It feels like people are a lot nicer here than on Twitter and Reddit, and even when people disagree, it’s generally civil and not an all-out flame war. Also, there’s no algorithm promoting outrage all the time.
For me, the anticipation of toxicity was a huge deterrent for me ever participating in real discussions, but here I feel like I can be myself.
I think it’s healthier this way.
I find the quality of content to be way higher. People aren’t desperately trying to stand out or fit in with a crowd.
You’re right about the mods, though. All it takes is a large number of reports and they will usually come up with a reason to reprimand you, even if you aren’t breaking any rules.
This, of course, has been and will continue to be abused to drown out people with dissenting opinions.