Welcome!

I too am a Reddit refugee and I think you will enjoy Snapzu quite a bit! There are some key differences between Snapzu and that other place so be sure to check out the FAQ and the Site Rules. The most notable difference is the use of the down vote arrow. Down voting is strictly for content that violates the rules, is spam, or not relevant- it is not used as a way to show disapproval. This may sound similar to other sites but it is truly expected here.

Other than that, dive right in and start contributing! People are alarmingly warm and receptive in this community and will welcome thoughtful content.

You can do a couple of different things here.

1. I hate to plug another site but the folks over at /r/myog are incredible with DIY gear. I once saw a bugnet made with walmart sheer curtains. MYOG stands for Make Your Own Gear.

2. I picked up this guy from Amazon but there are tons of other brands out there, I just don't have experience with them. I can definitely recommend the Eno Bug Net though.

Outside of that, another tip for bugs is this stuff. This is a clothing treatment and will kill bugs on contact. Great for protecting against ticks/mosquitos. Combine it with a high deet bug repellant and you won't have a bug problem... EVER.

I completely understand where you are coming from, honestly. However, if our goal is truly to allow new users to successfully integrate into the existing community without backlash or bringing bad habits with them, we must hold their hand a bit and unfortunately that means that while large numbers of Reddit users are coming to Snapzu, we will have to see the same things said over and over again to the new users. It would be great if we didn't have to tell them anything and they could find the FAQ and TOS on their own but most people wont take that initiative and it is in our best interest to kindly help them integrate properly. Taking an attitude of "Stop XP farming and use the search function." will only serve to start arguments where there really shouldn't be any.

That all being said, I understand how seeing the same posts day in and day out gets frustrating and I am sorry if it has impacted your experience here as I am one of the dreaded refugees that posted some of those threads. As a point of interest, however, the people who kindly welcomed me and linked me to the FAQ/TOS really made me feel at home here and helped me learn the ropes.

Awesome goal, my friend! I think it is wonderful for you to see your own judgement and want to change it- it is inspiring :)

My take on judgement is that we will probably always judge to some degree, however, this is not an excuse to give up on trying to be non-judgmental. The first step is to stop voicing judgement. Voicing judgement is a choice, it is an action, not a thought. You can stop doing anything even if you can't stop thinking it. Focus first on controlling judgmental behavior/speech.

Another thing to try out is to identify places in your life where you see judgement and seek out opinions that could counter your judgement. Example: Lets say you have noticed that you judge religious people fairly harshly. Why not head over to /t/Christianity and have a civil conversation with a few people over there, they might change your mind.

To me, the key is to start with action and soon you'll take away the habit and all that is left is working on the point of view which is solved by learning where people are coming from. A good saying that I have kept over the years is "It is impossible to hate someone when you know their story."

Your view is fascinating. I can't say that I am compelled to agree but it is fascinating, none-the-less.

In an attempt to address your post, I am going to lay out my interpretation of what you stated, please correct me if I have misrepresented your views:

1. So, in a way, you believe in the "flowchart" of social hierarchy much like OP does but instead you see the rankings of this chart defined in dollar signs rather than color, gender, etc.

2. Your argument states that personal action, attitude, and speech is trivial by comparison to larger, more powerful forms of oppression like that seen in law, business practices, and governing bodies of all kinds

3. Addressing Societal Oppression as a problem in the context of everyday communication is merely a way for wealthy people to find something to complain about and/or make themselves a minority for the benefits of getting special recognition, sympathy, and/or political gain.

Assuming that I have correctly understood your post, I think you have a valid point in that it may not be the highest priority when it comes to fighting against oppression but I think you may have missed the larger picture that it feeds into.

There are still many civil rights issues that minority groups face in law, governing bodies, religious institutions, businesses, etc. These things are real and not subjective. An example: Atheists cannot hold public office in South Carolina and many other states. This is obviously oppression. Communication plays into these oppressive policies and circumstances by feeding the minds that agree with them. Many people don't mean it when they tell a racist joke, but a racist person who hears that joke may actually feel validated by it. The same is true in the context of the Ellen Pao controversy. If someone attacks her race in anger with no real racism meant, it may re-affirm another person's racism. This is what I believe OP was hitting on when she stated:

Any behavior that contributes to the culture of oppression, sometimes in seemingly insignificant or innocuous ways, perpetuates a societal structure of oppression.

Online posts and random comments here and there may seem innocuous and/or insignificant but they actually give validation to people who want to advance an agenda based on oppression.

I really applaud your bravery and positive attitude, it is truly inspiring- I don't know that I can match your level of eloquence and thoughtfulness, but I will do my best to make some kind of effort:

It isn't about the individual who is being subjected to said insults, it's about how it represents and reinforces the systematic inequality that are already in place; one many of us want to fight.

This is your key. In my humble opinion, the truth and real thesis of this whole topic lies in that one sentence. If we want to effectively remove societal oppression, we need to identify our target and it is NOT people, it is language. The key thing to remember is that most people using this language and contributing to the oppression have no idea that they are doing that and many share your feelings on equality and oppression.

The problem with addressing this in online or real-life communities is that often times people are lumped into a villainous role with their language, and no one likes to be vilified. This happens most frequently when the person who addresses the oppressive language is on the opposite side of the debate.This is an unproductive way to broach the subject, as it makes people put up defenses immediately.

The more successful method, in my opinion is to promote accuracy, and being concise. After-all, isn't it more effective to say "Ellen Pao has proven time and time again that she is not the right person to run Reddit. Her lack of communication, empty promises, and apparently callous treatment of employees is pulling Reddit in a direction that I do not agree with." than it is to throw out racial, gendered, or other offensive language? Name-calling doesn't solve anything and adults should know that but by trying to enlighten them on the moral implications of their words when you stand in opposition to their thesis, immediately paints you as someone talking down from a moral high-horse.. Being accurate is inherently more effective to any argument than name-calling and we should be above that regardless of societal oppression.

All that being said, I think the best way to go about all of this is to speak out only when you agree with what you believe the person is ACTUALLY trying to say; this way you can voice their concerns in a more appropriate and accurate way and your criticisms with their use of oppressive language will not be seen as a way to belittle their argument but rather a genuine concern that they are not addressing the real issues. It is the differences between a teammate trying to make the team more effective VS. an opposing team giving your team criticism.

Just my two cents- I think your cause is worthy and I agree with it, I just think it will get lost in a debate about something else if it is coming from the opposite side of the table in any given situation.

I wont preach to you about the benefits of unplugging for a month suffice to say, you should try it out.

I plan to eventually get in the startup scene myself and don't want to be a complete newb (also the personal interest is still totally there and needs to be fed with something).

This is fascinating to me. If you have a genuine passion for something that could turn into a career, you are leaps and bounds ahead of most people! Run after that dream as hard as you can, my friend. Most people spend a good chunk of their lives trying to figure out a way to monetize something their passionate about. Go at it with zero expectations and don't stop going at it, you only get 1 life and you have the opportunity to spend it doing something you love!

steps off of soap box

All that said, if you ever need socialization, come here or PM me, I love to chat in the comments on this site, everyone is very friendly and the conversations are always fascinating.

I suppose it depends on my mood.

1. If I am alone, I will sometimes play a good singleplayer game like Skyrim or The Sims and give myself a challenge like "wear no armor in Skyrim" or "Earn 1 Million Simoleons in The Sims without ever joining a career." If I am with my wife, I will play Torchlight II with her, the mods for that game keep the replay value pretty high.

2. Sometimes I like to find a random, unpopular, cheap, ebook on Amazon and read it up. That is how I found "The Martian" by Andy Weir. It wasn't a big deal and then all the sudden got a bunch of attention and a movie deal, go check it out before the movie comes out!

3. I am a frequenter of /t/trees so I do that sometimes and chat online or listen to music.

4. I am a Trekker (suppress your giggles please), so I watch some Star Trek TOS and TNG. They never get old to me.

5. I LOOOOOVE movies and will sometimes watch old Kung Fu or obscure old 50s Sci-Fi movies. Twilight Zone too. (Block-Busters are great too but I usually watch them when they come out so they aren't an option when I get bored).

6. Obviously, I answer questions on Snapzu...

I LOVE my hammock. I first got a Hammock Bliss Hammock and I highly recommend them for an inexpensive alternative to Eno. The Eno singlenest is big but I wouldn't put two people in it unless you were both under 120 lbs (54.43 kg) and comfortable with some very intimate snuggling. I am definitely a fan of hammock camping over tent camping. The comfort level is unbeatable, the weight savings are incredible, and the versatility is just awesome. If it isn't raining, I don't have to put up a tarp and I can fall asleep looking at the stars, my back never hurts when I wake up, I stay asleep longer, and I use my hammock as a camp chair when I'm not sleeping in it. All around, I think it is the best choice unless you are going in extreme cold weather (under freezing), and even then some people have gotten quite good at insulating with under-quilts and other crazy contraptions.

That is EXACTLY what I made for my insulated cuzie. I followed an instructional on YouTube by Shug Emory, he is super hilarious and has a lot of informative videos about Hammock Camping and backpacking in general, you should give him a watch... just beware, he is a bit cooky :)

If you haven't already, I would recommend submitting some stuff at a new tribe here (/t/backpacking), I just created it the other day and am hoping to build a thriving community of backpackers.