Hello, everyone. This is the sub owner. I want to take a moment to address some of the backlash and criticism we've been getting.

First, I apologize for throwing us into a whirlwind of drama and controversy without warning. I apologize for not thinking about the current climate of the world, because we're just a subreddit and - that's it. We're just a subreddit. But we're a subreddit run by real people. And real people, are well... people.<br><br>It's been a few weeks since we started this Subreddit, and I didn't expect it to blow up so quickly. I think we went from a couple of hundred subscribers to over 50k in only about 6 months, and that was surprising. But we took it in stride. We changed our mod team, got a new format, and have been moving along quite smoothly ever since.<br><br>However, I've been seeing a lot of people be very critical towards us. The biggest criticism is that we're a bunch of reactionaries, calling people communists and leftists. We've had comments like "this isn't communism, this is just what people who want to seem smart talk about". But we're not saying "this is communism, this person is a communist, and therefore they're the devil". No. We're saying "this is communist philosophy, and it's bad". There's a difference. <br><br>Another common criticism is that we "call people communists" when "they're really just leftists/anarchists/socialists". I think the distinction between these words is really stupid, and it's just splitting hairs. But, if you're wondering what we consider to be "communist", it's pretty much anything on the left that is trying to overthrow the current capitalist system via radical change. We also consider anyone who supports radical change of a right-wing nature to be fascist. This isn't just about communism. This is about radicalism. This is about promoting change through violence and intimidation, even if it's just in the form of eloquent words and veiled threats.<br><br>Another common criticism is that we're "right-wing" or "conservative" because we don't want to live in a classless, equal society. This is ridiculous. We don't have anything against equality. In fact, most of us support it. I think the biggest difference between us and most of the people who we call "communists" is that we don't think radical change is the best way to get there. I personally support things like a UBI, I support public healthcare. I support public education. Hell, I even support public transportation because it's so good for the environment. But we're just trying to promote a balanced view of radical leftism, and the issues that come with it. There is a reason why so many communist countries have turned into authoritarian regimes. There is a reason why these movements have failed, time and time again. Do we really want to end up like one of these countries? Do we really want to be North Korea, or China?<br><br>There's been criticism that we "call people communists" when we know that they're not. I think there's a difference between calling people communists because we believe their ideas are bad, and calling people communists because we hate them. One of these is ad hominem, and the other is a legitimate disagreement. I get that it can be frustrating to be called a bad word. I get that it can be aggravating when people start calling you a racist, or a sexist, or a transphobe, just because you happen to disagree. But we're not doing that. We're calling out specific behaviors. We're calling out specific ideologies. And that's not the same thing.<br><br>I also want to address a criticism that I've seen a lot of from non-Americans. This is the idea that we're "trying to get rid of welfare" and that we're trying to make sure that the poor don't have any options. This couldn't be further from the truth. I get that the United States is very different from most other countries. I get that our system is very different. Hell, I even wish we had universal healthcare. But we live in a different country, with different people and a different system. This isn't Sweden. This isn't the UK. And trying to use the same principles here as you do in your countries is not going to work. We're not trying to stop welfare. We're not trying to stop support for the poor. We're trying to point out the issues with radicalizing the poor. We're trying to help people understand why the system is the way it is, and that it's not because "billionaires and politicians are evil". It's because of the way things are run. It's because of human nature. And it's because of basic economics.<br><br>And finally, another criticism is that we don't allow communists to post here. I think this stems from a lot of misinformation, because it's simply not true. We have communists on our mod team. Hell, one of our moderators is even a member of the DSA. I get that this is just an American spin on it, but still. If you read our rules, the only things we have against are direct threats, doxxing, and radicalization. There are subtle differences between all of these. But, it's pretty much just "don't break the law", "don't bully people", and "don't call for violence". And if you can't follow these rules, then you have a problem. And that problem is you. Not us.<br><br>So, I just want to end this by saying that we're not a group of radical reactionaries. Hell, most of us aren't even reactionaries. Most of us are centrists. Most of us are just normal people who want to make the world a better place. But we're just trying to promote a balanced view. We're just trying to help people understand radicalism is not the best path forward. We're not trying to call people names. We're not trying to villainize people. We're just trying to help people see that there's more than one way to look at things.<br><br>And if you have a problem with that, then that's your problem. Not ours.<br><br>Edit: Thank you everyone for your support. This has been a really rough time for us, and it still is. But I really appreciate your words. Thank you.