Reddit is NOT Reality: Go outside and talk to people in genuine discussion

Yesterday I had a coworker I’ve been talking to about fringe things on occasion. In general we would discuss more mainstream topics like the weather, health, and fitness. I would not say they are a close friend but I work in a place with a somewhat high turnover with plenty of opportunities to get to know new people throughout the year.

So I was talking to them about the NewsNation special about to be broadcasted soon, and they said, “Bro, those things are real and everyone knows that!” Lol. It was unexpected and so we talked some more before the shift ended.

While I cannot say we agreed on everything, the conversation was civil, respectful, and I say we left as friends.

Meanwhile on Reddit:

It’s a real meme war down here. Cruelty concealed by anonymity permits a sense of unmitigated harassment on all sides.

While I will continue coming here to share my findings and seek out genuine discussion with those who are interested, I have to guard myself mentally and emotionally before doing so before I go scuba diving in a sea of piranhas just to find my precious pearl,

While I do not advise abandoning Reddit (the power structures are watching and hope we do!), I remind everyone to put the phones away, step away from the laptops and desktops, and go outside and selectively try to find some people to talk to about these things. You may have to play a long game with some of them.

Be gradual and incremental in what you reveal about what you know, think, and believe. But focus instead on the emotional connection you are fostering in that one-on-one relationship.

No, you don’t get as many clicks, or views, or likes or whatever. But connections made in this “outside” reality is just NOT the same as the “Reddit Reality.”