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For what it's worth, I made a long series of posts and replies on a topic that went wildly against consensus here (largely on nuclear power, although my takes on the Ukraine conflict aren't popular here either) and most people were actually polite and respectful, with one person even thanking me for providing a contrary perspective. I still got downvoted to hell, but I think paying attention to those funny little internet points is a mug's game. What mattered to me was the quality and strength of the arguments I interacted with, and those were usually still a lot better than other places on the internet. If you think that engaging in debate is fun and worthwhile, I think just ignoring the internet points is a good suggestion and will let you get a lot out of this place.
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