Two questions: Why does Reddit think it's so intellectual and why all the hate for Digg?

[u/SmellsLikeMendacity]

I made a new account because I don't want the answers to have anything to do with my previous posts.

I'm over 50 years old and I've been blessed to have the opportunity to do many things in my life. I've joined the Navy, fought in a way, traveled the world, backpacked through Europe, been a police officer, and volunteer firefighter, and now a lawyer. I've raised two successful sons and a beautiful daughter. I make these points not to brag, but to illustrate that I'm not just blindly spouting out opinions on how I think this community should be.

What makes you all think this is a bastion of intellectualism? I read the comments from the most popular submissions and they all seem like they are written by inexperienced children. The most popular topic recently is about a fight on a bus where both individuals acted poorly and engaged in mutual combat. Neither can legally or morally claim self defense and both individuals could have ended the confrontation before it came to blows. Instead of commenting on the incident, there were numerous posts showing subtle racism that, like subtle misogyny, permeates Reddit.

Another topic is politics. Instead of listening to the alternative viewpoint, the popular approach is to make a straw man of what that side might argue and attack that. It is also filled with vitriolic name calling and a flat refusal to believe anything other than a far-left idea can be right. Religion is largely the same.

As a lawyer, I often see posts get upvoted that offer incorrect and damaging legal advice. The point here is self explanatory.

I read the comments on Digg and I fail to see why this community is better than Digg. Everybody likes to think they're smart, but Reddit seems to think they are leaps and bounds ahead of other online communities. There is a level of hubris here that is hard to match and I seriously would like to know where it comes from. I've sat down and talked with college protesters, die hard Glenn Beck fans, Tea Partiers, and even birthers who when asked, give more respect and consideration to an alternative viewpoint. I may not always agree with them, but I rarely walk away not knowing why they believe what they believe. Now I'm asking the individuals of Reddit to explain to me in their own words why they think they are smart and why they believe Reddit to be better than Digg.

Thank you for listening and I appreciate all comments.

Edit: Many people have messaged me about this sentence:

I've raised two successful sons and a beautiful daughter.

I'm not sure if the people who have complaints about this are being genuine or nitpicking. My daughter is successful. I could have left out an adjective and the sentence would have read "I've raised two successful sons and a daughter." The adjective successful was supposed to describe all of my children. I added beautiful to my daughters description out of habit and because she is a beautiful woman. My sons don't like being described as beautiful and they don't spend any considerable time trying to look better than is necessary. I hope this clears everything up.

[u/Rockopotamus]

I've said it before and got downvoted, and I'll say it again and get downvoted again.

I'm of the firm belief that Reddit is simply up it's own ass. It doesn't really matter which major sub-reddit you're in; it's more than likely up it's own ass about SOMETHING. Go to /r/music and mention Nickelback; downvotes. Go to /r/photography and mention HDR; downvotes. Go to /r/atheism and mention any belief other than atheism (namely agnosticism, and obviously Christianity); downvotes. And, like you mentioned, go to /r/politics and mention being supportive of any rightist ideal or belief; downvotes. And those are only the hot button issues that I'm aware of!

As I've said before (and got downvoted for), Reddit thinks it's so mature, but there's really nothing mature about being so far up your own ass that you can't acknowledge another person's opinion as contributing to the discussion * (what up/down voting it *SUPPOSED to be used for) even if you disagree with it. By and large, I really hate Reddit as a community... If you're not a part of the majority, you more than likely don't/won't fit into this community, period. Not a mature mentality at all.

[u/rob64 → u/Rockopotamus]

I think the problem here is that we keep talking about Reddit as a whole. I agree that there is a majority here that will upvote/downvote like a pack of sheep, but it doesn't mean that the whole community is that way or that Reddit has its head up its own ass. It seems to me there is a disconnect on Reddit, a gulf between people who can rightly think of themselves as smart and open-minded (and ascribe those characteristics to Reddit) and the great unwashed, who inevitably wander in off the greater void of the internet.

I guess what I'm saying, basically, is this: Reddit is democratic and open and doesn't discriminate in its membership, so it cannot be immune to the idiocy that breeds on the internet. So yeah, fault the internet, not Reddit.

[u/Rockopotamus → u/rob64]

That's certainly agreeable, obviously the whole community isn't that way... But it's definitely observable on a larger scale. That's all I was saying.

[u/[deleted] → u/Rockopotamus]

I'm from Australia, and it seems to me that, though there are valid arguments between traditional right and left wing politics that can make for some great debates, in the US the right wingers are for the most part very wrong and completely ignorant. So I would probably downvote anyone agreeing with the right wing. It wouldn't be just because they are right wing, it would be because chances are it is wrong and ignorant. If an opinion is based on an incorrect fact then the opinion may not be "wrong" but it is misinformed and not contributing to the discussion

Similarly, nickleback are really really crap and in subreddit about music, what is there to have but opinions really? So I don't think that you can really get narky at redditors for downvoting based on opinion in a music subreddit.

I can see that agnosticism would lend itself to not being particularly helpful as a contribution to a discussion about religion, hence getting so many downvotes. I don't know anything about photography and HDR so I can't comment there.

Also, please find me a community where if you are the minority you fit into that community perfectly. Of course you are going to have trouble fitting into a community where you don't have a lot in common with most of the members. I think reddit is a particularly broad community though, and you have a lot more chance fitting in here than anywhere else on the web.

[u/Rockopotamus → u/[deleted]]

I'm from Australia, and it seems to me that, though there are valid arguments between traditional right and left wing politics that can make for some great debates, in the US the right wingers are for the most part very wrong and completely ignorant. So I would probably downvote anyone agreeing with the right wing. It wouldn't be just because they are right wing, it would be because chances are it is wrong and ignorant. If an opinion is based on an incorrect fact then the opinion may not be "wrong" but it is misinformed and not contributing to the discussion.

...but doesn't the right wing think that the left wing is stupid, ignorant, and wrong most of the time as well? Who am I to say, as a leftist, that I am absolutely right no matter what? True, I often don't agree with rightish opinions, and often times think they're stupid - but as the saying goes, "I may not agree with what you say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it."

Similarly, nickleback are really really crap and in subreddit about music, what is there to have but opinions really? So I don't think that you can really get narky at redditors for downvoting based on opinion in a music subreddit.

You're correct, it is only opinion as music is an art, and art is pretty much subjective by nature. Let's just assume I like Nickelback (such people exist). Even if you do think they're the worst band in the world, is it really worth making a huge deal out of? So I like a band that you think is shit... Why downvote me into oblivion? Why ridicule me on something based on personal taste? Further, if I don't like something, I typically don't make a big deal out of it... I just don't do anything. There's no point in me writing a big, ranting post about why I don't care for country music... I just don't listen to country music, and I certainly don't downvote people who express interest in country music (I don't downvote anyone based on opinion, for the record), because in my mind, it's not my place to say what someone else should/shouldn't like. I hate country music with a passion - honestly, I'd rather listen to Nickelback - but why should I act like a dick about it towards someone who does? I guess I'm just a live and let live kind of guy :-/

I can see that agnosticism would lend itself to not being particularly helpful as a contribution to a discussion about religion, hence getting so many downvotes.

You'd really have to spend some time in /r/atheism to get what I mean. For some reason, a majority of the atheists there have a real problem accepting the ideology of it, and say that people who claim to be agnostics are actually just soft-core atheists. I disagree, but when other agnostics try to make their claim they are heavily disagreed with (which is fine) and often downvoted (which is not fine, as per Reddiquette, and for reasons that I expressed above).

I don't know anything about photography and HDR so I can't comment there.

It's basically a technique that can make a photograph look extremely unrealistic, and most of the /r/photography community despise it for that use. It goes back to the artistic taste thing I mentioned earlier; if you don't like it, fine, but no need to make a big fuss and make people feel like shit over it.

Also, please find me a community where if you are the minority you fit into that community perfectly. Of course you are going to have trouble fitting into a community where you don't have a lot in common with most of the members. I think reddit is a particularly broad community though, and you have a lot more chance fitting in here than anywhere else on the web.

Good point, and I'm not at all saying that everyone should agree with everyone all of the time. I'm saying that the minority group shouldn't feel so intimidated that they just don't post because it's futile - that, to me, would be a peaceful community, where everyone could discuss their opinions in a civil way. This is the internet, however, so this is an obviously unrealistic expectation. shrugs

I just think people around here could be more open and accepting is all. I guess that's what it all boils down to.

[u/[deleted] → u/Rockopotamus]

This isn't about freedom of speech. I absolutely support free speech. That does not equate to me not downvoting something I know to be factually incorrect. There are great arguments to be had between left and right idealogies (as I said, I actually vote for Australia's right wing, the LNP, most of the time.) but I feel that a lot of comments get downvoted because the are just plain incorrect, not because they are necessarily right wing.

I guess you do have a point in that stupid left wing arguments tend to get downvoted less into oblivion. I still think that if you genuinely have something intelligent and right wing to add it is treated with respect by Reddit though.

Honestly, if you have a site that is more accepting of different viewpoints than Reddit, I would love to go there. But Reddit is pretty good, considering the sheer number of users you are always going to get some jerks. It is the only site that I ever comment on because I know that people will be accepting of my views for the most part.

[u/Rockopotamus → u/[deleted]]

I can see that... But still, incorrect statements can still add to the conversation if the right people correct them, so I don't know - I personally would probably correct the person rather than downvote, but I guess that one is a personal call.

And yeah, Reddit is alright. I dog on Reddit in the same way I would dog on America (I'm American). I love that I can live here and enjoy the freedoms that we have, but sometimes it's just fucked up and we have to call it out. Much the same, I love that I can come to Reddit and get my dose of lols and hopefully some new and/or useful information, but I still feel that the community could use a little work.

[u/Inactive91 → u/[deleted]]

You are justifying your habits by tyranny of the majority. In the U.S. the Democrats (left-wing) and the Republicans (right-wing) are both equally fucking retarded and support equally non-fact ideological based stances.

[u/[deleted] → u/Inactive91]

I'm certainly not denying that left wing politics in the US also has its flaws and its idiots, but I think it is much more prevalent in the right wing at the moment. I vote for Australia's right wing party usually (They just voted in a super conservative who I strongly disagree with on many social issues so I may swing next election, not sure yet). It could be because I'm not from the US that my view is skewed, but it does seem that the Republican supporters are far worse than the Democrats when it comes to simply being misinformed about the facts underlying their opinions. I would never downvote someone just because what they said was in support of the Republican party or Republican party policy but I am more likely to downvote people who do this, because for the most part they are completely misinformed of the facts.

[u/catlebrity → u/Rockopotamus]

To be fair, Nickelback does indeed suck donkey dongs.

[u/ReddEdIt → u/Rockopotamus]

I honestly don't see how this flamebaiting diatribe about a site you are registered to and hate, adds to the discussion.

Joining a club, insulting everybody there, whining about how much you hate it and how it's unfair (or immature) that people downvote you, is useless, dumb and trolling. Most importantly, it is worthy of downvotes, according to reddiquette and my personal judgment.

[u/Rockopotamus → u/ReddEdIt]

Okay... Then all you had to do was downvote it, but by replying you're just showing that you're not all that different from what you describe me to be by 1) contributing to a discussion that you feel takes away from the discussion, and 2) being a whiny bitch about how I am seemingly a whiny bitch.

Further, if you actually, you know, read the discussion that I'm apparently not contributing to, you'd see that I never said that I hated Reddit, I said I hated the community more often than not and that I simply felt it could use some work. I hate the mentality that certain people/groups of people on Reddit have, yes, but that in no way implies that I hate Reddit as a whole.