Ok so idk if this is the most appropriate place to post this, but are the extreme views and statement we see on these platforms really just “bots” and “internet noise” are these genuinely the worst parts of humanity?
For context/elaborating on it, I kinda drifted off from lemmy to reddit due to lack of content here and holee fuck, its just horrifying, the amount of pro genocidal statements and cheers for extremism genuinely makes me feel at extreme unease, but it also makes me ask a question. I come from a conservative southasian society and whenever you bring up topics like treatment of minorities, lgbtq+ rights, feminism etc, people normally dont comment on this stuff or make a “harmless joke” out of it, but seeing reddit pages of the same grp of ppl it makes me genuinely feel that these guys hold on to genuinely insane beliefs, and are just afraid to present it to anyone in person…
Reddit is not really anywhere close to the darkest parts of humanity. They’re “merely” extreme in some cases.
The problem is this:
That’s irrational. I know it doesn’t feel that way, but you have a belief system and from that belief system, they look insane to you, but also vice versa.
You know that saying “the market can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent”? Kind of the same is true for ideologies. They’re not rational. People just believe stuff and occasionally they can get interrupted, shown a contradict and if you’re lucky they will reconsider. But it’s not automatic or guaranteed.
And something that’s dawned on me as well, is that we have some kind of “historic, cultural optimism” that assumes that of course, justice, truth, rationality, tolerance will win. That’s not actually a guarantee. And even if it does work, it’s not guaranteed to work for you in your local environment.
For a different example, a lot of history that we have records of, slavery was an accepted reality. Is it “genuinely insane” to hold that belief? We think so in modern times. But it was normal a mere few hundred years ago. And if it wasn’t explicit slavery some different social orders that were effectively the same existed.
tldr: no, that’s just normal human behavior. Our filter and our “higher standard” is the weird thing. You’re not like that and neither are your friends? Good. Cherish that exception. Try to preserve it.
Ok, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit for the effect. But still, you get the idea.
Everybody is somebody else’s fucking idiot.
I mean if you push me yes i can get how people might feel “polarized” by the ideas of “accepting” feminism, lgbtq, or other groups, but advocating to kill and destroy then, maybe its just me, but directly opposes human conscience, I am not exactly sure how can you cheer genocide when you actively see people suffering who are trapped in such situations
Considering the amounts of war and genocides, both in the current era with “modern” sensibility, not to mention historical atrocities…
You’re in the minority for sure.
Fair.