Hey @matbaker I have to say that I agree with you. Sometimes I feel the same way, I've been reading a lot here lately, and it's been something to see. I came to Steemit to be able to freely share myself, my experiences, and sometimes my opinion, and I'm totally open to having a debate, and listening to different views.... who knows, maybe someone can change my mind on my views. But from the things I've seen on Steemit lately, you get downvoted or flagged easily if you say the wrong thing. Adding money to it makes it a different monster altogether. Another Steemian offered the same advice to me that @sathyasankar gave to you about the followers, I was following 115, I'm down to 59 and being very selective now, it has made a huge difference on my feed. I'm also treating this like a hobby just like @pragmaticpassion, and with no expectations. I don't find my writing to be as good as a lot of Steemians on here, but I am learning, and one day, I may invest in myself, but for now, I will keep working on my writing and enjoy reading the posts of the people I follow. I'm sorry you got flagged, I was not offended at all by your comment. Keep being you, you'll get there.
Thanks for replying, I really appreciate it, especially because when we first met, you were in agreement with the fella who threw the abuse at me and downvoted me, which makes your kind words more significant. You may still broadly agree with his wider points, I realise, and that's fine! We are allowed to have differing opinions.
What really got to me with all that was the torrent of abuse I got from the same person who then had the temerity to lecture me on my behaviour. I regret not pushing him harder, but at the time, I was looking for a diplomatic solution.
I had a better look at the politics tag last night, and there is stuff on there that I can engage with, and I am going to make some posts and see if I can get some conversations going. I am far from convinced that I will, but there's no harm in trying.
Yes, I cut my following list hugely, and another cull is probably required!
I really appreciate you stopping by. Hope to see you around.
BTW, you may notice that a contributor to this thread has been flagged! Massively, it would appear - everything he has posted in weeks has been downvoted. Maybe he deserved it, it's not my business, but I can't see what that he has been posting anything offensive. It makes me very uncomfortable to see this going on.
I did notice that, @matbaker, and I honestly didn't see anything that warranted that. I may not agree with his opinion, but he has a right to put it out there and he shouldn't have to fear being flagged for doing so. I just don't get why we can't have different opinions and still get along. And while I may agree with the gun views of the guy who flagged you, I will always welcome a different opinion, and I would never flag someone who engages on my post with a different view. This seems to be the world we live in today. I would love to see some political posts from you, and I would like a friendly debate... and I'm absolutely positive you and I can have different views and still be friends. You'll see me around, I follow you and enjoy what you contribute... talk to you soon my Steemian friend!
I hope so!
You know, I welcome a dissenting voice, as long as they know how to express themself in a civil and constructive manner. I think I am right (everybody does), but the only way to be really sure is to have my opinion tested. No-one should be afraid of that. Unfortunately, lots of people are.
And yes, you and I may disagree, but you have your life and your experiences, and I have mine. These will impact on our realities and our opinions. It is not necessarily about being right - people get too bogged down in that - but about being able to justify one's position. And if you are afraid of that, then you need to have a word with yourself!