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Haha, never go to 4chan.
The downvote system means unpopular or dissenting opinions get hidden - this isn't conducive to actual discussion and leads to a "circlejerk" where people post not what they believe, but what would get them the most internet brownie points. Sure, posts here get criticised, but that's a natural consequence of posting something people disagree with. If you actually believe what you post, you should be prepared to explain or defend your statements when they are questioned. The moderation here tends to be pretty trigger happy, so you can rest assured that if someone says some actual mean words to you, those mean words won't stay posted for long. If you want dissenting opinions or legitimate criticism hidden, perhaps reddit is where you should stay.
Ah, I should probably point out:
"It's a misconception that anyplace on the internet is somehow free of problems that come with vaguely anonymous discussion, especially pertaining to hobbies / fan-doms. Either you're over-moderated, or people do whatever they want. It's just what kind of garbage you want to deal with; if you don't like hearing dumb, don't waste your time around it. This is why I ignore all fandom forums and posts no where- it's a waste of my time."
Husband's wise words.
(Also, you can disable downvotes being automatically hidden on Reddit. You can also use plugins to make Reddit just an over-all better experience.)
I think FFXIV occupies a unique niche, in a way, resulting in particularly toxic forums. On the one hand, it's a spiritual successor to FFXI; on the other hand, it's an ultra-accessible title geared toward gamers and non-gamers alike. Much of the animosity I see arises from these two groups having conflicted ideas of what FFXIV should be.