I can of course read the banner. I hope this will make sense.
For a really long time, I've wanted to be able to find like-minded people with similar interests. I feel like I'm suffocating. Everywhere I look, I cannot find a community online where people are free to talk about not only gaming but other topics relevant to life. I've been isolated for a long time, and the depression that comes with that is unreal. At one time, it was relatively easy to go online and find connections with people. Even now, I can see on certain forums a bunch of posts and comments that I can actually relate to. They aren't incendiary; they don't use racial slurs or call people freaks. They're well thought out and strive for balance. And yet almost every one of these names are [permabanned.
There are many reasons why people may find themselves unable to socialize or find people to relate to in person. Illness and injury can leave you housebound. You may live in a city with a tiny population that's too far from any other major center. You may live in an area that leans to the opposite of what your own beliefs and values are. I don't believe I'm the only one struggling.
Am I missing something, or should I just accept that communities like this no longer exist. You might ask why one wouldn't simply stick to gaming discussions. And the reason is that I realize instantly whenever I try to join a guild that is woke. And I know I'm not welcome. The tone is very clear: if you're not comfortable with our beliefs, shut up, get out, or we'll say you're hateful and kick you out. I also have experience in losing friends and even losing the potential to find friends because personal beliefs came up. People cut you off without even giving you a chance to articulate what you think, or asking them about their beliefs. Another reason is that in times of change and fear, when it feels like something is wrong, I think it's a normal response to want to find other people to express these fears and worries to. To gain perspective from other people, to find other people you can ask, "are you seeing this, too?!"
Discord servers and Reddit aren't real communities, and balanced discussion (I've found) doesn't exist. Is there anywhere like this online?
Welcome!
This place is pretty good for what you seek. There's a diverse cross-section of regular people who value free speech. While some might say this place has a conservative bias, I'd argue that's just due to mainstream culture drifting leftwards.
The rules are pretty simple and the bans are few and tend to be for egregious behavior. Pundit has even unbanned people when people petition for it.
There are probably more islands of common sense out there, too, but I don't know any off hand.
Maybe the issue is the "online" part. Try to meet more people in real life perhaps? You could even start a Meetup group or something, with a clear proclamation that ANY opinions and political views are welcome.