PrincessBucketFeet

It's all based on actual history.

Does that include Lagertha's relationship with Astrid? Not trying to be a wise-ass, I'm genuinely curious about how prevalent homosexuality might have been and how it was viewed.

Not to prove your point or anything lol, but is it possible sometimes it's just your interpretation? It can be difficult to correctly assess the tone intended in a comment. Reddit has so many international users and people from different language backgrounds that a lot can be lost in interpretation.

I have a friend who is extremely conflict-averse. I am not. We can observe the same discussion and she would describe it as an "argument", and I would call it a "debate". I find myself drawn to disagreements sometimes, not because I enjoy conflict, but because it's an opportunity for me to learn something and perhaps modify my opinion, or offer the same to the other person.

I'm certainly guilty of pedantry at times, but mostly to prevent misunderstanding, not to be judgemental. I personally think social media, blogs, and podcasts have accelerated a decline in writing skills. While some users may be offended or feel attacked by corrections, others are quite appreciative and want to learn!

I had a bitter, cynical period for quite a while. It was depressing. I've started trying to give people the benefit the doubt instead. It's been much more relaxing so far.

Edited due to my grammar mistakes! For some reason they only become visible after I hit the "send" button lol

It might have been a bot that copies other people's comments from the thread since that was a top-level question.

I do think this is a significant problem that exacerbates our tendencies to seek information that reinforces what we already believe.

Reddit's ability to reach so many people could be instrumental in getting people to consider "opposing" viewpoints, and perhaps even opening minds. But the echo chamber effect derails that.

I've often wondered if Reddit could identify "opposing" opinion-based subreddits. When a user subscribes to one, they could be automatically subscribed to its "opposite", with an explanation of why. For a period of time the user should not be allowed to comment in the "opposite" world, hopefully to prevent knee-jerk combativeness. But maybe over time, exposure to the other sub's content might help them at least understand the "other side" instead of simply dismissing it.

I've started doing that on my own and it is eye-opening! I see the exact same wording and concepts used to defend or ridicule both sides. It starts to become clearer that there are more things in common than originally presumed.

Edit to add: Will check out the Chris Bail book you mentioned, thanks! Assuming the "highly polarized people" are in the minority, is there hope for folks in the middle?

My theory is that the redesign drew in more people who are inclined to behave this way. The "old" Reddit was clunky and industrial. You had to invest some time in figuring out how to navigate it- literally and conversationally. It might have served as a "barrier to entry" to those who really weren't looking for meaningful discussions.