I can’t say with a straight face that I didn’t see this coming.

By blocking all mention of Pixelfed on their platforms.

This comment seems to be the first reply. I don’t get a “just for argument sake” or a combative vibe from it, nor does it mention mythology or religion. A later comment does call the source for anecdotal (and provably false) information “idiots,” which is unnecessary and likely grounds for mod action or warning.

I don’t really read anything wrong with the mod saying to keep it clean, though the thinly-veiled threat of, “I’m a mod here and I’m not afraid to ban you,” is poorly worded at best.

I completely agree with you about politeness. At the end of the day, I think that, judging methods alone, OP was out of line with his comments about the mods friends, but correct to point out bunk facts.

If I was OP, I’d probably edit my comments to remove the name-calling, but as a Lemmy user, I want these discussions to take place to provide fact-checking for hearsay and debunked science. Politely, whenever possible.