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.

  • @pinkeston@lemmygrad.ml
    22•2 years ago

    I like how the post ranking algorithm weighs the recency of comments much more than likes, which is something all the popular social medias don’t do

    Without any profit incentive, Lemmygrad does not benefit from pushing the most popular posts/comments to the very front to snowball clicks and views easily since that content is already proven by votes to be attention grabbing and liked

    Instead, weighing the recency of comments heavily encourages more discussions and interactions to be had, even if the post itself is disliked or the comments within the discussion are disliked

    • @KommandoGZD@lemmygrad.ml
      15•2 years ago

      Agree, keeps threads alive much longer as well. On eg reddit it’s usually not worth it posting in a thread after about 2-3 hours. On here threads sometimes stay active for multiple days.

      • Muad'Dibber
        7•2 years ago

        This could be a scary thing too, because the new comment bumping of threads like they used to do many years ago on youtube, meant the 2 most assholish reply-debater-guys who would absolutely not concede a point, would be the top of every comment thread. But here, since we actually enforce the “be respectful” rule, it does a good job of keeping threads alive and promoting new input like you say.

  • Camarada ForteM
    21•2 years ago

    Besides having the same ideological principles (which makes conversations flow much more easily), the comradely respect we have with each other, even when we are criticizing one another, is what I like most about Lemmygrad. I also learn much through the content shared 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.

  • @sparkingcircuit@lemmygrad.ml
    19•2 years ago

    I agree whole heatedly on all counts. I’d also like to add that it’s the only space online where I can find actual leftist discourse around opensource.

  • @cayde6ml@lemmygrad.ml
    19•2 years ago

    I may not always agree with everyone here, but most of the time I can understand where other comrades are coming from, and despite us all facing the late-stages of capitalism, its surprisingly chill and respectful here. I come to Lemmygrad to educate myself, laugh, reflect and feel our bonds.

  • @redtea@lemmygrad.ml
    18•2 years ago

    Unlike other social media, this place actually feels social rather than antisocial.

    It’s also nice talking to people from all around the world, and to hear how we experience the same events differently. This works because, as said in other comments, it’s a respectful environment.

  • Amicese
    18•1 year ago

    deleted by creator

  • @TeezyZeezy@lemmygrad.ml
    17•2 years ago

    Absolutely agree. I love the community here - it is so much more mature, well spoken and well mannered. I have learned much from this site and have really come out of my shell participation wise because of the lack of ridicule.

    I was (and still am) a pretty new leftist when I came upon this site. I had only been on GenZedong for about 2 months before it got taken down, so alot of my development through theory and basic understanding was aided by Lemmygrad.

    I’ve talked to some really nice and intelligent people on here and don’t plan on quitting. I look forward to seeing the West fall together!

    Nothing but love for you all, comrades

  • @Munrock@lemmygrad.ml
    16•2 years ago

    It’s a breath of fresh air from talking to the libs I’m surrounded with in daily life.

    Mentioned off hand that there were a couple of cases of covid at work today (in HK) and my friend replies “All this oppression and still cases.”

    If they weren’t otherwise good friends I would burn my bridges with them for how often they take any little excuse to wail on the government (while taking a small fucking fortune in government subsidised salary from one of the best work:pay ratio jobs available to expats here).

    Like, the fuck do they want? Less ‘oppression’ and more cases? Or more ‘oppression’ and fewer cases? And who the fuck are you to criticize government handling of the situation like they should trust the population to handle it themselves when you wilfully undermine the system at every opportunity?

    I swear to god she calls the CPC ‘fascists’ because she hates communism because they ‘oppressed’ her Nazi grandparents by forcing them to flee their home country after the war. Liberal standards for what is and isn’t ‘oppression’ are so fucking cooked.

    But hey. I get to vent here. And that makes it more enjoyable to dwell in this capitalist hellhole that is Xianggang and quietly enjoy watching the capitalists and their liberal lapdogs cope and seethe on the road to 2047.

    • Amicese
      2•1 year ago

      deleted by creator