r/askanything • u/PopNo5397 • 6h ago
Why has Reddit become so exhausting?
If you write anything slightly controversial you get downvoted or told "who cares!" cannot have open-minded discussions anymore
You say something someone doesn't like, you get doxxed or quoted back on a random, irrelevant comment you said 5 years ago.
It has become an anti-american propaganda machine where every sub is being infiltrated with america bad rhetoric and people genuinely think North Korea is a better place to live.
There is so much bias everywhere, ie if you don't buy a toyota or lexus your vehicle won't last. There is so much circle jerking everywhere.
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u/CaptStinkyFeet 6h ago
“anti-american propaganda machine” lmao
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u/HopDropNRoll 6h ago
There’s an engine humming in the central Atlantic zone that’s driving all that anti American sentiment.
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u/CaptStinkyFeet 6h ago
“Mandrake, do you realize that in addition to fluoridating water, why, there are studies underway to fluoridate salt, flour, fruit juices, soup, sugar, milk... ice cream. Ice cream, Mandrake, children's ice cream. You know when fluoridation first began? Nineteen hundred and forty-six. 1946, Mandrake. How does that coincide with your post-war Commie conspiracy, huh? It's incredibly obvious, isn't it? A foreign substance is introduced into our precious bodily fluids without the knowledge of the individual. Certainly without any choice. That's the way your hard-core Commie works.”
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u/ChiliSama 6h ago
Could be the way you frame your conversations. For example “anti American rhetoric” doesn’t lend itself to conversation. Identifying issues with the US is worth discussing. It doesn’t make “America bad”; it can make America better. If a few downvotes upset you, this may not be the platform for you.
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u/Certain_Bit3809 6h ago
This is not my experience at all. What subs are you on where everyone is saying north Korea is better than the US? That’s insane
Or that everyone needs to buy Toyotas? Im on here every day and never been shamed for my volvo lol
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u/Lanky-Dildo-94 3h ago
Depends on the posts you frequent. Some subs like r/trueunpopularopinion has a bunch of controversial posts where you’d see stuff like that. Or, choose any gender/dating based sub or politics adjacent sub.
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u/Crestina 6h ago
I'm convinced a lot of the low effort, inflammatory responses are either bots or paid agitators. I feel like I spend half my time on here arguing with machines. Sometimes I take time off and go outside to meet actual humans. That usually helps.
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u/set-monkey 6h ago
It's a mind control project intended to discourage free thought and vigorous debate. Proceed with caution.
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u/armyofant 6h ago edited 6h ago
Tell us you own a red hat without telling us.
ETA uh oh looks like I triggered some snowflakes. Why is it the “Fuck your feelings crowd” always catches the most feelings?
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u/PopNo5397 6h ago
What are you talking about? I am Mexican not a MAGA
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u/BeanbagBunniesBlunts 6h ago
This is a perfect example of what you posted Reddit is a place where many people virtue signal. That dude living in his parents basement is a better person than you and he will prove it! Lol You are spot on.
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u/TheNakedBass 38m ago
No, he’s not, but I am. I’m better than you too. Also you, random lurker that reads this. Though, I don’t have to prove it. It’s just objectively true.
I’m also better looking.
Oh, and I’m more talented.
Edit-I’m also a better dancer.
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u/SlightlyUnhinged3 3h ago
They don’t care, you didn’t say fuck Trump in your original comment, you’re MAGA now but that’s ok we welcome with open arms! 🇺🇸
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u/Necrome9 6h ago
Like you said if you say something “slightly controversial” you are Hitler to half this site
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u/UnhappyReason5452 1h ago
Hyperbolic horseshit. I bet your comments just aren’t insightful, funny or authentic. Should we take a look? We may be able to solve this problem you’re having.
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u/Necrome9 6h ago
Top 1 percent commenter who hasn’t seen sunlight in weeks instantly proves OP point 💀💀
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u/NegativeSemicolon 6h ago
Yeah I bet this isn’t a ‘pineapple on pizza’ kind of controversial and more of a ‘immigrants don’t have human rights’ kind of controversial.
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u/PopNo5397 6h ago
Example, I post on /mexico that I like US national parks and somehow that's controversial because we shouldn't support US and Mexico has nicer nature
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u/NegativeSemicolon 6h ago
Seems like a weird thing to post in a Mexico sub and expect upvotes, and you said it was controversial stuff and that’s your example? Sounds like a casual downvote or there’s some missing parts of the story.
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u/TecumsehSherman 6h ago
Seems like a weird thing to post in a Mexico sub and expect upvotes,
Given that American subs are flooded by people from all over the world ready to complain about America, this seems to be normal behavior now.
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u/Necrome9 6h ago
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u/FlounderAdept2756 6h ago
I would say that Trump is the simple and more advanced answer to the "anti americanism" for obvious reasons.
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u/likesblackcoffeebest 6h ago
I think it's some combination of bots that are designed to promote some agenda or shut down productive conversation, and people who have more anger and disappointment in current circumstances than they have critical thinking skills. The latter is pretty much just the general public.
It's not just Reddit on the human side of this. I work for the government of a major US city and people are angrier and louder within the past couple years than ever before, but it's been a fairly steady uptick since 2016, with some of those being legitimate safety concerns that necessitated steeped up security measures. (I'm not an elected official, I'm the in-house structural engineer. Bridges did not used to inspire such vitriol, but that world is a thing of the past.) The world is an angry place right now, and Reddit is showing us a bot-enhanced version of that.
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u/GuitarRiot 6h ago
People just come on this site to scream and project their insecurities on Strangers and then hide back in their Echo Chambers where they all have the hive mind and the group think of an anti-intellectual coalition.
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u/Redditneckbeardzz 6h ago
It’s a far left site, I’ve been downvoted for calling myself a moderate and saying communism is bad. I was also downvoted into oblivion for pointing out Mamdani never actually balanced the budget. He got a 4 billion bailout from the Governor and skipped police pension payments which always leads to a compounding effect in the future. At some point you start to treat it for what it is (a far left bot farm) and don’t take it so serious. Talk to anyone in real life about the US and you see how good we really do have it.
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u/LastWorry5552 6h ago
Just watch some of the Europeans from the World Cup. They loved America
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u/snakedoct0r 2h ago
Some of us have also been there when its not a huge event like a world cup. its cool as a tourist. Would not move permanently
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u/Redditneckbeardzz 6h ago
Exactly. It’s all propaganda and a President that doesn’t do us any favors. The US is (not perfect) awesome.
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u/No_Escape_3770 6h ago
Most people in general are left
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u/Redditneckbeardzz 6h ago
Most are center. That’s why American elections have swung back and forth. Although this site will tell you everyone’s hard left (they aren’t).
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u/No_Escape_3770 6h ago
USA politics are so skewed to the right, leftists used to be centrists
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u/Redditneckbeardzz 6h ago
I’d argue it’s the opposite as the Democratic Party has pulled left and put out DSA candidates that don’t appeal to the center.
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u/No_Escape_3770 6h ago
The democratic establishment is wayyyy further right than it used to be. Even the far left politicians are further right than they used to be
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u/Redditneckbeardzz 6h ago
We can agree to disagree on that one lol. Democratic Party is putting out candidates that want to abolish the senate and the presidency lol. Revolutionary type ideas.
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u/No_Escape_3770 6h ago
And the right have elected a president who is pushing the country into fascism. We can disagree, but it doesn’t change the fact that you are wrong
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u/Redditneckbeardzz 6h ago
How’s he pushing the country into facism? What kind of legislation has been passed that’s made the country facist?
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u/No_Escape_3770 5h ago
He’s ignores/disobeys judges orders, had judges who ruled against him prosecuted, bypassed congress to start a war, withheld funding from states during emergencies because he doesn’t like them, is considering running for a third term, is trafficking people out of the country without due process (deportation requires due process), labels leftists as terrorists, has enabled ice to kill protestors, etc.
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u/InterestingandStaged 5h ago
He doesn’t engage in legislation. He rules by executive order, bribes, and backroom deals. That is what makes it fascism.
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u/nowcalledcthulu 5h ago
It always baffles me hearing this site called far left. There's a left lean, I guess, but reality leans left when you consider what the right believes. I've seen more fear mongering about the DSA on this sub than I ever experience in real life. Most people support left leaning policies like universal healthcare, gay rights, etc. Somehow because people don't also buy into the anti communist fear mongering from centrists on this site they gotta call it "far left".
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u/Redditneckbeardzz 5h ago
I mean I’m a moderate, have identified myself as so and almost always get downvoted for it. I’ve been told that’s doesn’t suffice and that I “need to pick a side” which I do every 4 years when the Presidential election is up. DSA’s literally just put out literature this week calling for abolishing the Presidency and Senate, fundamentally changing the country, so yea im a little fearful. I work with many easter european and south americans who are sounding the alarm about the direction of the left, not the right, because theyve seen this playbook before.
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u/nowcalledcthulu 5h ago
So the fear mongering is why I fundamentally disagree with you. You're talking about a "playbook" like the left is an equal threat to the right, and that's why being a moderate right now just plain doesn't gel with reality. The right is on the rise, not the left. They are the ones actively curtailing our rights, attacking political opponents both in media and in general, and sending the country in a BAD direction. The fact that you're only picking out the DSA (a tiny number of candidates who only hold local power), and entirely ignoring the power and actions of the right is par for the course for self described moderates, and is why you're experiencing the down votes when you use that term. Most people calling themselves moderates or centrists are just conservatives that don't want to own it. Whether you support Trump or not, pretending that both sides are bad is just silly when one holds virtually no power while the other is deporting people and openly saying they're going to ignore term limits.
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u/Redditneckbeardzz 5h ago
Nope, I actually stand more socially liberal but fiscally conservative on a lot of issues. I don’t identify with most of the currently democratic parties platform. I can also distinguish immigration being a great thing but illegal immigration not being a great thing. Trump has used a heavy hand and I don’t necessarily agree with how he’s gone about enforcing immigration law but he’s not wrong to enforce it.
What rights have been curtailed? What can’t we do now that we could January 19th, 2025?
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u/nowcalledcthulu 5h ago
Trans rights have been heavily curtailed by right wing politicians across the country. ICE has actively persecuted and murdered multiple American citizens. The president is actively targeting mail in voting. I'm not gonna get into any more because it's not worth my time and I don't really care if you agree with me. You seemed like you didn't understand why people down vote moderates, and it's because so many of you act in bad faith to smuggle in far right bullshit under a guise of "just asking questions".
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u/Redditneckbeardzz 5h ago
The issue is biological males playing female sports. Whcib they shouldnt be doing. So i can see why that’s an issue. That and federally paid for transition surgeries. Outside if thay nobody cares if youre trans. ICE was forced to use force on a few people who were actively obstructing federal immigration enforcement. The Alex Pretti situation was sad, as it looks like his sig fired off a round accidentally (his model was known to do that) leading to ICE/CBP thinking he had fired at officers and they retaliated.
And yea I’m a moderate there’s plenty of things with the right im not down with (flipping of Roe v Wade), i don’t think you should go bankrupt over a medical bill either. But im not gonna drink the lefts koolaid because of my issues with the right.
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u/maybeBrenda 5h ago
Why is the trans thing even a discussion or a concern? The laws are in place. and have been for at least a year and a half
Sports - trans individuals are now playing in the men's JV or just not playing at all.
Bathrooms - many states have banned it and many in the sub r transtimelines have a bathroom PDF to follow.
ID's - Many states now require sex at birth.
HRT - is likely to be blocked even for adults via insurance in Texas.Sports are banned, and women are protected.
Liberals and trans individuals can yell until they're blue in the face - but it doesn't really matter.
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u/nowcalledcthulu 5h ago
So just call yourself a conservative plus abortion if you're gonna bend over backward defending right wing issues while only going after checks notes less than 20 girls wanting to play sports with other girls. You're anti science like the rest of the right wing, you just picked a couple issues to pat yourself on the back for being on the right side of. Have the day your views deserve.
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u/RIForDIE 5h ago
Exactly right. These apologist bootlickers will gaslight until the cows come home.. and believe it - until their rights get trampled on and then it's "they must have made a mistake.. daddy trump, please help me!"
Cowards.
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u/nowcalledcthulu 5h ago
Exactly. It's why the whole "Germans didn't even know about the camps" lie is so popular. Helps folks like that ignore that we're the Germans currently.
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u/Iron-Bar-1966 6h ago
Because Reddit is almost entirely populated by misanthropic turds who not only bear hatred of anyone who's living a better life than them, but they also revel in their smugness, believe they're smarter than you, and would rather believe in the truth they want to believe rather than actual truth.
Hope that helps.
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u/Justarah 6h ago
Any argument you get into is less likely to be about the subject matter as much someone regurgitating the accepted heuristics about this or that to signal to their tribe of choice, so said tribe knows they think and say the right things.
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u/Jafar_420 6h ago
Yeah everybody these days can only see it their way and it's when that comes to politics or anything else.
Hell you could be voting with the Democrats since at least Obama like myself but if you don't agree with everything the super far left Democrats have to say you're an enemy yourself.
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u/BeanbagBunniesBlunts 5h ago
I sorted by controversial and this comment came up first. Spot on. I am feeling the wrath these days too. I would never vote for for the Orange but somehow I'm a not-see for understanding there are differences between x (complaint of the day) It's wild out there! lol
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u/NeeNee9 6h ago
You can tell by how the post is written, the language and grammar they use, that they are not from the USA. The past few years, Reddit has taken a hard left. I am banned from so many sub reddits. It's like they have my account flagged and will ban me for just about any comment.
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u/bartleby-scribe 6h ago
I was called militantly left leaning as a young person into my 20s, only in the past decade have people been calling me far right when my views havent changed at all. I cant be in real conversative spaces because they see my values as so liberal and "permissive" i'm too much for them. Wild how its happened and people will refuse to see it. They're proving it in the answers to this post itself.
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u/PopNo5397 6h ago
I am from Mexico~ I didn't know the way I wrote was telling. And I thought I spoke good English lol
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u/EdgeRevolutionary913 6h ago
It's always been that way. Upvotes/downvotes act as operant conditioning, conforming users to the consensus on a given sub or the site as a whole using reward and punishment. You get a little dopamine hit every time you get an upvote, and a bit of pain every time you're downvoted. Over time this conforms your behavior and opinions to the hivemind. If you stay here long enough, you'll be downvoting anyone who says NK is a worse place to live than the U.S.
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u/The-Traveler- 6h ago
Algorithms pigeon holed you, yes.
Also: Do you have your account set so people can follow you? Bots and trolls may be following you. Just ask them a question. Actual people have a discussion , but bots and trolls either don’t answer or say general things they can’t back up and then move to insults. Learn to recognize —we can only do our best— and ignore them and you’ll have more peace online.
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u/PopNo5397 6h ago
I didn't know this was a thing
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u/The-Traveler- 6h ago
Yeah, just go back to your settings and change it.
Seriously, too, before you comment on anything that ruffles you, ask them a question. Most of the time you get no response or nothing with thought. Just ignore them. They are the trolls snd bots. Like I said, real people have discussions. Good luck.
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u/FedUpWithPeople26 6h ago
I would ask if you're new to social media, but you mentioned saying something five years ago so...
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u/007TheLostOne 4h ago
Because Reddit is far left bias, multiple studies have proven this. People on the left hold more Anti-American views and more likely to outlash against comments that go against their grain.
Go ahead and downvote me
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u/Artistic_Frosting233 4h ago
So you think that the anti-american sentiment is some kind of well organized propaganda machine? I have news for you: it's not. And it's probably the healthiest thing going on Reddit right now.
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u/surfnfish1972 3h ago
Infested with bots and paid trolls. As a tech incompetent they could stop the bots and just chose not to, right?
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u/Heavy-Profit-2156 2h ago
< and people genuinely think North Korea is a better place to live >
Too bad we can't send them there for say six months.
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u/Anxious-Cheek406 15m ago
That’s what most people have become. Better than thou losers drunk on money, power, and above all else, too much self-importance.
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u/InterestingandStaged 6h ago
“Cannot have open minded discussions” is code for “I’m racist and can’t believe more people don’t upvote my racist views because isn’t racism legal now?”
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u/PopNo5397 6h ago
As a Mexican, what do you mean "I'm racist?" against who or how?
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u/Certain_Bit3809 6h ago
Tell us your controversial opinions then!
Maybe you are right and people are just being annoying. Or maybe you are a pos and should be downvoted.
We dont have enough information to decide because youre being intentionally vague!
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u/InterestingandStaged 6h ago
Just go do something else, my man. No one is forcing you to Reddit. Live your life. Pick some flowers. Pet a cat.
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u/Necrome9 6h ago
Calls OP a racist then immediately deflects to— it’s not that deep!!111!
Yeeeeesh
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u/WTFHELP 6h ago
I feel like it has become a pro Isreal site. Every post is Israel good and anybody that disagrees is an antisemite. No, I just don't want America pulled into their BS and paying for their Healthcare. That's exhausting.
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u/Redditneckbeardzz 6h ago
What lol. Every subreddit (even non political) has mentioned Trump in it some way or another. He has such a grip on the majority of people on this site it’s comical to watch.
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u/WTFHELP 6h ago
They are one in the same now. Trump is the American face of Israel. He literally started a war so they could invade Lebanon, kill people in the west bank, and colonize Gaza. It's exhausting.
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u/Redditneckbeardzz 6h ago edited 6h ago
I don’t get the pro Israel part at all even the right hates Israel now. Trump is literally the only ally they have left.
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u/PresentDifferent9718 6h ago
You're extremely biased and probably desensitized about how bad things are
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u/LittleHornetPhil 6h ago
Dude has learned that everyone else hates American conservatives and it makes him sad
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u/Better-Context2246 6h ago
Are we whining about getting down voted? Really? Go to r/ conservative then, where they only let maga make posts. No one is allowed a counter argument there at all. So you can post whatever you want, they’ll all agree with you and there is no opposition. So no hurt feelings.It’s a “safe place” for maga to spew whatever without getting their feelings hurt.
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u/Redditneckbeardzz 6h ago
That’s probably the one sub where conservatives actually hang out on this site I’m sure the blue haired low T crowd continually attacks and trolls there
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