Reddit

Glad I am not the only one to have noticed.

The moderation practices on that subreddit have created an environment where dissenting opinions are swiftly and permanently banned. This approach has fostered an echo chamber where only one perspective is allowed to thrive, reinforcing a cycle of confirmation bias and groupthink. As a result, most conservative posts lack depth and often resemble oversimplified memes rather than meaningful discourse.

Even when an opposing viewpoint manages to slip through, it’s often dismissed as artificial or the work of bots. This mindset reveals how deeply entrenched their worldview has become—so much so that they struggle to believe that differing opinions could be genuine. It’s a surreal and unfortunate dynamic that stifles any chance of productive discussion.

That subreddit is an absolute dumpster fire of stupidity.

The apps avoid the complexity of signing up really.
Get official lemmy app. Makes account on world. Start using app.

The biggest issue is that the media is focusing on just this one incident in specific. They're acting as if whether or not musk is a nazi hinges exclusively on if it was meant as a seig heil or not.

Ultimately his nazi salute is just the latest in a very very long line of racist and intolerant shit he's said, done, and perpetuated. Regardless or whether he seig heiled or not, he's still a nazi.

I will play devil's advocate. Media outlets are scared of being sued for defamation or scrutinised for what may turn out to be misleading news. That's why there are always referring to "sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity" or adopt a mild language to refer to something. But if I am a news publisher, I would describe Musk's gesture as "appears to be Nazi salute" or to that effect. It is still calling it out as it is, but I would still have plausible deniability.

It's the definitian of the Hobbesean "right", that human nature is monstrous, beastly and war-like, and that we need to rely on a "better few" to monopolize violence to keep everyone in order. They don't believe that people are capable of self-governance because they don't do it themselves. The Rousseau "left" believe that we're egalitarian by nature, and that we're innately good in small populations but have naturally strayed from our egalitarian origins because of civilization. Anarchists understand that both of these are incorrect.

John Stuart Mill has this to say:

“I never meant to say that the Conservatives are generally stupid. I meant to say that stupid people are generally Conservative. I believe that is so obviously and universally admitted a principle that I hardly think any gentleman will deny it. Suppose any party, in addition to whatever share it may possess of the ability of the community, has nearly the whole of its stupidity, that party must, by the law of its constitution, be the stupidest party.... It may be said that if stupidity has a tendency to Conservatism, sciolism, or half-knowledge, has a tendency to Liberalism.

I have grown appreciation to respect some conservative ideas. As I grow older, I see why some look for stability. There is plenty of good debate when it comes fiscal responsibility and gradual reformism, but this doesn't mean I would reject lgbt rights or support gutting welfare. But yes, generally stupid people seem to gravitate in the direction of conservatism or right.

PS. As a left leaning person, I also agree with Jill's point about liberals but that is a different topic for another time.

Well, it is... that's why I fit right in.