I recently deleted my reddit account. On the deletion form, there is a field asking why you are leaving reddit. I think my response is relevant here:

After reposting, I have been subjected to extreme homophobia, racism, and a downvote brigade. While I understand the reddit community's opposition to reposts, the fact that such homophobia, racism, and vindictiveness are not only accepted but encouraged has convinced me reddit is not a platform suited for rational, well-adjusted people but instead is a forum where unsavory individuals are able to exercise their bigotry without fear of the reprisals that would be expected in civil society.

Many have told me that "OP is a faggot" and such terms are not offensive because they are not intended to express homophobia. This is not the case. Imagine if a user attempted to start "OP is a nigger". They would be shut down in seconds, because while reddit won't tolerate the use of that term due to its racist overtones, homophobic slurs are encouraged. This leads me to conclude the reddit community does not care about homosexuals to the same degree.

The downvotes on all my other, unrelated comments demonstrate that reddit is less concerned with meaningful discourse than with accumulating karma. Downvoting my entire post history serves only to cheapen discussion for the sake of punishing me. While I accept that punishment for having violated reddit's ethics, I do not wish to be part of a community that will sacrifice quality discussion for the sake of vindictiveness. I can only assume that this is a common phenomenon.

I have used reddit for nearly two years now, and over that time my opinion of it has evolved. After the initial period of leaving the defaults for more niche-oriented communities, I thought I had found the perfect forum. However, my recent experiences have convinced me that this is not the case, and I wonder how many other posts and comments have been manipulated as mine have.

I have had many wonderful debates on reddit. The platform has been a profound tool for increasing my knowledge and intelligence, but I cannot tolerate the level of bigotry, vindictiveness, and manipulation I now know it to contain.