Boomer opinions:

• Stop being so loud.
• Get off my lawn and please leave me alone.
• I work in tech, but sometimes tech is added to things needlessly. I just want my washing machine to be a washing machine. I’m tired of being the product.
• Silicon valley’s “disruptors” are usually full of shit. The vast majority of the time: it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
• Don’t tell me what to do with my land if you’re not willing to pay my taxes (or if you don’t have good ecological reasons). I’ll paint my shudders whatever color I want to.
• Bring back the damn knobs, buttons, and switches in my car. I don’t need more touchscreens.

On the other hand…

• I recognize that the way I feel and some of the opinions I have are based on a context I grew up with that may no longer exist - or at least it may not exist in the form it once did. I recognize how I see things may die with me and my peers, and that’s ok. It’s a sad truth, but truth, nonetheless.

Nothing.

Reddit and u/spez haven’t even offered an apology and/or reversed their position. But let’s be real, here - apologies don’t necessarily make things right, and they don’t necessarily erase what’s been done. At best, we can forgive. But people don’t forget. Whatever trust there may have been, it’s gone now. I’ve grown tired of the half-assed apologies made by organizations and famous individuals that are supposed to make everything ok and compel us to forget what was done. I don’t think I’d care if Reddit and/or u/spec tried to make amends. They would not be genuine - your true colors are visible for all to see. Welcome to the real world where hollow apologetic half-measures don’t fool anyone.

If I spat on your lunch because I was having a bad day, I don’t think there would be much I could say to defend my actions. Actions speak louder than words, and sometimes when you screw up there’s no going back. You’re just done.

I guess that might mean lightsabers are real. You’re welcome, everyone.

As many have said and will say, the recent Reddit changes (at least to an extent). In my case, the announcement really just accelerated my plans. I’ve been interested in the “Fediverse” for a while now, and I’ve been largely convinced it may be one solution to what I see as the malfunction of our modern internet. When I was younger, I was convinced the access to information and the ability to connect with others from across the globe would reap great rewards for all involved. In more recent years, I’ve come to wonder if social media was a mistake and whether the internet as it is will do more harm than good. But the “Fediverse” - decentralization - gives me some hope.

So, I’ve been keeping an eye on ActivityPub projects. I’ve been messing with PeerTube for a while, but not much else. I could never really get into Twitter, so I couldn’t really get into Mastodon (I tried a few times). “Reddit alternatives” were on my to-do list. I kept putting it off, but like I said, the recent announcements finally inspired me to start looking more closely. I was actually surprised to find an alternative as good as Lemmy, even if it isn’t perfect. Kind of kicking myself for failing to find the motivation sooner.