I saw this when I was about 7 or 8. It was a great horror; really enjoyed it!

Section 28 in the UK which banned the “promotion” of homosexuality in schools fucked up a lot of kids in the 90s including me. Thankfully it was repealed.

Don’t let America go that route. You’ll cause more harm by restricting discussion of sexuality.

As a young teen I thought my attraction to my classmates meant I was a paedophile. It resulted in me cutting, burning and hitting myself whenever I wanked to anything gay as a form of ‘DIY conversation therapy’.

I still have the scars at 40 and I only properly came out as gay at 38 after years of self hate.

All I would have needed is a person in authority like a teacher or parent to say “same sex attraction is normal” or “fancying your same sex mates doesn’t make you a pedo - you may just be gay”.

I know it sounds fucking dumb to hear as an adult but as a confused, angsty, pubescent teen who grew up pre-internet* it made sense that I was perverted, evil and broken.

*The internet doesn’t necessarily make it easier for teens to confirm themselves. They could just as easily fall into the same mindset as me due to misinformation rather than ignorance.

I’ve heard Germans say it’s terrible in German too.

Sounds a lot like homeopathy.

Diazepam, yes (~100hrs). Xanax, no(~5hrs). Clonazepam, mid(~20hrs)

Obsidian + private GitHub repo hosting

Kiss at my old high school died of meningitis which caused an emergency vaccine roll out. Mid 90s, UK.

It only hit local news back then. Weird to see an outbreak in Africa make it international though.

Similar happened to me. I got banned from 2westerneurope4u and another mod unbanned me a few weeks later. So I commented again.

Permaban from Reddit for evading a ban.

Any time I created a new account it would be banned for ban evasion.

So I can’t comment on Reddit unless I set up an account with a VPN.

Fuck all that.

I read your post.

I’m arguing against downvotes site-wide

I upvote people I disagree with as much as people I agree with. Because I like being challenged.

You are precisely the person I’m arguing against. You use downvotes for disagreement (your second paragraph).

This hides comments, people rarely know why because their comment gets hidden by the influx of downvotes.

This has multiple effects:

• Radicalises and victimizes people. So they end up only knowing that their views aren’t popular. Rather than adjust their views they’re likely to double down. They aren’t challenged. So they may seek out things like QAnon or anti Vax or whatever other echo chambers for their views to be validated. It’s peer pressure without feedback. It’s harmful.
• The very act creates an echo chamber by hiding dissenting comments under a pile of downvotes.
• As a result of creating an echo chamber you never have your own views challenged.
• It promoted low quality, repetitive humour. Have you not noticed reviews top 3 comments are always shit, predictable jokes and puns?

I’m aware I can’t change everyone’s habits but I personally will downvote except in rare circumstances and I’m explaining why.

P.S. if I strongly disagree with someone but can’t be bothered to comment I just don’t vote and move on. Sometimes I come back and explain. Downvotes are lazy and cause problems.

No. I disagree. I follow the old Reddiquette.

Downvotes are for obvious spam or irrelevant bullshit. Not for disagreement.

Following that role old Reddit was really interesting and you got some incredible discussions. Because everyone held to that rule you didn’t end up with people trying to be funny for up votes. Instead of downvotes people would comment their disagreement.

It was the golden age of Reddit. I hope Lemmy could resurrect that but I don’t think it’ll ever come back.

Unfortunately this also results in echo chambers, where everyone agrees and that’s bullshit. I think it’s why corners like QAnon rose up. Instead of people visa being honestly challenged there shit takes were being diagnosed instead.

E.g. I have a genuinely unpopular opinion on here a while back. That ADHD and autism aren’t real. That progress quirkiness is being pathologised.

I had the highest number of downvotes in the thread. But guess what?! The vet few people who chose to engage with my view changed my fucking mind! I also found out I should look to ask about diagnosis.

There’s plenty of people out there with stupid views. Instead of downvotes then (which eventually hides the comment) they should be engaged and have their view challenged.

It depends on the website hosting location. TOS, users location and relevant international copyright treaties.

It’s not a one-size-fits-all.

As a UK citizen I can’t claim my (US) first amendment right to call you a “cunt”.

It’s against the website TOS and I’m not American.

Putting a license at the bottom clears any ambiguity.

Funnily enough you’re only highlighting your own “Zoomer” naivety of law by making your “Boomer” comment.

That’s not how public domain works.

What’s AV1 compression like compared to x265?

Go on then sailor. Be the change you want to see!

Why do you use it then?

Sorry I wasn’t aware my comment was going to be assessed by a politics A level examiner. In future I’ll bear that in mind when I make a comment.

I agree. 👍

Private Eye is so fucking depressing. They say they put the funny stuff in the second half to offset the corruption and scandals in the first half but I can rarely get through one page before I have to put it down.

Heaven forbid someone change their mind based on new information because, as well know, people don’t change. They’re immutable stone with fixed beliefs from birth til death.

Regulation & education, not prohibition.