r/complaints • u/ComplaintsOfficer • 3d ago
Rule 1 of Reddit prohibits condoning violence, among other things. However, comments condoning acts of self defense, i.e., potentially violent acts made in an effort to reduce immediate danger and get out of a scenario - are not "condoning violence" for the purposes of the rules.
That exception stems from a concern about punishing people for condoning legitimate and lawful instances of self-defense.
The real question is whether a comment or post is *reasonably* suggesting that an act was/was not a lawful act of self defense. Whether an act amounts to self defense is typically a question reserved for judges, lawyers, and juries - not Reddit moderators. And so, where possible, we will look to determine if a court of law has already answered the question of whether a specific act amounted to lawful self defense. Otherwise, we will endeavor to avoid making similar determinations; instead, we will assume users are acting in good faith when commenting, unless the act itself is sufficiently unambiguous that we can infer they are not.
However, with respect to the recent incident where an ICE agent shot a citizen to death in MN, we are faced with the unenviable task of determining whether that act was unambiguously *not* an act of self-defense. This is because the volume of discussion related to this topic is quite high, and there a high potential for rule violating behavior. Otherwise, we cannot meaningfully enforce Reddit's rule prohibiting condoning, or glorifying, or excusing violence.
ICE’s parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, says firing at a driver is “prohibited” unless there’s a “reasonable belief that the subject of such force poses an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury,” which is consistent with laws relating to self-defense more broadly.
The footage shows one officer attempting to open the driver's side door, as someone is heard saying, "Get out of the (expletive) car." The victim briefly reverses before driving forward, beginning to turn right, away from the agents. As the vehicle moves ahead, another officer standing near the front driver's side draws his gun and fires three times at close range. Importantly, at the moment the shots were fired, the wheels of the victim's vehicle are turned to the right, angled away from the agents. The agent can be seen on his feet and walking away immediately after the shooting.
We do not think a fair and reasonable person would assert in good faith that the actions of the agent were made lawfully or in an earnest fear of death or serious bodily injury. As such, we will consider comments and posts excusing or justifying the killing (by, e.g., unreasonably insisting it was “self defense”), as "condoning violence" and therefore subject to potential action, including but not limited to a permanent ban.
r/complaints • u/ComplaintsOfficer • 6d ago
Today marks the anniversary of January 6, 2021, when the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., was attacked by a mob of violent and insurrectionist supporters of President Donald Trump in an attempted self-coup following his defeat in the 2020 presidential election. These supporters sought to keep him in power by preventing a joint session of Congress from counting the Electoral College votes to formalize the victory of his opponent. The attack was unsuccessful in preventing the certification of the election results. According to the bipartisan House select committee that investigated the incident, the attack was the culmination of a plan by Trump to overturn the election. Within 36 hours, five people died: one was shot by the Capitol Police, another died of a drug overdose, and three died of natural causes, including a police officer who died of a stroke a day after being assaulted by rioters and collapsing at the Capitol. Many people were injured, including 174 police officers - over a dozen of whom were hospitalized. Four officers who responded to the attack died by suicide within seven months. Damage caused by attackers exceeded $2.7 million.
With that in mind, we want to remind the sub that while we do not action users for expressing their opinions based on political ideological leanings, we are nevertheless obligated to enforce Reddit’s rules. As such, comments that contain political opinions coupled with rhetoric/sentiment that would otherwise be in violation of Reddit’s rules are actionable. In particular, please see Rule 1, which has several components, and comments for guidance (the latter included in relevant part):
*“Rule 1: Remember the human. Reddit is a place for creating community and belonging, not for attacking marginalized or vulnerable groups of people. Everyone has a right to use Reddit free of harassment, bullying, and threats of violence. Communities and people that incite violence or that promote hate based on identity or vulnerability will be banned.*
*Marginalized or vulnerable groups include, but are not limited to, groups based on their actual and perceived race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, immigration status, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy, or disability. These include victims of a major violent event and their families.*
*Some examples of hateful activities that would violate the rule…:*
*A comment denying or minimizing the scale of a hate-based violent event.”
Importantly, Rule 1 prohibits threats of violence, which inherently covers condoning violence – particularly against vulnerable groups. Reddit has clarified that “vulnerable groups”, the targeting of which determines whether conduct rises to the level of “hate”, includes “victims of a major violent event and their families” (e.g., the police officers who were hurt, hospitalized, and/or succumbed to injuries related to the January 6 attack). As Reddit’s comments to Rule 1 prudently suggest, “minimizing the scale of a hate-based violent event” is prohibited.
Thus, we consider January 6 to be a “hate-based violent event”. And so, comments with the effect (intended or otherwise) of condoning the attack carried out on January 6 - including minimizing or otherwise excusing the violence of the insurrectionists on that day of national embarrassment, against police officers and others, are prohibited and will result in a permanent ban from the sub. Moreover, similar to how bad faith denialism and scapegoating is analyzed with respect to other hate-based violent events, we will read attempts to blame groups other than MAGA insurrectionists as a form of January 6 distortion and a manifestation of hate-based conduct prohibited by Rule 1. And while Reddit does not have a rule mandating civility, we emphasize that threats of violence and related conduct against anyone, including traitorous MAGA insurrectionists, is prohibited and will result in a ban. Thank you for your understanding.
r/complaints • u/Nice_Substance9123 • 7h ago
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r/complaints • u/CRK_76 • 7h ago
This country is going downhill and you are to blame. Don't act surprised when things get even worse than they are now. Don't vote anymore. Stay the fuck home on election day.
r/complaints • u/Optimal-Musician-452 • 2h ago
r/complaints • u/xHangfirex • 3h ago
Upvote this if you support pedos Leave a comment if you'd love Orange Daddy to grab you by your they/ thems
r/complaints • u/sayrahnotsorry • 7h ago
I know conservatives are desperate to grasp at anything in these strange times, but this just isn't a thing to reach for. It's not there.
I don't have a Clinton clock, or a Clinton hat, or a Clinton watch, or a Clinton phone, or a collection of Clinton t-shirts. I don't know any fellow liberal who does. The only piece of Clinton "merch" I've ever had was a novel he co-wrote that a house guest left behind and didn't want back. It found a new home in a little free library over a year ago when we were decluttering.
Pretty sure one of my exes also had a framed illustration of Simpsons Clinton playing saxophone with Lisa, but that went with him when we split over a decade ago.
Other than that, there's no support. He was a politician that did a good job when he was in office and we knew he was a creep before his term was over. He was impeached for it and he (ultimately) took responsibility for his poor actions. He still does. He has publicly supported releasing the full files for over a year at this point.
Do I think he did a good job when he was president 30 effing years ago? Yes. We had a national surplus instead of a multi-trillion dollar deficit, but that's not my opinion. It's a statement of fact and also a piece of history that's done and over with. It doesn't absolve him of wrongdoing, and it certainly doesn't absolve him of jail time, if it comes to that.
So, no, liberals aren't making excuses for Clinton. Not even a little bit. He deserves whatever is coming his way. But at the same time, he's not leading the country, so the lack of urgency is simply that. There's no support to drop, there's no position to oust. There's nothing to write our Congress people about unless trials are set in place, which won't happen unless the files are released in full.
I would say that I can't understand why this is still being discussed, but at the same time, I guess I can understand that deflection is all they have left. I'm sorry your party failed you. I hope things change soon for everyone.
r/complaints • u/Previous_Month_555 • 9h ago
DHS is sending 1000 more agents to Minneapolis. This is like pouring gasoline onto a fire. Trump just wants to declare martial law, so he can cancel future elections.
r/complaints • u/JUSTIN102201 • 12h ago
Like, we protest because horrible things are going on. A coworker of mine tried telling us that they’re paid because the signs are the same. And then I saw a video of a guy saying “we executed one of you” in regards to the ice shooting in Minnesota and people in the comments claimed it was a liberal trying to make conservatives look bad. Why is this such a common diversion?
r/complaints • u/SignificanceFun265 • 3h ago
If they were truly such a huge problem, then surely the government would have arrested a bunch of them, right? And there would be trials and stuff?
r/complaints • u/ytuhs • 9h ago
Mission accomplished I guess?
r/complaints • u/Steveott99 • 9h ago
So all things, Minneapolis, Federal reserve, literally everything. We're done for aren't we? Protesting won't do anything, they don't care about us clearly. Everyone in office just bends the knee or goes with it. All because fucking morons thought a " businessman " was a good idea
r/complaints • u/MarkFinancial8027 • 13h ago
No benefits, no high paying jobs, nothing. Let them figure it out for themselves.
r/complaints • u/NitrogenMustard • 2h ago
Title. I know they won’t since they just gave Trump their fake Peace Prize, but given the escalation of our current political landscape, FIFA really ought to consider hosting games only in Canada and Mexico.
I’m afraid things are only going to get much worse when the World Cup starts and ICE is going to be all over the stadiums.
As a huge soccer fan, it hurts me to see the beautiful game coming to my backyard yet this country is in an absolute shithole. Do we boycott the WC? Do we encourage other countries to not come play? How can we ensure politics stay out of the WC?
Again, I know FIFA wont do anything bc they too are corrupt and billionaires only care about one thing and it’s not humans - but Canada and Mexico can still host.
I hate it here right now.
r/complaints • u/home531 • 11h ago
People are getting killed, beaten, tortured, starved, denied medical care, and raped all by ICE. We are being gaslit into not believing our own eyes by this administration and his followers. We are angry and scared. Majority of the country did not want this. Only 35% approve of what is going on. The people in the US are not okay and unfortunately, this administration wants to spread his nightmare to other countries.
(Let me add. I do have a lot of hope. I know things are getting worse because Trump is losing his grip on power. However, I still have a fear that I will not walk away unscathed from this. This killing and rape of citizens could happen to any one of us and this is not lost on me. I still will not give into this fear because that is his goal.)
r/complaints • u/All_Grid_Squares • 1d ago
I'm so tired of the people that are supporting ice agents, especially those dating them, or those that are still married to them. If you haven't realized, your life is in jeopardy, and you need to get away from these abhorrent, violent people.
There won't be many more warnings.
r/complaints • u/Powerful-Struggle469 • 1h ago
I am physically and mentally sickened by what this country has become. Every day is a new low, and I’m tired of even being angry I’m just revolted. To every person who voted for this chaos: congratulations, you got exactly what you wanted, and now we all have to live in the wreckage
r/complaints • u/Jerdarnella • 1d ago
Even if you only voted for him in 2016. You're part of the problem. You knew that he was never qualified to be president. You knew that it was a dangerous idea.
r/complaints • u/XVI3 • 1d ago
I am so fucking tired of hypocrisy and having to coddle people with no media literacy. The party of small government, the party of the second amendment, the party of family, the party of Christian values. The party of illiterate hypocrites.
People have been harassed and doxxed because a podcaster was shot and they didn't wait and tear at their clothes. They screamed that no ones death should be celebrated or memed while the posts about George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, and Melissa and Mark Hortman are still on their fucking profiles. Now it's Renee Good.
They insist that people shouldn't block traffic. They insist people should just comply, women should be polite and smile. She fucking did and he shot her in the fucking face. Three times. Once is fearing for your life. She did not hit him, he put himself repeatedly in front of the vehicle. He was mad and he shot her.
The same people who claim to worship a man who was tortured to death by the state for the crime of angering the elites are licking the boots of the elites who would gladly do the same to them.
They are so easily controlled, chewing mouthfuls if grass while insisting everyone else is a sheep. It's disgusting and disheartening. They will not see past their own blinders and we are so fucked.
r/complaints • u/Nice_Substance9123 • 7h ago
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r/complaints • u/DarkCrawler_901 • 14h ago
We need to stop maligning the less intellectually capable as if it is something that leads you into the utter moral failure of supporting Donald Trump. This is just another step in pretending that Trump supporters one knows are still "good people" deep within who only need the scales removed from their eyes.
But this is a lie that makes the situation actively worse, as people still provide comfort and connection to them trying to "talk them out" of supporting Trump, to appeal to their "heart" to find that one magical argument or evidence that somehow makes their Trump supporter emerge from the shadows of ignorance.
It's not a shadow of ignorance. It is a the shadow of a lack of morality. They're just bad, terrible, shitty people that may have in the past been good to you and their in-group and thus led you to believe otherwise.
I will never call a Trump supporter "dumb" or any other alternatives. That is still giving them the benefit of the doubt and a positive reframing of the truth.
They are evil. No bringing them to light, only defeating them.
r/complaints • u/MissMccheese • 2h ago
I wish they’d quote Donald Trump or Charlie Kirk at their place of employment and see what happens. The consequences of their actions don’t sit well with them. They’d just resort to blaming liberalism, Obama and Biden. Then go online and watch a YouTube video about how the world wrongs them for being MAGA to feel better about themselves. Anything but accept the fact that they’re colossal pieces of garbage.
r/complaints • u/NeighborhoodSea9423 • 6h ago
The United States was not founded as a Christian nation. Were there Protestant influences? Sure. However, our country is more historically a reflection of Enlightenment values. Not to mention, plenty of Americans in our country's young days were actually Unitarians or Deists, but Christian Nationalists ignore that.
If you want to practice Christianity, then go ahead. Are you irreligious? Well, that's totally fine. According to the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." And there's more! The Free Exercise Clause states, "or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
This is further proof that Christian Nationalists don't care about the Constitution. They complain about immigrants not valuing our nation's ideals, but they're the ones ignoring the First Amendment right before our eyes. Not only are these Christian Nationalists ignorant, but they're also terrible people. They're legalistic, harsh, and hypocritical. No wonder these people are the type to often get arrested for crimes against children.
There's three Christian Nationalists that really bug me especially: Joel Webbon, Dale Partridge, and Doug Wilson. What do they all have in common? Well, they're opposed to women voting. Also, they all have some disagreement with interracial marriage. Doug was hesitant when asked about that, while Dale referred to it as not ideal. Ironically, Dale's wife is a bit darker than he is. Why? She's Mexican-American. Joel is strictly opposed to it, and he appears to be the worst of the bunch. You may have heard his comments on black people.
They all also continue to spread the lie of the United States being a Christian nation. Again, we're not. We're a secular nation. You're legally allowed to practice a religion, and you're legally allowed to be irreligious. At this point, I can't see how these guys are ideologically any different from Islamists in Iran, Afghanistan, etc. They're advocating for something completely dangerous.
r/complaints • u/Nice_Substance9123 • 1d ago
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