Tired of mods judging users by post history instead of actual behavior
Posted by OhHaiFoxy@reddit | RedditAlternatives | View on Reddit | 42 comments
It’s discouraging how often Reddit mods now check your past posts to decide if you “belong” in their sub — even when you haven’t broken any rules. I was banned and told, “Do you really think you belong here?”
Feels like discrimination and gatekeeping disguised as moderation. Anyone else moved to other platforms because of this kind of bias?
RedditCantBanThis@reddit
Maybe try hiding your post history so no one can read it.
OhHaiFoxy@reddit (OP)
It is hidden
FrouFrouLastWords@reddit
The caveat to hiding your post/comment history is that if you make a comment or post in a particular subreddit, mods of that subreddit can view your full history for a couple weeks after your post/comment, I think it might even be a month.
The only thing one can do to avoid this, is either scrub through old contributions that mods might have exception to and delete them, or use multiple accounts, having a separation between for example subreddits that are considered extremist or controversial and everyday subs, left-leaning and right-leaning subs, etc.
The unfortunate part is that there's so many unwritten rules for a given subreddit, that increase in number the more popular a sub gets. It's safer if you assume that for example if you go on a lefty sub, they'll ban you (automatic shadowban from a bot or like in the OP, a mod manually checking your account) for commenting on a righty sub. Even if it was one time, even if you disagreed with the general views of the sub, doesn't matter. That account can't be used for lefty subs anymore, else you'll get banned from some. That's just the way it is.
Toothless_NEO@reddit
Here's another good tip, if you behave badly or break the rules and you have the mods blocked and/or post history hidden, they might just assume you're a spammer or troll and ban you outright. Generally if you're trying to hide your post history from them they will assume you're up to no good, and honestly I don't blame them, most people who try to hide from moderators are up to no good, with the lesser minority of them just being paranoid.
Mods don't have time to stalk every user who posts on their sub, they're only going to investigate if the person gets reported or ends up doing something against the rules or Reddit's policy. In which case having a hidden profile or blocking mod accounts is a big negative against you.
MegaGrubby@reddit
Not from Google.
OhHaiFoxy@reddit (OP)
I didn’t know Mods had the time to search for a user on Goggle but my opinion is in any way damaging or offensive in any of my posts. If the mods are using AI, then there algorithm is very wrong. If I as a user need to be hiding my opinion then what is the purpose of even posting.
MegaGrubby@reddit
It's a bit strange because you are judging mods in the same way you don't want to be judged. They're not all the same. They only likely even look you up if something is reported. It seems you had some problems and go to a weird spot (alternatives) to complain about it. Modmail is the best avenue. Mods can run their subs however they like. If you're seeking an alternative with greater user privacy I would make a different post.
OhHaiFoxy@reddit (OP)
Well, no, I’m not judging them all the same. Im in many subreddits and in this same post I explained a situation that happened and the mod was good in explaining why I was banned which I understood and they let me stay. I was told not to use Modmail because it is likely they will ban me from the platform, but based on your input about Google, I actually searched and it was really cool to see that my opinions which people really like because I do have a lot of upvotes are there and hopefully someone reads them and feel empowered in their life. I also think some subreddits puts this rules they don’t abide to.
MustacheSmokeScreen@reddit
It's your post history a record of your behavior?
OhHaiFoxy@reddit (OP)
My post history is definitely a record of my opinions, not necessarily behaviours.
Toothless_NEO@reddit
If your opinions are indicative of potential bad behaviors you might commit based on your opinions and beliefs which go against the values of the community you should expect them to ban you.
Many people on Reddit have a tendency to not listen when told to stop doing things that are harmful or inflammatory.
gnivriboy@reddit
I can tell the culture of reddit has changed so much. It used to be communities were their own separate thing and bannings were based on your behavior in the subreddit. Then when mods auto banned people for being in different subreddits, those mods were made fun of.
Now in a subreddit dedicated to finding an alternative to reddit because people are annoyed with the issues of reddit, people upvote one of these most toxic attitude of reddit. Where now everything is getting combined.
This is why I wish so badly there was already a federated reddit with 30-100 redditors I regularly interact with. I would be so done with this place. Its all the niche little things that keep me here.
polymath_uk@reddit
Got to catch that wrongthink like a good thoughtpoliceman.
Fit_Reveal_6304@reddit
I think I figured out why they didn't want you
Pamasich@reddit
You're not talking to OP btw.
polymath_uk@reddit
I'm not sure who you're replying to.
freier_Trichter@reddit
So your opinions don't correlate with your behavior? That's cognitive dissonance
Pamasich@reddit
Imo the issue is more in how they obtain the information. No mod of any non-niche sub has the time to actually look through every new user's history. They most likely use AI tools, which in my experience tend to dig up single comments from 13 years ago and present them as something you actively engage in presently. Which is definitely problematic to then judge people based on that.
ecafyelims@reddit
Mods don't have the time to check everyone's post history. They would have only checked yours if something questionable happened.
This typically happens when you're suspected of trolling.
A good troll is hard to identify on the comments alone. They'll stay just within the hard rules but cause drama, in general.
They might pretend to be something they aren't in order to sew discord.
For example, I can't tell you how many times I've caught trolls saying things like "I'm black, and I agree that Democrats are screwing over black people. MAGA supports minorities more than Democrats." and while on it's own, that doesn't sount /too/ terrible. The person will continue in comments talking about how "fellow" black individuals need to rise up and stand against Democrats, things like that.
Then, I'll check the comment history, and the person will have N words all over the place in other subs, and talking about how minorities are ruining the country.
And that's why we have to check the history, sometimes.
OhHaiFoxy@reddit (OP)
Thanks for giving some info on this. Maybe you are objective but not all mods are like that. In my case the only thing I’ve done is encouraging people to positive things, I have been very respectful, and I don’t talk about politics only about what I know which is human behaviour in the romantic relationship context, and bc I was not even point out to what in specific what wrong with my post history, I gave up. I’m not going to continue putting time to Reddit. This was just a way to research, relax and sometimes help people who is maybe struggling. I think that there is only place here for porn, sex workers and brainwashers.
ecafyelims@reddit
That sucks. Unfortunately, some subs and mods are like that. They would have definitely needed a reason to check your post history (it's too much work to check every single person), but it sounds like you were judged unfairly. It's happened to me, too, and to all of us, really.
Forget about the subs who piss you off. There are plenty of fish in the sea, as they say.
The good news is that there are MANY subs on Reddit. If you're only seeing porn, sex workers, and brainwashers, then you are missing a lot of good subs.
Look for common interests. I'm in programming subs and science subs and AI subs and crypto subs, many others.
These might be smaller subs, and that's a good thing. The larger subs are the ones that have the most problems with trolls and are the ones that are fastest with the ban trigger. Small subs are where it's at.
OhHaiFoxy@reddit (OP)
I post about relationship advice in mostly and it that area opinions can be controversial and a lot of the users post porn, or they are sex workers looking for work or they just want to divide people, but my account is fairly new and people seem to like it. I have been ban from subreddits that are not relationship advice related and one mod explained to me they don’t allow users that are in other specific subreddits because those subreddits promote a different philosophy to theirs. In the world not everything is black and white, there are shades and I could be in agreement with a statement on both sides. Interestingly this mod who explained their rules allow me to stay with certain conditions which I agree they would be fair and I continue to access and post in their subreddit.
Anyway, I’m not banned from the main subreddits where I post, I continue to get lots of upvotes, it was just appalling to me that the first rule is “No discrimination of any kind” and that is the 1st thing they did with me.
I’m very biology, human behaviour and science oriented. I will look for subreddits on those for sure. Thank you for your recommendation.
ecafyelims@reddit
Oh yeah. There's never been a shortage on hypocrisy.
Good luck in finding something that makes you happy. Please let me know how it turns out!
OhHaiFoxy@reddit (OP)
I appreciate everybody’s comments. I’ve learned thru the years that social media is a joke. The only reason I came to Reddit was because of the diverse opinions, and someone told me it was more informative. I can only see that people is brainwashed, judgemental and individualistic. Another mean for division. Good luck and peace out.
pilgrimspeaches@reddit
I'm still banned from a number of the big subs for covid wrongthink. They drew up lists of anti-lockdown/anti-jab subs and banned all members of those subs from entering these big, nonpolitical subs. The crazy thing is they're still suggested to me, so I see a post from one on my home screen, want to reply, enter the post and it says I can't reply. It's so dumb.
OhHaiFoxy@reddit (OP)
This is crazy. How can they say that Reddit is a safe place for everyone to feel included when their moderators are doing the total opposite. I’m actually very discouraged.
Toothless_NEO@reddit
I think you misunderstand, when people say that everyone is included, they obviously expect you to use common sense. And common sense says that people who are harmful to the community, or promote dangerous ideas will not be welcome, because they will destroy the community.
Common sense says that the people who are promoting dangerous pseudoscience, or harmful bigotry or encouraging direct or indirect harm towards others are not going to be welcome in most communities out there. At least ones that aren't created for the purpose of being toxic echo Chambers (like 4chan).
pilgrimspeaches@reddit
Pseudoscience is believing whatever was in that injection was actually a vaccine when people who took it kept getting covid over and over. But hey, if the corporations tell you it's true then it's true. What took a decade to safely test before can be deteremined safe after 8 months because Trump said so.
Reidhur@reddit
People who took the vaccine were getting COVID multiple times? Where the hell did you hear that? And what makes you capable of arguing with all the doctors and scientists who's helped develop and administer the vaccine? Do you have any other pseudoscience you'd like to share with the class?
BaxterBragi@reddit
I only got it once after the vaccine and honestly the vaccine probably saved my lungs. Antivaxxers are genuinely very misguided and it's a shame that most will live in their delusions.
Reidhur@reddit
Same, I got vaxxed when I had to for work and only got COVID once, 2 years later. Didn't even catch it when both my wife and my son had it 🤷🏼♂️
pilgrimspeaches@reddit
I talk to people. They tell me they have gotten it multiple times and they tell me they got the injection. But as long as the guy in the white coat who is forced to say certain things or else he'll lose his license says it it must be true right? Many doctors had different perspectives but they were evicted from the conversation or roundly ridiculed. Also, have you noticed how much longer it takes to see a doctor now? Is that because the injection made people sicker? Or maybe because many doctors quietly retired instead of being part of this. But none of this matters to you because you've turned science into a religion so trust scientists/doctors the same way godly folks trust a priest regardless of what that priest has done in the past.
Pamasich@reddit
Vaccines don't give you immunity, they teach your immune system how to fight the virus efficiently. The actual effect is that infection is way less likely, and much more mild when it happens. But it's not actual complete immunity.
Since vaccine effectiveness still relies on the immune system, people with a weak immune system for any reason (which can be from trivial reasons you might not even realize like old age, genetics, or medicine that weakens the immune system) will see less benefit in the vaccine.
Different vaccines also have different effectiveness, iirc none of the covid vaccines had 100% effectiveness.
So when you say that people who took the vaccine kept getting covid over and over, are you sure those people had a healthy immune system, and did they actually experience the full brunt of the disease? Also keep in mind that people absolutely can fake disease to get off work or school. Not saying that's likely to be the case here, but just something to keep in mind.
In my anecdotal experience, every person I know who got the vaccine didn't get covid anymore afterwards. But that might have been a different vaccine than the people you're talking about took.
Howrus@reddit
You misunderstanding how public communication work. You are free to find a place where you would fit, but mod job is to protect communities from people who "don't fit" there.
There's no place on the earth where "everybody is accepted".
barrygateaux@reddit
The only people that care about reddit are Redditors. No one in real life cares.
RedditCantBanThis@reddit
It's not a safe place for anyone lol.
I've said the most passive, blank phrases and gotten downvoted to oblivion.
pilgrimspeaches@reddit
It makes perfect sense if you look at the big social media platforms as systems of discourse/thought control.
Sloppykrab@reddit
Good.
Being Anti vaccine is dangerous to the general population.
polymath_uk@reddit
If you have a vaccine to prevent you from contracting a disease, how does op not be vaccinated impact you? Also, he's not arguing against all vaccines, only the covid jab.
Pamasich@reddit
It doesn't impact the user you're replying to directly. But they said it's dangerous to the general population, not themselves. And it does impact them indirectly in the long run.
First of all, every infection of anyone is giving the virus the opportunity to mutate, allowing it to bypass existing vaccines and thus infect the vaccinated again.
But also, vaccines aren't perfect. They just teach your immune system to fight the virus efficiently. You can still get sick with it, but the likelihood and intensity of an infection is way decreased.
People with weakened or non-functioning immune systems will be (more or less, depending on how weakened it is) at risk from their neighbors or family refusing to vaccinate. That includes cancer patients, people taking medicine that suppresses the immune system, and even old age. Also, if you're too young or allergic to it, you can't take vaccines. These people rely on herd immunity to stay healthy. Which you refuse to contribute to if you don't vaccinate.
Finally, there's the health impact from it. People getting sick have to be hospitalized. Healthcare costs have to be paid. Covid can cause all kinds of lasting mental issues, affecting the person's ability to contribute to society or, if they're in a position of power, even damaging society by their covid-borne actions.
All in all, I don't think them not vaccinating is going to hurt the person you're replying to directly much, you're right on that. But they never claimed so, they claimed it's dangerous to the general population. Which is absolutely the case.
freier_Trichter@reddit
Actually I'm glad, not anyone can be part of any sub. Reddit has it's niches for everyone, but not every niche is for anyone. And that's a good thing. People on the internet think they can be part of any subculture or scene just by joining some message board. This leads to lots of people talking about things they don't understand, which again distorts what said niches are actually about. Think about it as a club: you need to earn the door's trust. But the baker's club won't let you in with a "fuck bread" shirt.
Toothless_NEO@reddit
Maybe because people on Reddit have a history of repeating bad behaviors they've done in the past, and also have a history of not listening when being told to stop.