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sir_sean_conner · 4715 days ago · link · · parent · post: In case you missed the other site's recent debacle - Skepchick: Reddit Makes Me Hate Atheists
r/atheism's strong views can most likely be attributed to group polarization: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_polarization
If you take any group of people unified by a cause and put them together their previous views will become much stronger then before they met. It happens with most groups and Reddit is a perfect place to observe this. I don't think asshole atheists join r/atheism, but they become assholes after hearing only one sided arguments were opposing views are discouraged due to how people upvote/downvote.
d_e_solomon · 4715 days ago · link ·
The problem on r/atheism is not just strong views - though I do think group polarization does cause quite a bit of the outright religion bashing - but issues around sexism, ageism, etc. These are partly a failure in r/atheism establishing norms and moderating to those norms, partly a problem with the younger demographic, partly a problem with the constant influx of new members.