• Please "remember the human" and be kind to your fellow leftists.
• Respect that people have differences of opinion and that every leftist has a place in our community. Discussing differences in theory is fine and encouraged, just don't make it personal. Remember: Sectarianism is liberalism.
• We will ban you if you insult, demean or harass anyone. That is not welcome behavior. This is distinctly different than ribbing or grilling someone.

being unkind, making things personal, insulting and demeaning each other – these behaviors are common here.

• Private harassment is also unacceptable. No matter who you are, if you feel you have been or are being harassed or made uncomfortable by a community member, please contact one of the comm mod's or any of the sitemod team immediately. Whether you're a regular user or a newcomer, we care about making this community a safe place for you and we've got your back.

emphasis mine. this might be true for DM harassment, but is blatantly untrue in public. account age definitely affects moderation decisions, and it probably should?

• Likewise any spamming, trolling, flaming, baiting or other attention-stealing behavior is not welcome and will be banned.

... flaming? will be banned?

• We are a platform that welcomes anyone who wants to be here in good faith. With that said, we are also an intentionally leftist platform; conservative and reactionary ideologies will not be tolerated here.

emphasis mine. I wish it were more clear if this goes for the admin/mod team or the community at large, but regardless, in practice, this doesn't seem to be true, but maybe there are judgements being made about sincerity/good-faith that are not expressed explicitly enough for me to pick up on it.

Be aware of your own enjoyment of the site.

• If you find yourself no longer having fun, do something else. There are many different comms on Hexbear, and many different ways to shitpost and have fun.
• If the site as a whole is just not cutting it for you, take a break. We'll still be here when you get back. Nothing should compel you to stay.
• The site is deliberately designed to be a relaxing sort of fun rather than an addictive one. We do not want you to remain on Hexbear if remaining on the site is no longer fun for you.

this is all advice I have taken before when I have gotten too down about the social dynamics here, and I will again, but it seems like some people do feel compelled to stay here, to their own detriment. idk what to do about that, or if anything should be done at all; it is just a thing that I have noticed.

• If we ultimately determine that a user has become toxic and is fixated on complaining about the site, we will ban them. We are always open to feedback and suggestions, but if we notice someone that constantly posts / comments about how much they dislike everything then it's probably better for them to find somewhere else to spend their time. The rest of the community has a right to a positive environment.

this does not seem to be true, and again, idk that it should be. if an otherwise good user is focused on complaining about actual problems, should they really be banned? if so, why didn't frauddogg get banned?

I'm not saying null should have been banned. I am using a recent example to clarify the question. I understood that many others agreed with frauddogg's behavior, and that has made me want to understand it and square it with everything else I've learned about the community so I could contribute positively and avoid hurting anyone.

again, I'm not suggesting changes; I am expressing confusion about these statements that don't seem to align with the realities of this community. I feel like I don't get it or I am missing something or just misreading these things.