The moderators of r/conservative think that climate change is a hoax. If you write an on-topic, polite comment that even suggests that climate change is real, you will be banned. This is a terrible, terrible way to run a community. The conservatives on reddit live in a bubble where all science is banned. It's not a positive state of affairs.
(Edit: I'm not conservative, but I frequent that subreddit to educate about science, climate, etc, and have been banned many times for these comments.)
The same process that allows a teen to invade a subreddit and fill it with memes is the same thing that allows anyone to invade a subreddit and fill it with their opinions.
No matter how valid that opinion is, it's still disruptive to a community. If subreddits are to be self-policing, they can't be obligated to not live in a bubble, however unfortunate that bubble may be, if that is what they have agreed upon.
If you want to see an example of a heavily moderated forum done right, head to SomethingAwful. It has some lightly-moderated pressure valves, but the more topical forums keep a leash on discussions without chilling the conversation.
>It has some lightly-moderated pressure valves, but the more topical forums keep a leash on discussions without chilling the conversation.
I really hope this is a joke. The moderators at something awful hand out bans and "probations" (arbitrary length bans from posting only) like candy and take personal offense when questioned why.
Here's a fun game. Click on a random username to look at their "rap sheet" and see how many times they've been hit with various punishments. You can click on the incident to go to where and when it happened. Then try to figure out which of the site or board rules they broke to get those black marks.
The wrong opinion in the wrong place will be punished just as harshly as on some of the more echo-chamberey subreddits, except worse since you can be globally banned and be out real cash for your trouble.
All punishments apply sitewide. At least on Reddit if a moderator who feels personally insulted at your posting bans you, it's only from that sub.
Counter-example: The mods of r/lgbt think there is nothing wrong with homosexuality. If you write an on-topic, polite comment that even suggests that there is something wrong with homosexuality, you will be banned.
The mods of r/transgender think think there is nothing wrong with trans gender identities. If you write an on-topic, polite comment that even suggests that trans women are "men in skirts", you will be banned.
I don't think you should be fine with it. It's wrong for groups like those you've mentioned to decry intolerance when they're the victims, only to turn around and deliver intolerance to some other group of people. It's hypocritical, and it's counterproductive.
Instead of banning the detractors, they should try welcoming them into the community, and maybe even try to understand them and their viewpoints better. They may not change the attitudes of those with differing opinions, but at least they won't have made the situation worse by introducing more intolerance.
I believe (and hope) your critique is well-intentioned, but just think about it a little more. If you are a trans person, a very significant amount of the population probably treats you like you are weird or a freak. You could be verbally harassed, denied employment or in extreme cases, even be a target of violence, just for something that's part of your identity.
If you were in that situation, wouldn't you want to have a safe space to talk to people who understand? To not have to deal with justifying your identity to people? Is it really "intolerance" just to want a place you can feel safe?
Now as a cis person I have never had to deal with the issues described, but I can empathize. What you are saying makes abstract sense and would be fine in a world where everything was fair and everyone was truly treated equally. However, that's not the world we live in. I urge you to reflect a bit more on this.
I understand that certain groups of people will face animosity from others. This affects all sorts of groups of people, in many different situations. Yes, this is just reality.
Blatant hypocrisy will never help improve the situation, however. One group of people who complain about being ostracized when they're in the minority should not turn around and ostracize others when they're in the majority.
Banning people they disagree with from a rather public forum like a subreddit, for example, only hurts their cause and their reputation. It creates more animosity. Denying the basic ability of one to express himself or herself is just not justifiable.
There is a difference between "animosity from others" and outright hatred, violence and oppression. There is a difference between "animoisity" and being denied many of your rights and being locked up in a mental institution ( 11 yr old trans girl institutionalised: http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/01/31/german-trans-girl-to-be... ).
Banning people they disagree with from a rather public forum like a subreddit, for example, only hurts their cause and their reputation.
I disagree. I think there is empirical evidence that the LGBT or Trans rights groups have benefited from having safe spaces. Trans rights and LGB rights & politics have increased over the last two decades, in part I think due to more trans & LGB people coming out because they have safe spaces to explore themselves.
to decry intolerance when they're the victims, only to turn around and deliver intolerance to some other group of people. It's hypocritical, and it's counterproductive.
These groups do not "decry intolerance in all forms", but instead decry intolerance against people of different gender & sexual identities. Many (all?) of these groups have no problem not tolerating people who don't tolerate gender & sexual minorities. There is nothing hypocritical here.
Instead of banning the detractors, they should try welcoming them into the community, and maybe even try to understand them and their viewpoints better.
"detractors"? Are we talking about the same thing? This isn't some technical mailing list where the discussion is whether the programme should have lots of defaults or have lots of options for power users. The "detractors" want to kill LGB people. The "detractors" think that trans people can be assaulted and killed if (for example) a straight cis man finds a trans woman attractive.
These "detractors" do not come into the community to learn more. They aren't "detractors", they are haters. They come in with hatred, hostility with the goal to destroy the community.
And you think things would be better if these haters were allowed to say whatever they want in these communities?!
You do know that your attempt to educate people are a futile waste of time, right? And that they're probably counter-productive, just driving people further into their weird belief systems?
Climate change is real, and it's important that people have the facts, but there's no point trying to give the truth to people who have their hands over their ears and who have their eyes closed.
No, it's not.
The moderators of r/conservative think that climate change is a hoax. If you write an on-topic, polite comment that even suggests that climate change is real, you will be banned. This is a terrible, terrible way to run a community. The conservatives on reddit live in a bubble where all science is banned. It's not a positive state of affairs.
(Edit: I'm not conservative, but I frequent that subreddit to educate about science, climate, etc, and have been banned many times for these comments.)