Curious to know, I’d heard “lemming” used in a semi derogatory way, since “a person who unthinkingly joins a mass movement, especially a headlong rush to destruction” is the dictionary definition. It seems to be the first thing to come to mind as to what you’d call a Lemmy user.
This platform certainly is embodying a mass movement to get off of reddit, and I’m definitely all for it! But I can’t help but feel this could be one of those baby names that sounded cute and catchy but could be bullied later into life. What are your thoughts?
The lemming Wikipedia entry states lemmings seek out new habitats whenever population density gets too large. Kinda fitting to the reddit migration. Also loosely related to federations in terms of multiple habitats.
I like it because it’s like communal but with a limit, so not herd mentally.
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🤷♂️
I appreciate it as a self-aware jab at the nature of online communities in general, and it amuses me. Every human is a lemming in some way, shape or form, there’s just nothing new under the sun so-to-speak. But by being aware of this tendency we can control our own behavior more consciously and effectively.
Gotta be able to laugh at yourself though, which is a capability that not everybody possesses.
It does kind of lack the same embarrassment that comes from self identifying as a Redditor
Sir, you are a Buddha.
I like self sorting systems. Let the easily offended become offended and go somewhere else. They do have the right to be offended, after all.
Which group of easily offended people is going to be the largest?
- Those who get offended and therefore leave,
- or those who get offended but stay, because their curiosity won’t let them go,
- or those who get offended and stay to troll and throw 💩 around and watch the world burn.
Tough to say. But everyone in category 3 would have done it anyway.
Just thinking about how at some point in the future the lemmyverse will be replaced over some dumb shit and the tremendous amount of absolutely trash memes about lemmings jumping off a cliff that follow fills me with joy.
The internet is a cycle and it’s fun to witness a new cycle now.
It’s the only sensible option.
There is also something called irony, which could be embraced and that would quell the bullying. Own it. It’s funny, stop taking things so seriously. Also, who cares?
Expanding on this, this is how language builds. Terms are often ironic or late take on different meanings than intended. I for one like lemmings, and I think it’s unlikely another term would stick even if we wanted it to.
That definition comes from a false myth; a documentary made a bunch of lemmings fall to their deaths and purposefully misrepresented it iirc, fucked up.
It’s time we reclaim our name and honour!
I feel like there is some analogy to be made over how other social media platform leadership are all too willing to ruin our communities and run us out of them for their short-sighted goals.
Totally. They are Disney creating a scenario where the logical response ought to be to stop at the cliff (aka play by their rules). Lemmings “choose” to confront the unknown future and go over the cliff, as that’s better than obedience to the overbearing corporate entity.
plus they are cute af
As a resident of Scandinavia I knew it was a myth, but I had to look up a source:
https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlifenews.view_article&articles_id=56
I dig it!
We can all start building ladders, digging holes, blocking others to reverse directions or simply self destruct!
Also people will think we’re stupid if we let a group of scientists throw us off a cliff. Which is fair.
Call me whatever you want, when I hear “Lemmy” I think Motorhead, so maybe we’re “Kilmisters”
I saw someone say we should go by lemmons
Lemmings are cute and I don’t mind at all.
When I used reddit, I hardly ever felt the need to call anyone redditers? Do people that use Twitter call themselves twats? Cause they should. Damn the Faceboomers too.
Ah, I see. You never truly savored the Redditor experience - the Fedora, the bliss of basement living, the Cheetos-inspired physique. Without such rites of passage, how can you claim the title?
As for Twitter users being “Twats” or Facebook users “Faceboomers”, that’s an interesting proposition. But remember, le Redditors bear our stereotype with pride. The basement always has room for one more. ;)
/s <- do we still do this?
instead of fediverse perhaps it should be fedoraverse
I always used to do /j for joke/joking but I like to differentiate myself so YMMV
also fuck you
-basement dweller
/j
I hope not. Let’s just assume we all know 95% of people who would post on this site are being sarcastic, at all times.
If anything, we need a symbol for “I’m serious”…maybe /s?
Spoken like a true lemon
lemurs > lemmings
I like it for two reasons. 1) I love that game and it gives me nostalgic memories. 2) It’s ironically funny since a Lemming is the exact opposite of what we are just by being here.
lemchads
I bet that somewhere, at any given time, I’m being called something. It’s a simple byproduct of anyone falling into the universalization trap.
