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Comment by Loughla | Hacker News Reader

There's a difference between being toxic and not allowing politics. Political discussions aren't inherently toxic, they're just easier to slip into toxicity.

Look at HN. There's political conversation here occasionally, but it's not generally toxic.

All it takes is clear, consistent, and constant moderation.

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I used to think like that, but now I believe the vast majority of those discussions are inherently toxic, so I just don’t bring them up anymore in almost any context, whether it's work, friends, family, or social networks (if I still used them, that is). It just brings so much unhappiness, and there's nothing to "gain", especially nowadays when you're constantly bombarded by social media, the media, or whatever else is pushing you in whatever direction is convenient at the time.

Let’s be honest, most political posts here get flagged and disappear almost immediately, especially if they lean a certain way. I’m not specifying which direction I think they lean because people will interpret it differently, and it would be pointless. It's yet another example of why, in most cases, it’s toxic.

They will be inherently toxic when the politics are inherently toxic.

You can be banned from /r/Conservative permanently for showing the slightest deviation from the current propaganda line, but there are such a ready supply of new people that the algorithm attracts who naturally are opposed to the political platform that many bans are handed out per discussion.

> You can be banned from /r/Conservative permanently for showing the slightest deviation from the current propaganda line

This is true for almost every single subreddit. Contemplate why you felt the need to single out r/conservative in particular.

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