Avery J.

Think of the most disingenuous self-professed liberal you've ever argued with in college then give them unlimited power in a virtual community where nobody can vary in any political position (even with cited sources) if that opinion does not line up with John Money-inspired gender studies. Articles aside, the actual community and forums are a dystopian nightmare that make high security prisons look positively inviting and free speech oriented by comparison.

What kind of left-leanng news website reports on precisely zero articles about the current POTUS Joe Biden? Everything on this website is about ex-President Donald Trump or someone in the Republican Party and then hyperbolizing whatever is being said into an end-of-America scenario, typically illustrated with a mix of weird editing choices and bad grammar to match. Even Fox News has something resembling a grasp on reality: Alternet makes Breitbart look like NPR in regards to overall writing standards and self-awareness, and that is pretty disturbing.

The worst part, however, is the general userbase giving commentary. Any comment that discusses factual information or commentary that may be at odds with said-article is spammed and downvoted by fake bot accounts and Disqus sock-puppets. It is one of the most poorly moderated echo-chambers I've ever seen, and that's saying a lot in 2022.

Most news sites have their fair share of problems, but Alternet is a particular egregious example of what happens when you drink the far-left Koolaid a little too often and exercise zero editorial standards. Avoid like the plague.

I joined a few years ago and originally started posting a lot about reggae and metal to share my love of those genres. However, there's little to no engagement in most users' journals, and several moderators censor and abuse their administrative capabilities to bully new users if they don't agree with them politically about an issue or have anything to say. Simply put, the website is more about reinforcing a far-left status quo echo chamber than it is about music and making people feel welcome, and they will edit and manipulate posts of people who don't have those administrative powers.

In short, this is a community that thrives on abuse, discourages actual dialogue and has very little engagement with music-based discussion. Participate at your own risk.