Just to be clear I guess I don’t believe that down vote = censorship, like when a user does it i dont believe they are censoring. but I think there is something inherent to the platform that makes it function in that way. I’ll need to think about it some more. I don’t use down votes for this reason but I could more closely interrogate my reasons.
Thanks for taking the time to read all of that I’m glad you were able to see where I was coming from and take something away from it. See ya around!
I’m in DSA, I’m the labor steward of my chapter. I participated in signature gathering and canvassing to protect abortion rights in my state, we are part of a coalition for Palestinian solidarity. I’m in the “left” wing of DSA, in a caucus that agitates to improve the org and build independence from the democrats. I help with education of new members and help guide people through the org when and where I’m able. So I’m engaged in meetings and high level discussions almost daily. I study history and political theory. Not everyone has the time for this necessarily but people could still join DSA (or some other org), pay dues and go to a few meetings. Also these discussions are incredibly transformative, its much different than just voicing ones opinion on the internet or listening to podcasts or whatever. Also talking to people by doing canvassing is incredible for getting out of our own political opinion. Since we do targeted canvassing, we are still talking to mostly very progressive voters, but (believe it or not lol) the left can become politically disconnected from the real working class which we are supposed to fight for