I don’t mind being unpopular for saying it…

This is such a valuable and important community for many, and we’re so lucky to have it. It’s rare for a space to exist on the internet where most people are kind and supportive almost all of the time. We get to come here and feel immediately understood. I know we can’t make each other better, and what we’re united by is monumentally horseshit, but it does truly feel like we’re all there for each other.

It’s so nice to see the same usernames coming up day after day and building familiarity with people; you get to know roughly what to expect from them. There are the people who reliably share great information and developments from the medical community; there are the people who always have something kind and compassionate to say when someone is struggling; there are the people who always articulate things perfectly in a way that you’d never thought about before. Everyone contributes something valuable. And the mods do a great job of preserving this space for its intended purpose by not allowing hateful comments, and preventing people from promoting and selling nonsense to us. I am so thankful for the existence of this sub.

The sad thing is that there are people lurking here who don’t support everyone. There are people who bring their politics here when there’s no space for it. I spoke out yesterday against people in the community who were gaslighting others for voicing the fact that they’d developed ME after a vaccination (this is not synonymous with being anti vax). I got tonnes of downvotes, and today when I posted something (I assume) the same people stopped by to downvote every comment on my post, which was literally me saying thank you to people who had written something helpful… a bit of me wants to laugh at the pettiness and immaturity because that’s exactly what it is. But the other part of me is frustrated that people—who are essentially ME deniers if a vaccine is involved—are hiding in the shadows. Never writing anything because they know what they have to say is unacceptable and will be removed. There is so much discomfort knowing that they’re here silently disbelieving people.

It’s sad that in a group of people who are going through something endlessly devastating and desperately misunderstood, there are still somehow people here who doubt the origins of people’s illness, despite experiencing the hurt of being doubted themselves. What can I do about it? Nothing. Am I upset that I collect less karma points? Funnily enough, I have bigger fish to fry. What’s the point of this post? I don’t really know. I’m just getting it off my chest, I suppose. For me, it taints something that is otherwise overwhelmingly good. Final thoughts? Leave your misconceptions and unqualified opinions at the door, please. No one cares to hear it. We’re busy doing the best we can while struggling with a life ruining illness.

Thank you to everyone here for using their limited energy to support people and share information. I hope you all have a NYE that doesn’t push you beyond your sensory or energy limits. Onwards to another year that brings us closer to better care and treatment. Much love to you all.

EDIT: gobsmacked at the number of downvotes on this post and the comments within it.

Probably can’t post in this sub again without going into minus numbers, so if you see future posts from me, help a lass out and give me an upvote. 😂✌🏻