I found that things became much more pleasant on here when I blocked hexbear. I recently blocked lemmy.ml as well, but I may reverse that if I find that I’m missing too much good content.

I’m open to other ideas on how to mostly avoid people who love conflict or argue in bad faith.

  • @[email protected]
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    6312 days ago

    I blocked hexbear and lemmygrad to stop the firehose of kremlin/beijing propaganda cluttering up my feed and that made my lemmy experience worlds better. There’s only so many times you can read “special military operation” used unironically…

  • @[email protected]
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    3712 days ago

    Lemmy.ml and hexbear were the first two I blocked and have zero regrets.

    I blocked a few others because the content didn’t interest me and my preference is to browse on All instead of Subscribed so I can find content in communities I did not know existed. For example I blocked lemmynsfw because I didn’t want the content to come up while browing in public.

    I wish there was an additional option to block all users of an instance separate from the instance block that applies to communities.

    • @Zirconium
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      1212 days ago

      Not to kinkshame/judge (while judging) but lemmynsfw is super weird. There’s like 50 celebrity or more communities all ran by one guy who uploads like one picture or 50 in a row. I just browse by all but the NSFW filter protects me from seeing a celebrity every 10th post.

      • @Usually_Lurker
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        11 days ago

        That’s why I run 2 different Lemmy apps. One for work and regular browsing. And a second one for those fun NSFW times.

    • @[email protected]
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      612 days ago

      I wish there was an additional option to block all users of an instance separate from the instance block that applies to communities.

      I have thought about that and wondered: how would child comments under a blocked user be handled? If I was on Instance_A and able to block Instance_B to no longer see comments from those users, what about the other Instance_A users (who have not blocked Instance_B) who reply to Instance_B comments on an Instance_A thread? Would I still see those Instance_A comments, and the Instance_B comments in the comment chain just appear blank or something? Or would the entire comment chain, starting at the Instance_B comment, just not get displayed to you at all?

      • @[email protected]
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        12 days ago

        In my experience all comments in the chain after the blocked user are not displayed.

    • @[email protected]
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      412 days ago

      I just blocked individual hexbear and lemmygrad users that were annoying (posting pig anuses or dogpiling/gish galloping/whatabouting). Took a lot of blocking, but a few hundred blocks later later, most of the hexbears and tankies left are pretty chill. I don’t want to end up in a bubble and only hear opinions I already agree with. I think I did block one far right instance entirely, cause I don’t value the ideas of bigots and fascists. Can’t remember who it was though.

      • @[email protected]
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        12 days ago

        I don’t want to end up in a bubble and only hear opinions I already agree with. I think I did block one far right instance entirely, cause I don’t value the ideas of bigots and fascists.

        Hmmmmm

        Edit: Apparently tankie bullshit is fine!

        • @glitchdx
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          112 days ago

          If you’re on a road trip, and you can’t agree on a destination, then arguing about the route to get there is pointless.

          in this analogy, the “destination” in question is whether or not women/lgbt/blacks/jews/etc deserve rights. No point in discussing healthcare policy with someone who thinks women should be property and gays should be executed.

          • @[email protected]
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            512 days ago

            Yeah, tankie bullshit deserves to be heard because of an open mind, but not fascist bullshit.

            Both are bullshit and should be blocked.

            • @glitchdx
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              112 days ago

              well, it’s not the first time I’ve been called a communist for saying that people deserve rights.

    • @[email protected]
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      12 days ago

      I wish there was an additional option to block all users of an instance separate from the instance block that applies to communities.

      There is an option for that, its called Defederation

      • @[email protected]
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        12 days ago

        I want to block the users as a group even if the instance at which I am registered does not defederate.

        • @[email protected]
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          312 days ago

          Some apps let you do that. Sync, for example, let’s you block instances (users included) on the client side.

  • Admiral Patrick
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    12 days ago

    I’ve blocked both of those (or rather, my instance doesn’t federate with them at all). At first I missed some of the FOSS communities on .ml but quickly found alternatives elsewhere. There were a few threads in either [email protected] or maybe [email protected] that discussed alternatives to some of those.

    I also block HilariousChaos since it’s a direct successor to Exploding Heads.

    Beyond that, I tend to only block the problematic ones that cater to hate speech/bigotry/etc. I think your home instance (LW) already blocks most of those as well.

  • @[email protected]
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    Communities: Sports, places that are nowhere close to me or of interest, porn that is not for me, and games I don’t have any interest in.

    Instances: Lemmygrad and hexbear

    People: Not many. Spammers and low effort trolls mostly, and the occasional vatnik.

    • @rustyfish
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      212 days ago

      Pretty much this. Plus the dozens of cute anime girl communities and anything furry.

      • @itsathursday
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        312 days ago

        Yiff, yiff, yiff - I mean yep, yep, yep!

  • @NineMileTower
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    1312 days ago

    I don’t know enough about Lemmy to block anything yet.

    • @finitebanjo
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      2512 days ago

      You should block Hexbear because its just a broad daylight CCP advocate forum trying to incite political extremism and violence in English speaking countries.

      Lemmy ml isn’t all bad but they federate and align themselves closely with Hexbear.

      • @NineMileTower
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        I don’t know how to block a whole instance, but in reality I’ve only seen the communities that I’ve subscribed to and some other lame stuff… I’ve blocked all the shitty specific meme communities and web comics though. Call me a cynic.

        • @[email protected]
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          12 days ago

          Blocking an instance is a basic option in the web interface for lemmy in the blocks section of your settings. Its at the top. Blocking an instance does not block its users, it just blocks the communities from showing up in your all searches

          • Admiral Patrick
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            Yeah, at the API level, instance blocking is really just “block all communities from that instance”.

            I think some 3rd party UIs extend the behavior of instance blocking to also hide posts/comments from users of those instances, but I don’t think the default UI does.

      • @Carrolade
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        -212 days ago

        I thought hexbear was far right. .grad is the full-on tankie instance.

        • @finitebanjo
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          612 days ago

          Far right, CCP cuck, same difference. They at least claim to be the “true left”.

  • @regrub
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    1212 days ago

    I usually only block communities, like NoStupidQuestions. There are actually quite a few stupid questions that can be asked, it turns out.

    The only other instances I’ve blocked are HilariousChaos for all the spammy/unfunny communities they make and most of the foreign language instances.

  • @itsathursday
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    1112 days ago

    I’ve blocked so many communities I wouldn’t know which specifically and my client doesn’t show this info but basically any hentai or political ones.

    I have post and content filters and my lemmy experience is amazing. I omit anything containing: trump, elon, yiff

    • @KestrelAlex
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      312 days ago

      I have a huge number of content filters, basically stopping just short of blocking the words “left” and “right” but trying to block everything else political.

      What I wish I could find a way to do is pick by post language - I have nothing against a user/community, I just don’t speak (usually) German.

  • @[email protected]
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    1112 days ago

    I don’t block hexbear or ml because I like seeing their takes. Even if I disagree with them most of the time, it makes me think about my opinion more critically.

    I do block certain communities and anyone who posts PPB.

    • @[email protected]
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      12 days ago

      Thanks for not putting blinders on. I was actually banned by hexbear for not being leftist enough but I still make it a point to seek out perspectives that differ from the censorship-happy tribalist hivemind on world. Communist leopards have yet to eat my face contrary to what the libs on world might have me believe. :)

    • @[email protected]
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      111 days ago

      I definitely agree with this. I signed up with ml just because it was a big instance and generally found it confusing when first setting up an account. So far I think it’s worked out because they have good up time and haven’t insulated themselves too much compared to a lot of instances that will defederate at the drop of a hat. Hexbear can be hard to read at times because many users can turn so hateful so quickly, but I do think their perspective can be at the very least interesting even when it is clearly misguided.

      I do strongly dislike that every large instance has formed its own stereotype and opinions are immediately dismissed if they are coming from an instance that is stereotyped as having ‘bad options’.

  • @SirDerpy
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    Politics and News on .world. They seem to think that everyone that doesn’t agree wholeheartedly with whatever their politicians say is a fascist. They’re unable to discern left from right.

    It’s also neato how whenever I take issue with FlyingSquid or Roki, both mods, my posts are soon voted to exactly -10. Lazy coders.

    • @Lifecoach5000
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      512 days ago

      Are you saying when you disagree with one of said mods there’s some kind of downvote campaign for your posts for a certain amount of time?

      • @Crashumbc
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        212 days ago

        Sounds like it, squid acts an 80’s movie mall cop. So him having alt accounts to downvoted people wouldn’t surprise me. I banned him a few weeks ago. My feed immediately improved.

        • @radicalautonomy
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          111 days ago

          I blocked him a couple days ago finally. He’s a hateful prick, glad to be rid of his nonsense.

  • HubertManne
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    1012 days ago

    why am I not innudated with all this porn people are blocking!!!???

    • @Crashumbc
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      412 days ago

      The instance your are on may be blocking it?

      TBH, I spend way way too much time browsing all, and don’t see all that much.

      I will say it does tend to run in spurts, you’ll see like a dozen posts at once then none the rest of the day

      • HubertManne
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        111 days ago

        I think it might be because I rarely get to the point where im on new all. I think my instance does not block much of anything or at least its statement implied such.

      • HubertManne
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        111 days ago

        this is way to many replies for an off hand joke comment. which is two but its still wierd that it happened twice.

        • @[email protected]
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          411 days ago

          Off-handing is actually quite a common technique amongst the users of lemmy.nsfw , you’ll fit right it.

          • HubertManne
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            311 days ago

            no. only the dominant hand decides. the off-hand must be submissive.

  • @Alpha71
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    912 days ago

    I just block anything political and/or news. I am much happier now.

  • @[email protected]
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    912 days ago

    I haven’t blocked any instance per-se but I block every community that is either hexbear or .ml

    • YeetPics
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      1112 days ago

      I used a three-strike rule when I first landed here. As in; deny a genocide or uplift an authoritarian despot 3x and your community can go fuck it’s own face.

      Took 2 weeks before I stopped seeing hexbear and .ml.

  • @[email protected]
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    811 days ago

    I only block users when they directly harrass me. I don’t really care if we disagree but if you’re following me around to different threads. You’re getting blocked.