Ah, what the hell. Why was this place so hard to find ._.

[Eirise]

This might sound a bit all over the place, but oh well.

A million years ago in 2016, it felt like the internet was dead. The only place I could find, as someone who gives up easily, that seemed to offer some kind of conversation with people online in a forumish kind of way was Reddit.

Have you ever woken up and realized you want to think more critically? I started to see the importance of taking an interest in things like history, philosophy, and classic literature. Being isolated and not seeing anywhere to meet or talk with people, I started to feel like I didn't have a voice. And then people started reframing compelled speech as kindness and respect, and lacking a voice started to feel like suffocation.

Until then, I never thought once about freedom of speech. I genuinely grew up believing we'd reached a point in history where everything was good, and couldn't possibly change. Because that's how you are, when you live in a bubble.

Seriously, *why*. That's not a critique against this site for being small; and I'm not trying to idealize this place. I know how sarcastic, unempathetic, deadpan, and at other times, completely silent forums can be. Life is just frustrating sometimes.

 

[Gauche]

You read a bit all over the place
Rate Baten Kaitos

Have you ever woken up and realized you want to think more critically?

Never

Being isolated and not seeing anywhere to meet or talk with people, I started to feel like I didn't have a voice.

Unironic: go outside, touch grass, open eyelids etc

And then people started reframing compelled speech as kindness and respect, and lacking a voice started to feel like suffocation.

Does posting on a forum pointing that out alleviate the feeling of suffocation? Peeps be framing, it what they do
Chill, breathe and die some day

Until then, I never thought once about freedom of speech

Liar liar

Seriously, *why*

Chicken thigh

 

[Arnox]

Have you ever woken up and realized you want to think more critically? I started to see the importance of taking an interest in things like history, philosophy, and classic literature.

What's your opinion on this?

I know how sarcastic, unempathetic, deadpan, and at other times, completely silent forums can be.

I mean... I might be those things a lot... But a lot of other people here aren't! ^^

Life is just frustrating sometimes.

Tell me about it.

-

But yes, welcome to to the edge of the civilized internet! <3 Let me know if you ever need anything.

 

[Vendor-Lazarus]

A million years ago in 2016, it felt like the internet was dead. The only place I could find, as someone who gives up easily, that seemed to offer some kind of conversation with people online in a forumish kind of way was Reddit.

Never give up easily. Or you'll end up in safe space bubbles like reddit.

Have you ever woken up and realized you want to think more critically? I started to see the importance of taking an interest in things like history, philosophy, and classic literature. Being isolated and not seeing anywhere to meet or talk with people, I started to feel like I didn't have a voice. And then people started reframing compelled speech as kindness and respect, and lacking a voice started to feel like suffocation.

Good on you. I've always thought critically, but I didn't always have the right information. The key is to see what is there, and what is not there. Too see patterns, and to avoid becoming locked into your own thought pattern. Always question everything. Some more so than others.

Until then, I never thought once about freedom of speech. I genuinely grew up believing we'd reached a point in history where everything was good, and couldn't possibly change. Because that's how you are, when you live in a bubble.

It did used to be better, back in the 80's and 90's. It wasn't all good, but many things are worse now.

Seriously, *why*. That's not a critique against this site for being small; and I'm not trying to idealize this place. I know how sarcastic, unempathetic, deadpan, and at other times, completely silent forums can be. Life is just frustrating sometimes.

Well, most search sites are using google or bing at the backend, so unless you're using Brave search, Wiby, Alexandria, Right Dao, Stract, or even Yep, censorship is a possibility. Most other social media also frown on plugging another other social media site. Or they're politically biased and removes stuff that doesn't conform to their political viewpoint.

 

[Adeptus]

Yes. Until recently I thought that traditional forums are nearly dead, but I managed to find some of alive one, including this one (and in fact I found it because of recommendation at reddit). I love traditional forums and consider them supreme to social portals - not only because of the censorship issues, but because their form is so much better for meaningfull discussions.

 

[Arnox]

Actually, I totally forgot to ask, how DID you find us, OP?

Yes. Until recently I thought that traditional forums are nearly dead, but I managed to find some of alive one, including this one (and in fact I found it because of recommendation at reddit). I love traditional forums and consider them supreme to social portals - not only because of the censorship issues, but because their form is so much better for meaningfull discussions.

If you haven't yet, you should watch our glorious propaganda video.

 

[Eirise]

Never give up easily. Or you'll end up in safe space bubbles like reddit.

It did used to be better, back in the 80's and 90's. It wasn't all good, but many things are worse now.

Everything related to socializing is worse. But yeah; giving up just means life will suck forever. It's frustrating that you can work to improve things and still things get worse.

 

[Eirise]

Yes. Until recently I thought that traditional forums are nearly dead, but I managed to find some of alive one, including this one (and in fact I found it because of recommendation at reddit). I love traditional forums and consider them supreme to social portals - not only because of the censorship issues, but because their form is so much better for meaningfull discussions.

Same and same.

Actually, I totally forgot to ask, how DID you find us, OP?
If you haven't yet, you should watch our glorious propaganda video.

Same way Adeptus did.

Has this site never tried advertising in that way? It's common for people to google phrases with 'reddit' tacked onto the end. I was googling 'conservative forum reddit' & 'freedom of speech forum reddit', etc. and just stumbled onto that comment.

 

[Signa]

Welcome to the forum, Eirise.

Have you ever woken up and realized you want to think more critically? I

I don't think there was a precise turning point, but I did work myself up to it to be primed for noticing all the bullshit back in 2015-ish. Like, I read 1984 around 2013, and I did it because I heard about it as a story, not the modern day instruction manual it has become. I was trying to predict the ending as if it was a story, and I was a bit disappointed in how it ended, because I thought I had a better ending in my mind.

But the work was still in my mind for later years, and it did serve as a great foundation for understanding what's happening and where we are going now.

 

[Adeptus]

Same and same.



Same way Adeptus did.

Has this site never tried advertising in that way? It's common for people to google phrases with 'reddit' tacked onto the end. I was googling 'conservative forum reddit' & 'freedom of speech forum reddit', etc. and just stumbled onto that comment.

I even have not add "reddit". I just wrote something like "non-woke gaming forum" and one of the first links was to the thread at "Kotaku in Action" subreddit.

 

[Arnox]

It's common for people to google phrases with 'reddit' tacked onto the end. I was googling 'conservative forum reddit' & 'freedom of speech forum reddit', etc. and just stumbled onto that comment.

Weird. I'm not pulling anything with us up in Google search with those search terms. Not even if I further specify KotakuInAction. That was with a clean search though (private window with no fingerprinting and a VPN).

Has this site never tried advertising in that way?

We have! The problem though is that most subreddits will skewer you if they even so much as get the hint that you're trying to promote your own thing, even if you've tried to get explicit permission from the moderators, and even if the content actively contributes to the subreddit. KotakuInAction was one of the few who were fully receptive to us.

Another issue is that redditors can be just fucking retarded sometimes with such high-brow comments as, "Why you trying to promote a free speech forum, bro?" or, "You like to harass people, bro?" or, "It's not the 90s anymore, bro." Or the real knee-slapper, "There's nothing wrong with Reddit voting, bro."

 

[Eirise]

Welcome to the forum, Eirise.


I don't think there was a precise turning point, but I did work myself up to it to be primed for noticing all the bullshit back in 2015-ish. Like, I read 1984 around 2013, and I did it because I heard about it as a story, not the modern day instruction manual it has become. I was trying to predict the ending as if it was a story, and I was a bit disappointed in how it ended, because I thought I had a better ending in my mind.

But the work was still in my mind for later years, and it did serve as a great foundation for understanding what's happening and where we are going now.

Thanks.

What was your ending like?

I didn't really like it, either. I get that, maybe that's how some people might respond to torture like Winston went through (iirc, his brain basically broke and he went along happily with whatever he'd been conditioned to repeat/think). But I think it's more likely that he'd have become a shattered, broken person unable to do much more than just sit around blankly.

 

[Eirise]

Weird. I'm not pulling anything with us up in Google search with those search terms. Not even if I further specify KotakuInAction. That was with a clean search though (private window with no fingerprinting and a VPN).

Well, refer to title :\ There's a reason I didn't stumble onto this site earlier, despite having been googling things like that for a long time.

 

[Signa]

Thanks.

What was your ending like?

I didn't really like it, either. I get that, maybe that's how some people might respond to torture like Winston went through (iirc, his brain basically broke and he went along happily with whatever he'd been conditioned to repeat/think). But I think it's more likely that he'd have become a shattered, broken person unable to do much more than just sit around blankly.

It's been a long time and I can't remember the fine supporting details anymore, but the twist I was thinking made sense was that Winston being part of the resistance was all part of the government's machine. Knowing that there's always going to be a selection of people that work contrary to the whims of Big Brother, they give those dissenters a role too as the resistance. They can be the scapegoats for the proles to not really pay attention to, and then they can be put into a program that perpetually makes them think they are making a difference and keeps them placated without causing any further harm to the machine.

That's all very story-book though, and not the point Orwell was trying to make with the book. What he wrote is much more realistic, and definitely a model for what we see today. What horrifies me, is if someone did take my ideas and applied them to modern day, then everything MAGA is basically a farce to get us to feel like we're taking the country back. In that regard, my idea may even be darker than Orwell's story. There is no escape from the machine, and that is worse than loving Big Brother.

 

[Arnox]

Well, refer to title :\ There's a reason I didn't stumble onto this site earlier, despite having been googling things like that for a long time.

Oh wait, I misunderstood you. lol Sorry.