full image - Repost: An open letter to the largest subreddit (from Reddit.com, An open letter to the largest subreddit )
Mining:
Exchanges:
Donations:
Dear Ones,It's with the greatest respect and affection that I pen this letter to you. After reflecting overnight, I felt sad that my account is gone, but also that it was for the best.Mostly, I will miss the people that I met here - many of whom are very good people. That's the only thing that drove me really - people like that, and our beautiful country.I joined Reddit in November last year after casual browsing. One day I saw a note by a woman who was being abused. She seemed confused and it was so serious, I was moved to create an account and write my response.Soon after I discovered the NZ subreddits. And the rest, as they say, is history.My political knowledge was so low that I didn't see through the Atlas Network's dark money libertarian dude David Seymour, I thought Jacinda was a little tiresome in interviews (but changed my mind about her after extensive research since then). I didn't realise Taxpayers Union is as evil as it is, and had thought New Zealanders cared about our environment.I was banned from the sub a while ago before reinstatement.My crime? Posting too much, getting too many reports. I never broke any rules with intention, e.g. your political image rule and even your claims of me editorialising were based on your Wiki rules. I tried very hard to stay within the boundaries you created all time. Yet every day I see countless posts - and often by the same people - but apparently my crime was too much.Often my posts would get taken what seemed like immediately. Another time I was temp banned after I had just posted this and couldn't respond - including to those who inevitably came for me. My crime? Saying this in a much, much longer comment about what can we do to help NZ, "I wish the moderators would allow people to post information that would be helpful to others" - no, that was a bridge too far.When I write lists like this, I do it at once, and it takes me hours on hours. But I do it because I care and I think it'll help others too. When I updated it about a month late - as I had promised the sub I would for the 100 day mark - I was told to go elsewhere (it was eventually approved) - yet people who post 7 days of sins are allowed day in, day out.When I posted about the Maori Health Authority, that was held for almost 2 days.My ban was ultimately lifted with restrictions and also generous allowances e.g. crosspost. The team was very kind after that.When I wrote this yesterday though, it was apparently a duplicate. Was it?Mine was fully researched, all based from news sources, independently verified and complete and collated in an easy to read format. Tell me that this thread is the same as THIS._____At the end of the day, every place has its rules. Every place also has its challenges. Size probably impacts a lot. Trying to keep everyone happy is really hard. Keeping consistency is king. But I'd challenge you to re-consider your stance. Not for me. I won't return anymore. But for NZ.Despite the constant attacks on r/nzpolitics by people - especially from right wing corners - we tried very hard to create a place of fairness and balance. What we didn't tolerate was outright misinformation and intentional sowing of it, including bad faith. I weigh a lot on intention. Astroturfing is real and on Reddit it definitely exists - Taxpayers Union's Jordan Williams and David Farrah, and ACT have proven it.Which brings me back to why I am writing this.In the USA, Trump is poised for a comeback. The right wing Supreme Court has his back. Whether a Presidency eventuates or not is yet to be seen, but I can almost smell it. And Heritage Foundation i.e. Atlas Network - Project 2025 is not a joke. It's not a farce. It's not a myth. It's not a fairytale.It's the well documented, well covered, well known blueprint of a new America in all the news media (BBC, CBC, NYT, Times, Rolling Stones, PBS, USA Today) - And make no mistake - that blueprint is for a fascist state. A real fascist state where Trump and his cronies will eliminate and remove all people not fully loyal to him across agencies like the Fed, FBI, Ministries and the like.It's based on clear anti-environmental policies and anti-LGBTQ. Well of course, that's the exact modus operandi of Atlas. The same Atlas that brought us Chris Bishop, Casey Costello, David Seymour, Nicola Willis, all who have deep ties to the group and it's $.In France the ultra-far right is set for dominance. That will permanently change what the EU stands for and is a genuinely dangerous state. Dangerous for what? For war, for strife, and a reversal of humanitarian principles in that part of the world. And more dangerously, parts of NZ are going for that rhetoric - cheering for it with open arms - just look around.The far right and the far right will change the world order as we know it. And like the rise of Nazism, a word I don't think I have employed before until now, it can happen.Meanwhile in New Zealand and on certain subs, we'd prefer to focus on beer and cricket, or maybe just bad drivers and crime in Auckland.Yet have the same people behind Trump who are connected here. Chris Bishop has already said the order is changing - and he meant it. We have "secretive" US right wing groups running ads against Greens, Labour and TPM during the last election. We have Taxpayers Union and David Farrah's blog - enough said.I once explained why David Seymour needs the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi to be destroyed in its current form. The anti-Maori campaign has started, and many people will jump on it. But just as per the school lunches where Seymour was raving on ad nauseam about its "wastefulness" (even as the hypocrite wastes our money at every turn) - he didn't really care.His real goal was to negotiate money for the charter schools (an idea supported by people like Rupert Murdoch) That's all he really cared about. And while he might one day walk back his full throated support of Destiny Church as an "excellent" charter school, he can't walk back who he is.He doesn't give a shit about equality or human rights - he just needs the pesky Iwi out of the way of his donors' monetary interests.But this goes all beyond monetary now. This is now about changing the world's order, its ways, customs, principles, values and liberatarian triumphs. It's in plain sight - and always was.So my rant is basically a suggestion that maybe the sub needs to recognise whether your censorship is appropriate - when it's not based on misinformation or bad faith.That's my suggestion to you all FWIW.Also nzpolitics is tiny, it's a baby just birthed in January in this form, and to suggest critical information like that goes to a mini sub is pure censorship.I like 90% of you and I respect that many of you to the fullest, but maybe it's about time you guys reconsider your approach.I won't be back so you don't have to worry. Nor will I have a thousand sock puppet accounts but I hope you do change, for the sake of New Zealand too.PS For everyone else, I did create a substack post yesterday after I had troubles posting on one Reddit page - I don't know if I will post to it more but FWIW it's there. The moderators also have my contact if anyone wants to get in contact. It's been a genuine pleasure and I've always been humbled by all of you - and the goodness, strength, courage and intelligence I saw in so many of you which warmed my heart every day. Thank you - the pleasure really has been mine in every way, folks.To do your part, please support environmental or opposition groups, please support Newsroom which is the GOAT for a news publication, please spread awareness/information/messages to combat the lies, please change the culture in NZ that shits on others who protest to protect (and here I see right wing scoffing at vaccine protests and Destiny Church members scoffing at pro-LGBT protests but this is why context matters), and most of all, please find that sacred space in your life to cultivate your well-being and joy even - because without that, it will be hard to be effective.
Social Media Icons