maybe about politics but not about a tv show or harmless interest 🤝
i miss the safety and coziness pre-federation though. now i log onto hexbear and the default sort makes it so that most of my feed is stuff i don't care about, like "linus tech tips" drama, or upsetting shit (i.e., bad faith liberalism) from other instances. even the posts on the "local" tab seem to refresh slower than before, as if most of hexbear's posting activity has been exported to new communities we have access to (which is good in many ways, and i've learned a lot from seeing hexbear users engage with other communities).
like many neurodivergent people, i have trouble adjusting to change. and right now, i am really missing the cozy, accepting, and at ease vibes i got from hexbear pre-federation. i log on now, and there's new kinds of tension and unease that i haven't found out how to work around (or live with) yet. It comes both from seeing posts from other communities in my feed (many of which feature gross and hateful mischaracterizations of our community, beliefs, or values), as well as seeing users from other communities come into ours and engage in bad faith. it just feels like a lot of drama, tbh
like i can go and touch grass, and i do touch grass regularly , but i liked the hexbear that was far away from grass, like a cozy little nest tucked away on the upper branches of a tree
I (and I'm sure tons of community members from different communities) appreciate how responsive you've been throughout the thread, and I just want to share a thought to your reply. You said:
I think this question is bait, but I will answer in good faith with an example to hopefully drive the point home.
Posting "[hammer and sickle] 10 reasons why we need communism..." is clearly not Kremlin propaganda. Posting "[hammer and sickle] Ukraine shouldn't even exist, long live CCCP" is clearly Kremlin propanda.
This example is like a 10/10 easy slam dunk, but I think the concern that many users have about alleging "Kremlin propaganda" is that there are an infinite amount of examples that are much harder, if not impossible, to clearly distinguish. It's these grey areas, which are also far more common, that prompt different degrees of skepticism or uncertainty about the terminology and its application. It's easy to apply the term to extreme and unlikely hypotheticals, but to apply it to actual conversations is a different task
Hi, I'll try and share my 2 cents here
Is Hexbear a former left-wing "forum" now taken over by fascist trolls?
Big no. Hexbear is made up of a diverse group of people whose political views generally fall under one or more of the big umbrellas of "communism" or "socialism". Users on hexbear also hold and exchange a wide range of views about the USSR and Russia. Despite the range of views on some issues, we are explicitly anti-capitalist and anti-fascist (and generally speaking, we use these terms mindfully; i.e., we don't call everything we don't like _______), and we love our trans comrades.
In OP's post and in your reply, I can't help but focus on the term "kremlin propaganda". I'm not the most well-read person ever, so I have trouble understanding what they mean by the term. Whether the "Kremlin" is in reference to the USSR of old or today's Russia is unclear - and I think that is a worthwhile distinction. Also, many hexbear users have been accused of spreading "propaganda" when posting anything remotely political, especially if it counters the prevailing narratives of the US, NATO, etc. Hopefully a more knowledgeable user can provide some clarity on what is (and isn't) "kremlin propaganda"?
You’re right, because when Oregon became a state, they made it illegal for black people to even live in the state.
You are not your state, but your intellectual dishonesty about its racist history (among other things, and which you likely benefit from) because “slavery illegal” doesn’t portray you favourably.
Edit: and you’re also sidestepping the genocide of “Oregon’s” indigenous population, as well as other racist laws and labour practices (e.g., towards Chinese immigrants). Kind of a weird thing to be doing if you stand against extremism or exclusionary politics.
This is the most important proxy war of our lifetime!
oh hell yeah. After Burial's latest release, I've been revisiting a lot of his music and falling down rabbit holes of his older songs that never got official releases
Spotify recently recommended me this artist called "AgonyOST" recently too. Their album "The Final Nail in the Coffin" seems neat at first glance, it's got similar vibes to some Burial.
i like the ones where you're locked in a cage with the ball bouncing around you at like 70mph. And also the ball is the perfect size to explode an eye ball so you have to wear glasses
industrial noise music/ambient electronic
my favs are Tim Hecker and Burial. Max Richter's "Sleep" is also a very cool ambient project
You might also like Wicca Phase Springs Eternal, the album "Suffer On" is a cool mix of hip-hop, electronic/witch-house, and emo/alternative.
the climate change actions taken by Biden
Because who else would greenlight controversial pipeline projects that will accelerate the rot of remote ecosystems and the pollution of our atmosphere and waters? Oh right, any other elected official on either side of the Dem / Republican line...
The “explicitly leftist” midwest.social sure aren’t sending their best
I just want you to know I greatly appreciated this post
Authoritarianism is a political system characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political status quo, and reductions in the rule of law, separation of powers, and democratic voting.
Hey America (and Canada, UK, Australia, etc.), how ya doing?
✅ Rejection of political plurality (See: Range of acceptable thought among mainstream political parties; Also, consider some self-reflection)
✅ Strong central power to preserve the political status quo (See: Mainstream media apparatus, spanning news, movies, tv, etc.)
✅ Reductions in the rule of law (See: Absolute failure to hold politicians or corporations accountable)
✅ Reductions in the separation of powers (See: Politicians funded by and catering to corporate interests)
✅ Reductions in democratic Voting (See again: Politicians funded by and catering to corporate interests + absolute failure to hold politicians accountable; Also see: Rampant gerrymandering, erosion of voters' right, zero democracy in the workplace or outside of political elections)