I can only speak to my own experience. Most of their communities I’ve seen are not a place where nuanced views are appreciated. I saw a particularly 4Chanesque take where a guy was trashing a girl he dated for her interest in astrology. He was more than fine supporting it and humoring it while they were together. Once dumped, though, he had to use it as an example of everything he had to be tortured with in the relationship.

I had a couple of things to say about that kind of attitude, but the whole of my response centered around learning to pick partners who are aligned with our own values and goals. They banned me because of my username. I have no idea why, other than making assumptions about my views and values in a negative way. A peep into my post history should suggest otherwise, but anyway.

I don’t have a lot of respect for people with strong views that are sensitive about having them challenged. It isn’t a good faith argument.

And all lives matter, right? How else can we commandeer this conversation?

I had the privilege of watching Tootoo ravage someone live and in person a few times, haha. I was just talking about him the other day as an example of small but serious. I miss the Tootoo whistles.

It’s so great to find another Preds fan on Lemmy! So glad we broke the streak last night against the Blues, and I’m becoming cautiously excited about the playoffs. I went down to Nashville when we lost in the finals in 2017 and am still recovering from the feels.

I am a huge hockey fan. Let’s go, Predators!

Yes, the fights are fun for fans, but they happen for a reason. Hockey is fast-paced and dangerous. Highly skilled players are targeted, and it’s not difficult to cheap shot a hit and put a valuable player on the injured reserve list. Enforcers are players whose main job is to bring a physical presence and protect their teammates. Fights most often happen as a response to a questionable hit. If you are the type of person who wants to rough up another player, you may think twice about it if that team has a big dude who will punch your face in for being dirty.

It’s also a morale thing. Sometimes when a team is getting pounded and underperforming, a fight will ignite and inspire the rest of the team to continue that energy. Sometimes teams simply hate each other due to rivalry or history, and their players are more likely to take offense to something.

Love it or hate it, it is a cultural norm in the game. The NHL made moves years ago to try to phase it out, but it seems lately to have come back with a vengeance. I’d personally rather see fighting than cheap-shotting, as injuries very rarely result from a fight.

Plus, if you really hate a player, it’s so satisfying seeing them get punched in the face.

Yeah, probably when the system changes.

This is the correct response. I don’t know a single vet who hasn’t done a spay-abort, and I’ve worked in animal welfare for decades.