this post was submitted on 08 Jun 2024
139 points (89.3% liked)

Ask Lemmy

27100 readers
2452 users here now

A Fediverse community for open-ended, thought provoking questions

Please don't post about current US Politics. If you need to do this, try [email protected]


Rules: (interactive)


1) Be nice and; have funDoxxing, trolling, sealioning, racism, and toxicity are not welcomed in AskLemmy. Remember what your mother said: if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. In addition, the site-wide Lemmy.world terms of service also apply here. Please familiarize yourself with them


2) All posts must end with a '?'This is sort of like Jeopardy. Please phrase all post titles in the form of a proper question ending with ?


3) No spamPlease do not flood the community with nonsense. Actual suspected spammers will be banned on site. No astroturfing.


4) NSFW is okay, within reasonJust remember to tag posts with either a content warning or a [NSFW] tag. Overtly sexual posts are not allowed, please direct them to either [email protected] or [email protected]. NSFW comments should be restricted to posts tagged [NSFW].


5) This is not a support community.
It is not a place for 'how do I?', type questions. If you have any questions regarding the site itself or would like to report a community, please direct them to Lemmy.world Support or email [email protected]. For other questions check our partnered communities list, or use the search function.


Reminder: The terms of service apply here too.

Partnered Communities:

Tech Support

No Stupid Questions

You Should Know

Reddit

Jokes

Ask Ouija


Logo design credit goes to: tubbadu


founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

That's it

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[โ€“] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

If that's the gist of it, why does it tend to be secretive? It doesn't strike me as the kind of thing that would inspire people to be low-profile about.

[โ€“] [email protected] 11 points 5 months ago

There are many reasons for secrecy.

Showing that you know how to keep a secret shows that you're trustworthy.

There are also certain rites of passage that are more striking if you don't know what to expect (but it's always benevolent).

Also, as it's a place where speech is totally free, it makes it easier to open up. For example, if we're having a discussion about LGBTQIA+ rights, I can share my experiences as a bi person to enrich the discussion, and I don't have to worry about being outed.

Finally, in Europe, the memory of Nazi persecution is still vivid, and today's far right hates us too. Secrecy, or at least discretion, is a protection.

But I have to admit that it raises suspicions and feeds conspiracy theories. So secrecy has its downside