I like that I can socialize (being an online forum is not ideal but not bad) with people who I know are coming from the same ideological starting point as me. Like I don’t need to give mountains of background info on “human nature being irredeemably bad is just a propaganda narrative” I can just dive into the topic at hand. That means you can get right to the meat of the discussion.

It is also been a great place online for me to not feel like I have to be on the defensive at all times, I can make a claim based partially on data and partially my gut feeling and not be torn to shreds, i.e. the critique is in good faith. It can be tiring to only engage in discussions where it feels like you are trying to convince the other person the whole time and they always request you “consider the other side” even when the other side is reactionary, riddled with conflicts of interest, provides no evidence, and is totally without merit🤢

It is a decent source of news but primarily a place for me to learn about how other people who have the same mindset as me but different lived experiences and who have read different things can see the same data that I see. Two heads are better than one.

In particular I really feel like my understanding of how gender and sexuality are tied to oppression has exploded from my time on here.

    • Muad'Dibber
      15•2 years ago

      o7 comrade. The fact that liberals can’t just wander over and be like “gulag stalin 420 uyghurs, yikes amirite”, has made this so much better than reddit already. Mandatory inspections at the door ( IE the applications ) are keeping them out. We still gotta be vigilant tho, red guards stay on alert for liberalism.

        • @Samubai@lemmygrad.ml
          6•2 years ago

          We’re more at ease bc we have a common understanding. That opens up all kinds of wonderful and helpful discussion. I feel more free to speak my mind and share my thoughts. I gotta say, I’m constantly surprised by how awesome and helpful and kind my comrades are!

          I also love the comrades here that provide a focus on mental and physical health like @SpaceCowboy. It’s just such a positive thing! It helps me to keep getting in shape.

        • Muad'Dibber
          6•2 years ago

          Reminds me of this classic where the BBC got caught editing photos of vloggers in China to make it seem super-overcast and gloomy. After they got caught, the BBC restored the originals, but luckily the wayback machine saved their edits. Imaging doing photo work for the BBC and one of your duties is to gloom up all the China and Russia photos.