I joined lemmy after reddit API changes, as many people did. At first, it was amazing. The community felt so alive, so friendly and welcoming. Obviously, the activity wasn’t exactly as large as it was on reddit, but I was patient, I knew more stuff was coming, and I was excited for it.
Unfortunately, this period would not last long. It would not last even a week until I got into my first argument with a tankie. I saw them and argued with them from time to time on reddit, but people there usually saw right through the bullshit and downvoted them to oblivion.
Here, it was so much different. They were all upvoted and supported by hordes more tankies. Constant genocide denial in China, support for Ruzzia, and somehow, for North Korea.
In retrospect, I should have left then, abandoned lemmy then and there, not really return to reddit, just leave both alone. I would have saved myself some sanity.
But I didn’t, which I regret. I wasted my time here, constantly seeing this bullshit, and sometimes, I didn’t even have the motivation or energy to argue with them.
The amount of genocide denial, dictatorship praising, and insane arguments I’ve seen in a month blew past the amount of this shit I’ve seen on reddit in a fucking decade.
I don’t see the future in this, none whatsoever. Lemmy will be here, but it will always stay a tankie hellhole unless you block thousands of people and whole instances. And if you do, the tankies will always just migrate to other instances to keep spreading hate.
You guys are awesome. Keep doing what you are doing, but I am tired of this bullshit and I am done.
While I have my run ins with tankies sometimes, I actually don’t think it’s that bad. Join an instance that blocks lemmygrad and hexbear, ignore lemmy.ml or block it too and you’re golden.
That’s the power of fediverse, it’s flexibility.
Also tankies have a strong foothold on Lemmy, because they were here first. But they are not as numerous as you or they themself think. Watch them outside of their safespace communities and see them downvoted into oblivion.
The fact you can block an instance where communities reside that you have issues with is incredible!
It’s like if Reddit gave you a feature to block a subreddit and all the users that subscribed to it in one single action.
Edit: OP should try creating an account on different instances? For instance on the instance hosting the community that just posted this to…?
I have several accounts and sh.itjust.works has been doing a stellar job with managing the toxicity from leaking into this instance.
I don’t recommend leaving. Just block the tankies.
I’m a leftie, but not a tankie. I’m not a fan of autocracy, or defending atrocities. Tankies are misguided but there are many decent communists, even if I do not agree with their views.
On Reddit, the Overton window is way over to the right. You make the point their posts are downvoted to oblivion. Of course with that, any left wing view is often down voted to oblivian. In a space where it is left leaning, like Lemmy, you don’t get that and you have a more diverse debate. You’ll get liberals over on .world engaging with communists, socialists and tankies. Some can handle a site where left wing views are allowed. Some won’t. You have a block feature where you can block, grad, hexbear and even lemmy.ml if you’re really struggling to digest left views.
If not, maybe your views are more rightwards than you realise and that bias on reddit is more comfortable. If that is the case, it may be better for you over there.
I personally don’t get how people cannot understand that people have different views, especially in different countries. I’m left in the UK, a socialist, and sometimes Americans think that is a euthenism for communism because they cannot comprehend that the state can have a role in reducing inequality.
You highlight that genocide denial is rampant, but I see here people comfortable to be critical of Israel’s treatment of Palestine. I think only some genocides/atrocities you want to see discussed.
Either way, I hope you find an environment you’re comfortable in. Not everything has to be a battle.
The genocide denial is very selective. If a “western nation” involved. You’ll generally see widespread near universal condemnation. Should you dare to point out other genocides, historical or contemporary with leninist, Maoist, Stalinist ties. Be ready for strong tonal whiplash. Because apparently it’s only genocide when capitalists do it. When those groups do it, it’s a noble involuntary sacrifice for the proletariat by the benevolent vanguard party.
There’s plenty of instances that block the 2 tankie instances and even .ml. This is a self-inflicted problem.
https://lemmy.cafe/ blocks the 3 for people looking
Check their profile.
It’s a lib troll,
You do know where you are right? This is the community where we make fun of people like you
Yo Mate don’t take what you see here so seriously, block .ml and stop looking at your phone. You’ll be doing yourself a favour.
I have been in more arguments here than on reddit but I think it has more to do with the fact that I have a certain attachment to this federated platform.
I really want its model to succeed and when I see toxicity here it hurts way more than when it’s on reddit/Facebook etc…
A lot of people are here in their own safezone so the moment you disturb someone even so slightly they go berserk.
it’s hard to respect shitty opinions but it’s best for you to just avoid and block. Real life is stressful enough you don’t need to stress yourself more online.
May I suggest trying out
lemmy.cafe
(which blocks ML too, on top of grad and hexbearg)
and only subscribing to non-political communities
I blocked ml and hexbear and rarely encounter them now. When I do, I block the user individually. It’s made lemmy delightful, frankly.
Everytime I see these posts and comments I think:
“Where???”
I’ve seen 10 times more people complaining about tankies than actual tankies denying genocide. In fact, I can’t seem to think back to a single instance of someone denying China’s past acts.
Do you guys go to different instances or do you sort by controversial?
My issue with lemmy is that it basically become super political (thank you US election for ruining media again).
“Where???”
Any active political thread about China.
On Reddit it was more so the Nazis, while here it’s the Tankies that rule the bullshit narratives. And the mod abuse here is also very similar to that on Reddit, which is worrying because the platform is small enough where moderation would be comparatively easier.
Mod abuse happens because of the power given to mods and the expectations of the communities they are in. Lemmy did nothing to update how mods work.
Lemmy did nothing to update how mods work.
Public modlogs are a big change
All it does is records mods performing abuse.
Also allows to identify bad faith users
Can someone fill me into what a tankie is? I’m a progressive socialist, so do I fit that category? I’m genuinely in the dark about it
OP just seems mad that this is a communist safe zone
I’m a progressive socialist, so do I fit that category? I’m genuinely in the dark about it
No. In fact, they would regard progressive socialists as ‘controlled opposition’. Tankies are typically Marxist-Leninists who constantly play apologia for fascist states painted red, like China and North Korea, and will always find some reason why fascist states not even painted red, like Russia, are Good, Actually, because they oppose the West.
