I think Lemmy needs a little bit of work on how blocking a user works. It gets confusing seeing new comments come through and not being able to see what they’re replying to. You also have no option to report a comment if you can’t see it. Even if you click the “show context” button, knowing that you’re about to force a blocked user’s comment to show, it just refuses. You have to open in an incognito tab and click show context. Basically, I want the ability to not see their comments in general, and not see them on the “new comments” feed, but if I explicitly ask to see their comments, let me do that.

I have blocked a large number of users who have consistently added nothing to conversation, or who routinely resort to personal attacks.

I am truly frustrated and disappointed that so many people:

• feel it acceptable to personally attack another commenter
• accuse everyone who disagrees with them of being a paid shill, or a troll
• use “shut down” words, with the intent to either entirely discredit the person they’re responding to, or end the conversation where it is
• literally copy-and-paste the same reply all over a thread or targeting a person^[1]
• make bold claims with no sources, and when you reply correcting them and provide sources of your own, they downvote and don’t reply
• engage in conspiracy thinking and go on imaginative expeditions, where connection to reality is secondary to consistency with their beliefs

I know it’s naive to think people will be able to always get along. And I guess it is naive to assume that people actually want to learn, and try to help others learn. But that’s what I want. I’d much rather converse with someone who shares none of my values or beliefs as long as they’re level-headed, not resorting to trickery or fallacious reasoning, are willing to source their statements, and respect me in dialogue.