PavementBlues's recent activity

  1. Comment on What books are you reading nowadays? in ~misc

  2. Comment on What books are you reading nowadays? in ~misc

    PavementBlues
    Link Parent
    Come now, everyone knows it's "He Who Must Not Be Named". ;) If you're looking for good fiction, try The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Wonderful story. It feels like a dream.

    YouKnowWho

    Come now, everyone knows it's "He Who Must Not Be Named". ;)

    If you're looking for good fiction, try The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Wonderful story. It feels like a dream.

    2 votes

  3. Comment on So far this site has been mostly politics-averse, but I am curious if I am alone as an MAGA/Trump voter/supporter in a sea of reddit mods in ~talk

    PavementBlues
    Link Parent
    I think it's a matter of the inherent nature of the seed group. This community was founded with (among other purposes) the express purpose of not devolving the way that reddit so often does, so it...

    I think it's a matter of the inherent nature of the seed group. This community was founded with (among other purposes) the express purpose of not devolving the way that reddit so often does, so it would make sense that people chosen for the seed group would be more willing to talk through things.

    The key is whether the combination of changes to voting/ranking mechanics and the enforcement of this culture early on will allow it to be sustainable as the site grows. I think it's possible. It relies on us to represent the site's values so that it becomes a core part of the site's identity rather than just a set of rules, though.

    16 votes

  4. Comment on So far this site has been mostly politics-averse, but I am curious if I am alone as an MAGA/Trump voter/supporter in a sea of reddit mods in ~talk

    PavementBlues
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    One of the unique things that turned me off of /r/The_Donald was that for quite a while, one of the hobbies there was sending posts to /r/all with the title specifically tailored to mock and...

    One of the unique things that turned me off of /r/The_Donald was that for quite a while, one of the hobbies there was sending posts to /r/all with the title specifically tailored to mock and insult the readers of /r/all. Some of these were extremely vitriolic. There are instances of hate that can be found in other political communities, but I find that alt-right communities are much more prone to it.

    The reason, from my perspective, is a cultural feedback loop gone wrong. It started with the opinion that political correctness had gone too far and that people should be able to express themselves beyond what was considered acceptable, resulting in a trend to say things that others would consider offensive in order to take a stance. That in and of itself is fair, as I think that the topic is a worthwhile discussion. But too many people joined who didn't really care to understand why people were saying offensive things, and the culture evolved from being offensive to make a point into being offensive just for the hell of it. I've seen that itself then spiral beyond simply being offensive and towards being outright awful to people.

    And I say this as a liberal who posted from time to time on /r/The_Donald and considers many of them to be good people. Early in the presidential campaign, I had more than a few rational and productive conversations on there. It was great! That is unfortunately no longer the case, in my experience.

    All of this being said, I judge an individual based on that individual's actions. I may have strong opinions against /r/The_Donald as a community, but community dynamics often emerge independently of their individual component parts. I will assume good intent until proven otherwise.

    Glad to have your perspective represented here!

    16 votes