There are some incredibly strange people with some very twisted ideas and agendas on this platform (all platforms). It is best not to get too dragged into it emotionally at the very least, though it can be interesting to be a part of some of those conversations.
Take it all with a grain of salt.
One of the great things here is not only can you speak your mind, it is also all securely stored for future reference. This includes all of the horrible stuff too. I would say that when they look back on their past, they would be ashamed, but I suspect they are so narcissistic that they will never be able to find that depth of personal reflection.
I am idealistic too, but I have worked at embracing the small slice of pragmatist in me, and see that this is all a work in progress and bit by bit, we are moving in the right direction, despite some of the people who we meet along the way.
Indeed there are some "incredibly strange people with some very twisted ideas and agendas", @tarazkp, not only on this platform but all over the internet. What I found so disturbing about that post though, was that the guy didn't seem mentally challenged at all, that he reached his crazy conclusions "honestly" if you know what I mean. Many comments hinted at him having lost his mind or something, but he hadn't; he stood behind his conclusions even after hundreds of very reasonable arguments against them. I'm no stranger to this phenomenon, as I've written a lot about the power of conspiracy theories and our natural capacity for cognitive dissonance and confirmation-bias, both being responsible for and amplified by the echo-chambers we all build around ourselves to a lesser or greater extent. Many people who've gone too deep into that rabbit-hole can't be reached anymore; they're lost to us for any reasonable exchange of ideas. I guess this was the first time I "saw it happen" in real-time, not just targeting a topic, but real people. It's my own fault I guess: I don't engage nearly enough with other people's content on Hive since the demise of @helpie :-( I do upvote posts from people I trust (you guys are now added there too), but that's all automated. Maybe I need to make more time...
Anyhow, ranting again... Thanks so much for taking the time to visit and respond!
Or, they are comfortable there, they make it part of their identity, who they are. It is like how "truth seekers" identify as such, yet have no direct experience about what they are talking about, it is all second, third and fourth hand hearsay that they have "confirmed" on the internet. They don't want to leave that safe space they have created, where real experience and evidence is not needed.
There are a lot of great people here as well, so I think that if you do make time to explore a bit, you will find that there are a lot of normal people who have passions and skills in the real world too - people who don't have to just write from second-hand experience and make up stories for attention :)
"They" are comfortable there. It's kind of warming and comfortable to belong to a "special" group with "special" people who have "special" knowledge, and the search-algorithms on the internet make it that much easier to find your own special group. It's only ironic that "they" label themselves as "truth-seekers".
I've taken the time to read your last post, part 3 in your endless discussion with your little girl; much respect @tarazkp ! Keeping that record will do the both of you a world of good. Whoever you were before "the event", you certainly haven't lost your way with words; that was a moving and pleasant read and I hope I'll catch the next part in time to give it the proper appreciation!