link to original reddit post by /u/hammy3000
Would love any suggestions on where else to get content/tech updates/science updates that aren't completely overrun by political agenda (does such a place even exist?). I'll update this post if I find any on my own should anyone like to join. Venting below for catharsis:
I'm resolving that this will be my last post on Reddit. If I have any, my last comments will also be in this post.
First, the positive, this subreddit is simply awesome. The mods are based as hell. The content is fantastic, the discussion is always lively and interesting. Everyone here is genuinely inquisitive, logical, and open to debate. I do not know of a single other subreddit like this, even remotely. Having a place with people that are willing to say 2+2 really does still equal 4, brings me an inner peace that has meant the world. And a LOT of that is due to the awesome mod team and community that is curated here.
But now... my mental and emotional health cannot take this endlessly screaming echo chamber any longer. I'm a natural introvert, and a child of the internet. And this site isn't a good "home base" any longer. EVERY subreddit is now /r/politics. I genuinely used to love Reddit. So many subreddits with interesting daily content in science, technology, philosophy, and just fun stuff. I miss those days quite a lot (in tandem with the old internet in general). Politics really isn't even in a major passion of mine, but I feel as though I've been forced into making it a central focal point in my life. That stops now, I'm sick of every day trying to decipher what freedom I'm losing and trying to convince the religious state devotees to turn from their gods.
Every single fucking post or comments section on this site devolves into pathetic children screaming about covid, state worship, and endless thoughtless drivel.
I'm done.
Not just the fact that this site has been completely brigaded/overrun by grifters, leftists, and people who have absolutely no interest in anything remotely approaching honest conversation, but that the very underlying design of this site does not encourage thoughtful discussion.
This took me an embarrassingly long time to realize, but Reddit is also an insane time sink. And even worse, a mentally fatiguing time sink, it occupies way too much of my conscious frustrations for no worthwhile reason. All the anguish and frustration I feel on a daily basis has not added one positive thing to my life.
Moreover, I really don't have the ability to stress enough how dangerous this is (maybe even moreso than ANYTHING else), Reddit pretends to, and truly makes the reader feel as though they're having a thoughtful conversation or learning something from skimming an article and reading some comments. Due to that, I genuinely think Reddit may be worse than even Twitter or Facebook. The mechanisms in which it buries anything but the status quo make it a terrible stage for conversation (and forget about even being within a football pitch of a controversial idea).
But I guess that's it. I'll miss the good times here, but I won't miss the hysteria. I won't miss the nonsense. If anyone wants to stay in touch, feel free to fling me a PM with your email or we can connect on discord, I'd love to keep hearing from all you awesome people here every now and then. If you wanna discuss music, philosophy, politics, whatever.
Take care, all. I plan to keep the fire alive by living free, both mentally and physically as best as I can. Getting off Reddit is the best step for me to do that. I won't, and we shouldn't, give up that last vestige of freedom: our internal freedom. They can take everything else from me, but I won't let them take that any longer. They do not deserve the energy or fortitude it requires.