Recently over the past couple of months, I’ve seen political discussion on every single social media (yes, that includes Lemmy) become a bear fight full of propaganda. Twitter/X is becoming a racist hellhole with people hating Jews, Black people and Muslims for existing whilst Lemmy is quickly fostering extremism. There is no where on the Internet, except for small chat channels, that is normal. What do I mean by normal?
Every single place is an echo chamber. Those inside it will shout that the other place is one, but we all know it. Lies and propaganda are constantly being cycled on Lemmy and the other Fediverse, but nobody bats an eye because “we’re better” and the other side is full of disgusting people. The same thing is happening in conservative spaces. I don’t want to talk about “race wars” “black fatigue” or “Jew bioweapons” nor do I want to talk about mass murder of billionaires and complete social destruction. I just want all of you to be normal.
Tribalism has influenced all of these spaces. In the information age, we have become the dumbest and most extreme political speakers in history. We no longer value the truth of information, just the optics. We sour the airwaves with filth, bringing it into schools, universities and even political administrations. We have madmen destroying the biggest country on Earth whilst people here defend the indefensible.
There is no more love in politics. No more “agreeing to disagree”, no more facts or intelligence. It’s just pure, unfettered hate.
Lemmy’s just the lesser of two evils. Whilst I post here a lot, let me be clear: this place is a shithole. Sure, you guys aren’t as washed and feral as conservatives, but you guys are still washed and feral. You guys infect everything with misplaced social justice, constantly finding to ruin everything on the basis of your apparent prejudice. You can’t wait to bring people down, and never the other way around.
There is no reason to talk about politics on the Internet anymore. Everyone is lying. Everyone has an agenda. Everyone is being a bad person.
I am so tired
You can either be ‘political’ or you can have politics done to you.
It’s no accident that political discussion is everywhere. The world is in crisis and a lot of us are not willing to go along to get along. So be tired and check out, but don’t complain when the jackbooted thugs knock on YOUR door.
You get an upvote but I hope you realize you’re in ‘politics’ whether you like it or not. The apathy of the masses is why the authoritarians are alllowed to take over.
This is what I keep telling my family. They’re all right wingers and the political conversations tend to end with “well I just don’t like how much you let it affect you…” (because they can’t refute any of my arguments with informed arguments of their own).
Like, no, I won’t dig my head in the sand “for my own sanity”. To check out, when politics affects every aspect of our lives, is insanity. Especially if you’re a minority living in a pre-authoritarian oligarchy like the US.
Right? “Why are you letting all the oppression, rights violations, illegal government action, corruption, and ecological destruction bother you?”
I don’t think they’re complaining about the fact that political discussion happens, but rather the quality of it. It’s not far off to say that it usually ends up as either a circlejerk within people’s own bubbles or a complete free-for-all mudslinging match - which, in the entire history of the internet, has never produced anything other than deepening the divide between opposing sides.
Yep, this. Thanks for that. I had started to say almost the same thing but had to get back to my yardwork before I could wordsmith it.
🎯🎯🎯