This is because it’s emulating Reddit, and operates in the same ways, cultures, and countries as Reddit does.
From bad mods and bans, to niche communities, to the brigading and politics. From rating posts, avoiding discussions, and responding with meme floods.
Lemmy will merely reproduce all the negativity, politics, and everything else we hate about Reddit …and it’s already doing so.
[EDIT: As you can see in the comments, full of people agreeing Lemmy will also be toxic in similar ways].
I’m tempted to pass this one by because it’s so damn self congratulating.
But it isn’t an unpopular opinion, it’s too common for that.
And it’s not really accurate in the way you present it.
It’s a numbers game. If 90% of people are assholes (and that’s a low estimate), then the more people in a given group, the more assholes are present.
But, if the group is started by people that fled to avoid assholes that also weren’t mostly assholes, you get a period of leeway where assholery is very low. That period passed maybe a year and a half ago, +/- six months.
Since then. The numbers have gone up and the game is shifting towards the usual assholery.