There's a difference between positivity and blissful ignorance.
Let's ignore the contingent of users wanting blissful ignorance, and focus on those wanting more positivity. Positivity is rooted in tolerance and in empathy, both of which are severely lacking in a not-insignificant chunk of users here.
It is no secret that the demographics of this place skew white, male, middle-class, and middle-aged. As a result, there's enough posters here that feel jaded and tired because of users that refuse to understand a minority perspective. You blame folks for assuming the worst of new posters, but ask TransERA, ask AsianERA or BlackERA, hell, even ask Hip-HopERA how many times we've had to justify ourselves to people who seem to make no effort to understand us.
I'll take Hip-HopERA as an example. Every single modern hip-hop thread is a shitshow, and I mean it. I actively resent threads talking about it because I know what I'll see: uninformed opinions from posters who's most recent exposure to rap was the DK Rap. I see condescension. I see anger. I see people actively trying to make me and others like me feel like trash. And this is just from my experiences with a music genre.
The fact that literally every single minority opinion gets greeted with this kind of shit is unbearable. How many communities have been run off this site from the actions of the majority? Where's AsianERA? Where's PopERA? Where's Leftist ERA? Whether it be discussions about culinary co-opting or trans rights or even the subtle undercurrents of Sinophobia that run through threads on China, there are wave after wave of posters telling minorities that their feelings are wrong. There are enough users that make no effort made to understand our feelings and where our opinions come from. There are so many posters constantly telling people that we're wrong for questioning Naughty Dog, that we're wrong for harboring concerns about Joe Biden, that we're wrong for feeling disturbed at the way China is talked about, etc etc.
So, let's be real: if you want more positivity in the forum, start by stopping any actions that actively hinder a conversation. Stop unilaterally shitting on something. Stop being purposefully inflammatory in what you post. Stop thinking every fucking thread on a topic needs your opinion, and actively consider whether or not your post is adding something to the thread. If you want positivity, stop choosing asshole behaviors. I want discussions, but I definitely don't want any part of a discussion that begins with "Lol, that shit is ugly" or "I hate these auto-tuned mumble rappers. Modern rap is shit."
Ultimately, it is your choice to make as to what kind of positivity you want. You can either choose to find positivity in a bubble, or you can choose to foster it by being empathetic and understanding.
Let's ignore the contingent of users wanting blissful ignorance, and focus on those wanting more positivity. Positivity is rooted in tolerance and in empathy, both of which are severely lacking in a not-insignificant chunk of users here.
It is no secret that the demographics of this place skew white, male, middle-class, and middle-aged. As a result, there's enough posters here that feel jaded and tired because of users that refuse to understand a minority perspective. You blame folks for assuming the worst of new posters, but ask TransERA, ask AsianERA or BlackERA, hell, even ask Hip-HopERA how many times we've had to justify ourselves to people who seem to make no effort to understand us.
I'll take Hip-HopERA as an example. Every single modern hip-hop thread is a shitshow, and I mean it. I actively resent threads talking about it because I know what I'll see: uninformed opinions from posters who's most recent exposure to rap was the DK Rap. I see condescension. I see anger. I see people actively trying to make me and others like me feel like trash. And this is just from my experiences with a music genre.
The fact that literally every single minority opinion gets greeted with this kind of shit is unbearable. How many communities have been run off this site from the actions of the majority? Where's AsianERA? Where's PopERA? Where's Leftist ERA? Whether it be discussions about culinary co-opting or trans rights or even the subtle undercurrents of Sinophobia that run through threads on China, there are wave after wave of posters telling minorities that their feelings are wrong. There are enough users that make no effort made to understand our feelings and where our opinions come from. There are so many posters constantly telling people that we're wrong for questioning Naughty Dog, that we're wrong for harboring concerns about Joe Biden, that we're wrong for feeling disturbed at the way China is talked about, etc etc.
So, let's be real: if you want more positivity in the forum, start by stopping any actions that actively hinder a conversation. Stop unilaterally shitting on something. Stop being purposefully inflammatory in what you post. Stop thinking every fucking thread on a topic needs your opinion, and actively consider whether or not your post is adding something to the thread. If you want positivity, stop choosing asshole behaviors. I want discussions, but I definitely don't want any part of a discussion that begins with "Lol, that shit is ugly" or "I hate these auto-tuned mumble rappers. Modern rap is shit."
Ultimately, it is your choice to make as to what kind of positivity you want. You can either choose to find positivity in a bubble, or you can choose to foster it by being empathetic and understanding.
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