's point - this site incentivizes actual open discussion and every time you find a site that has incentives oriented in such a way they turn out to be a bit like this. the thesis is that this is an indicator of what the public actually thinks, and I think it's worth discussing and digging into. there is a bit of a self-selection aspect, but it's not nearly as severe as you and your partners fantasize it to be.
10017918? ago
I'm not entirely sure what you mean by 'me and my partners.' I'm here on my own, similarly exhausted with fake stories and corporate brainwashing as you are. The difference is that I'm similarly exhausted with people who feel the need to antagonize each other constantly. There is literally no place on the web for me in 2017. To put it into context, I used to mainly visit an online community where the only rule was "don't be a dick." Everything else was fine, except antagonizing other users or off-site invasions. I miss the days when that was possible. However I do appreciate the honest discussion on the subject in place of more shitslinging.
Empire_of_the_mind ago
it was never possible! flaming was one of the first internet terms invented for a reason. the way i see it, someone in your position has two options: attempt to change the behavior of every other person on the internet, or attempt to change how you interpret and respond to that behavior. as you only have the power to do one of those things, it makes the choice easy. ask yourself - why do I care what some joker on the internet says? you literally have no idea if they're a dog or not. and if you want, you can be "a dick" back to them as much as you want, with no real consequence. chances are, they don't care at all what you say or think. so vent, let out those emotions on some faceless internet fool who had the bad luck to walk in front of you path in that instant where you weren't in your best frame of mind. What i've found on this site and elsewhere is that people regularly flip out on each other and then when engaged walk it back and end up appreciating the other's comments. 70% of human communication is non-verbal and text-based convo's are inherently going to be filled with miscommunication. You simply can't know what someone really intends without seeing them, so don't take it so personally. having a thick skin is really valuable in this world, so work on thickening yours. You'll appreciate it and will lose nothing.
10018093? ago
You're not wrong, it's just depressing to me as someone who values kindness and patience above all else - things that are becoming rarer and rarer. It's not about feeling bothered by the individual comments, it's about seeing nothing but flaming or brainwashed drones everywhere I look. It's about not being able to find peace, and the gradual devolution of internet society. Which I'm sure is exactly what the mass media and corporate interests want, on both sides. A completely polarized environment where it's either a restrictive echo chamber or an all-out brawl, everywhere. I'm thankful the brawl option exists, but it exists only as an edgy rejection like a kid in a trenchcoat drawing swastikas in the back of the classroom to get his angst out. I can only hope that someday people get tired of that, but as long as the corporate echo chambers of the world continue to gain traction, reactionary communities continue to be the only alternatives.
(as a side note, thanks for using the word "flaming" - everyone forgot that one and started using "trolling" which originally meant something a bit more humorously disruptive.)
Empire_of_the_mind ago
You should note that your response to my post was to get edgy and start a brawl. There's a saying that if you meet one rude person during a day, they're an asshole. If you meet nothing but rude people all day, maybe YOU are the asshole? On a more serious note - just ignore the people you think are lashing out, and engage with the others. the world is what you make it, consider your contribution.