Hi lemmy! So this is kind of controversial, but hear me out. Let me start off by saying I’ve been on a few reddit alternatives, as I’ve mentioned in different posts, and I’ve seen language that is very hateful. I was disgusted by the language, but after seeing it over and over again, I just got sad. These people only know fear and hatred. I’m not sure anyone’s shown them kindness.
Should we be kind to those that we disagree with or that use hateful speech?
I don’t know. Nice v Mean are subjective. I suggest you be honest. When you approach someone with complete honesty, if they are being disingenuous, eventually they will reveal themselves.
Once someone has revealed themselves you go ahead and treat them that way until they change. There is no simple answer to this question. It’s not cut and dry as “if a person does x then y.”
But I don’t personally surround myself or waste my time helping people who I think are bad people or, at least, too confused for me to help. But a criticism against me might be that I don’t spend enough time helping people. It’s a personal decision.