Banned from Reddit Adultery for Writing about Adultery
Tales from the Dark Side of the Moon
You read that right.
I got a Permanent Lifetime Ban from posting, commenting, or even attempting to appeal to the Moderators of the Adultery Subreddit.
And the reason given?
“Your writing is just too cancerous.”
And what “writing” are they referring to?
Yup, the “Dexter of Adultery” perspective piece.
Before posting it up there, I had a feeling it might get some folks a little uncomfortable, especially without context. So, to avoid any unnecessary messages or comments, I made sure I posted this at the top in bold black letters.
“Creative Writing People. Don’t have a stroke.”
And guess what? They didn’t have a stroke.
I started to win awards from my fellow Redditors.
6 of them in less than 24 hours.
And if you know anything about Reddit, to give someone an award, you have to pay money to do that. This action doesn’t just happen without a second thought from the person giving it to another.
Then, to my surprise, my messages and comments started to fill up with women. Yes, real married women! Who wanted to thank me for writing it.
They said it spoke to them and their situations.
I didn’t post it with the intent of riling up the crowd. When asked by some to post it on the Dead Bedroom Subreddit, I playfully ended any antagonizing attempts.
This is not my first go-round for word salads on the Adultery Subreddit. I’ve been fortunate enough during my time there to win many Reddit Awards for my perspective on this taboo subject. Some of those posts I recently edited and posted here on Medium.
I don’t write to be controversial for its sake. I’ve never used profanity to describe my wife or anyone during a disagreement or debate. Even if they called me every name in the book, I refused to go to the gutter with my wordplay.
This has always been apart of “My Code”
When writing about any topic, my intention is to make people think about all aspects of a situation. I choose to write about infidelity to help to foster empathy for folks who, like myself, are stuck in a situation and feel alone in the world. Especially since anyone struggling with a lack of intimacy or love at home usually has nowhere to turn to or access to proper mental health care to help manage.
Sometimes a connection is made between two people just because a post resonated with them. Maybe it perfectly described how they were feeling or what mistakes they’ve made, and they would like to either thank them or to tell them, “I hear you, I feel you, I understand.”
But because of one Moderator’s feelings, I have been locked out of that opportunity.
Censored for being a good writer.
No other reason makes any sense.
I will try to do my best to send each person who was kind enough to send me a positive comment on the post, a thank you, and invite them to follow me here on Medium. There are so many unbelievable writers here that they would undoubtedly find them to be just as much or more knowledgeable than anything I could currently bring to the discussion.
I also take this as a sign to take my ball and leave Reddit altogether.
Ultimately my time at Reddit was not a wasteful one. The people I’ve met there helped me rebuild my self-esteem and made me feel attractive again. They reassured me that I am a good person, even if I carry the same weight of our collective “sins.” They never made me feel alone, and I never thought I couldn’t reach out if I needed it.
For that I am forever grateful.
One of the biggest things I will take away from this is, it helped to build my confidence to finally admit to myself that I am indeed a gifted and talented writer. One that can elicit deep emotions and reactions in strangers who more than likely, unintentionally, found one of my posts.
This entire situation has made that crystal clear.
Only someone with a kind heart and a good soul can make the world shake with the strike of a keyboard.
So many good people are in a challenging situation and need something or someone they can relate to. To help make sense of this crazy place they find themselves in.
In whatever form they can get it.
And no “Moderator” can ever silence that.
Moon Man
