Yeah, I started on Flubuntu, then hopped to Mantrix, tried out Zorblite for a while, eventually ended up on Quasarch. Thought I’d settle there, but now I’m deep into VortexOS with full Grindle support. Honestly, once you get used to Fluxstack and ZIMFS snapshots, there’s really no going back.

I followed reddit sync over to lemmy. I didn’t know how anything works but my experience has been roughly the same as it was with Reddit. I like the discussion here more though.

It’s so much more effective when you keep things as neutral as possible. I will often ask it to tear apart my argument as though I am my opponent and use its tendency to align with the user against itself.

I wasn’t trying to be rude. It just seemed like you were suggesting the preventative injectable could be worse than AIDS itself, and I was genuinely asking why that would be scarier.

I’m sorry you’ve had such a rough experience with HIV treatment. That sounds genuinely awful. But just to clarify, the medication being discussed here is preventative, not treatment after infection. It likely has a different side effect profile because its purpose is prevention, not management of the disease.

If anything, your experience actually makes the case for a reliable preventative even stronger.

I understand where you’re coming from based on what you’ve been through, but I think we’re talking about two very different situations.

Tipping isn’t gratitude, it’s a system that lets corporations avoid paying workers a living wage. The barista earns a few bucks an hour, relying on tips to survive because the company doesn’t want to pay them fairly.

It’s not the barista’s fault. The corpos’ use them as leverage to perpetuate their shitty behavior. If you don’t tip, they suffer, not the business. That’s emotional blackmail dressed up as generosity.

If we keep tipping just to hold the system together, it never has to change. Real change would mean companies paying fair, livable wages up front, even if it makes the coffee more expensive. I’m fine with that and I feel others should be too.

Tipping should be a “thank you”, not a lifeline.

If we truly cared about baristas, we wouldn’t just tip, we would be be advocating for a better system that doesn’t force them to depend on tips to survive. A mass refusal to participate in this broken model is the kind of disruption that could force companies to actually pay fair wages.

Instead, we keep tipping because it feels easier and safer in the moment even though it traps workers in a cycle of dependence. I get it. It’s uncomfortable to stop doing what feels like the right thing. But sometimes, real support looks like pushing for change, not maintaining the illusion of it.

Scarier than AIDS?

… what?

Why would anyone be stupid enough to not honor them? Now, even if they backtrack, their name is mud. It’s so stupid.

One button. Endless possibilities.

17 years of marriage this year. 21 years together.

This morning, we were cuddling, and she asked, “Do you think other couples love each other as much as we do?”

I said, “I hope there are lots.” Then we made out, had sex, and started the day—I went grocery shopping while she cleaned the kitchen. When I got back, we put everything away, made out again in the kitchen, and now I’m stretched out on a freshly made bed while she watches TV.

I know, it sounds disgustingly perfect. And honestly? It is. This is my life, every day, with the woman I adore more everyday.

If you’re reading this, I just want you to know—this kind of love exists. It’s real. But it’s not luck. It’s something you build, something you protect, something you choose every single day.

It’s worth it.

Nazis thrive on diluting language—twisting words like “freedom” and “patriotism” to serve their agenda. Ironically, the same thing happens when “Nazi” gets thrown around carelessly. Mislabeling people weakens the term, but so does refusing to acknowledge real extremists. Precision matters—both in calling out threats and in resisting linguistic manipulation.

Skepticism and awareness don’t require absolute certainty—they require recognizing patterns, weighing evidence, and applying critical thinking. Intelligence agencies, cybersecurity experts, and investigative journalists don’t operate with perfect knowledge of every individual actor; they analyze behaviors, tactics, and known strategies to assess likely influence operations. That’s exactly what I’m doing here.

What’s not up for debate is whether bad actors are present in online spaces. There is overwhelming, verifiable evidence that state-backed influence campaigns, misinformation networks, and coordinated propaganda efforts exist and are active on most notable social platforms. This isn’t speculation; it’s been extensively documented by cybersecurity researchers, investigative journalists, and intelligence agencies across multiple countries. The only real question is to what extent they are influencing a given conversation on Lemmy in particular, not whether they are here at all.

Dismissing these concerns simply because I can’t produce a list of every bot and handled account is shortsighted. That’s like saying misinformation campaigns don’t exist unless you can personally name every individual behind them. The research I shared—along with extensive documentation from reputable sources—makes it clear that these operations exist. Ignoring that reality doesn’t make it go away.

You keep labeling this discussion as “spreading FUD” without engaging with the substance of the argument. But dismissing any discussion of manipulation tactics as paranoia actually discourages people from critically assessing how online spaces are influenced. If you disagree with my conclusions, that’s fine. But refusing to acknowledge the undeniable presence of organized misinformation efforts while insisting that discussing them is somehow harmful only serves to shut down necessary discourse.

Pointing out patterns of manipulation isn’t the same as accusing individuals of bad faith. Influence operations are well-documented, and recognizing when engagement follows known tactics is about awareness, not personal attacks. If someone is engaging in good faith, discussing these concerns shouldn’t be an issue. Still, I believe it’s more prudent to acknowledge and warn others about the presence of bad actors on the platform than to ignore the reality that they exist.

I’m advocating for awareness and critical thinking, not paranoia. The New York Times article I shared outlines how influence operations have grown more sophisticated, with bots and handled accounts leveraging LLMs to mimic real engagement while derailing or inflaming discussions. Recognizing these tactics isn’t about dismissing individuals—it’s about understanding patterns of manipulation that have been well-documented. Identifying bad-faith engagement isn’t an ad hominem attack; it’s a necessary part of critical discourse. If you disagree, that’s fine, but ignoring the issue doesn’t make it disappear.

I wish I didn’t have to be skeptical, but sadly I do. If you read the article I shared, it outlined how insidious foreign influence campaigns can be.

For example, in 2019, 19 of Facebook’s top 20 pages for American Christians were run by Eastern European troll farms.

That’s just one example of many. We all need to be hyper vigilant.

I said “I’ve noticed” which is anecdotal, but others have shared similar experiences with me. That along with the well documented interference campaigns, it’s not a stretch to draw the same conclusion here on Lemmy.

Did you read the article I shared by chance?

There are bots on here too. I’ve noticed a lot of handled accounts that will reply consistently with pro Russian propaganda. Some may be bots, but others are handled. Either way, the goals are the same.

You sadly can’t escape it these days.

No matter where you go, it’s best to be aware and double check sources.

I’m working on transitioning to using They/Them pronouns for everyone since they’re completely neutral and fit every context. If your preference is Xe/Xem, I respect that—but unfortunately, my brain just doesn’t have the bandwidth to keep track of multiple pronouns consistently. You get They/Them.

Sync is an application that originally was designed to browse Reddit on Android. When Reddit destroyed 3rd party access, Sync was redesigned for Lemmy.

I followed Reddit Sync to Lemmy during the API fiasco. Even then, it was better than reddit had been in years. It’s only gotten better.