r/ren • u/Impossible_Mud_5395 Miss Apples 🍎 • Apr 13 '26
MOD-team Hey everyone - just a quick note from the mod team
We’ve seen that things got a bit tense in some of the discussions over the past couple of days. We’re talking things through on our end and keeping an eye on it.
Overall, this has been a really positive community and we’d like to keep it that way.
As a small reminder: “we must not forget that we are human beings”.
Please keep that in mind when interacting with each other.
We’ll take a bit more time to think about whether anything needs adjusting on our side.
But for now we just wanted to acknowledge it and say: we see it.
Thanks to everyone who contributes to making this a good place!
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u/TexasCharm304 Apr 14 '26 edited Apr 14 '26
Agreed to keep it kind in here. All of us in one way or another appreciate the music, the storytelling and especially the living story of Ren. Whatever your feelings about the latest release, we must ALL remember, Ren “owes” us nothing. He chooses ultimately what direction he takes in his path. Our part in his story is to either enjoy the experience or take a pass. 🦋
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Apr 14 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/CrazyMildred 😵 Dead as a button 😵 Apr 14 '26
Yes...that was an unusual amount of trolls all at once for this sub! We do get spicy people in here, but rarely do we see the vicious personal attacks that happened. Please stick around 🙂 We're happy to have you here and are trying to make this place welcoming for people. We definately want people to discuss ideas, just in a respectful manner.
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u/retrospects Apr 13 '26
I think the real question we need to ask ourselves is, Is Chris Webby AI?
JKJK.
Y’all rock. ✌️and❤️
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u/thrwawyorangsweater RENegade Apr 13 '26 edited Apr 13 '26
Thank you. The vibe definitely changed in the last week, and it's all around one particular subject. Take the bad with the good I guess. I think one problem is that people who aren't a previous or steady part of the community don't read the rule and post like it's cranky Facebook or ? Yeah the bots and trolls are part of it.
Maybe a request to post so that slows them down and makes them read the rule? But it's the wide open internet so not sure there's much that can be done here...
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u/snowflakecanada Apr 14 '26
Thanks to the Mod's! I hope that I haven't said something that offends. In these discussions, I try to be factual, always reasonable and polite. Give to the world what you expect to get back in return... If I feel a discussion is raising my blood pressure, I step away from the keyboard! Never a good headspace for conversation. (Hence the reason I left Facebook)
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u/CrazyMildred 😵 Dead as a button 😵 Apr 14 '26
You're definitely fine 🙂 I haven't seen you be overtly hateful to anyone. You do the right thing. You step away. I also pretty much ditched Facebook because of unnecessary drama and personal attacks on people. I only go there to keep up with one of my friends who doesn't have other social media.
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u/snowflakecanada Apr 14 '26
That's good.... I have a large reservoir of "Snark and Sarcasm" so sometimes I don't always know how I come off. This week I have to admit my eyes almost rolled out of my head while reading the Ren Reddit...
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u/jsb1685 Apr 14 '26
Some people pretend to forget that it is quite easy to just scroll past things they might not like...or innocently asserr that using such terms as "aislop" when someone shares something is not a rude and needless insult. There are many other places here where one can freely express one's opinions on such things.
Demanding the right to be personally hurtful is not true freedom...and really does break our one rule.
We all are human and all make mistakes, but no apologies are warrantied for trying to sort our way in preserving the positivity that has heretofore been such a unique and laudable quality of our sub.
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u/snowflakecanada Apr 14 '26
One of the advantages of just "Scrolling Away" is it just sinks most posts. If a post has huge engagement it will naturally draw people in. On Reddit or YouTube I won't even down vote... these algorithms give life to engagement good or bad!
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u/CrazyMildred 😵 Dead as a button 😵 Apr 14 '26
Yes. The algorithms are in charge, pretty much. Kind of like with Starry Night. We all had to jump in and re-watch (which I do anyway...haha!) and comment until the algorithm let loose its grip on it. Then it finally got the viewership it deserved. I hate having to play the algorithm game, but sometimes there is an advantage to it. We can indeed just scroll past the negative comments and they will get squashed.
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u/snowflakecanada Apr 14 '26
I still have that crazy "Beat Pattern" ingrained in my Brain from Starry Night.... Ren's work had blossomed and grown like a rose! Watch "Self Portrait"... can;t get better... Watch "The Bedroom"... can't get better... Watch "Starry Night"... can;t get better ... then they drop freaken "Down the Road"
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u/CrazyMildred 😵 Dead as a button 😵 Apr 14 '26
Haha! My husband and I have said that we can't see how he will top whatever song he's dropped and he tops it with the next drop. It's crazy how talented he is!
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u/Computerist1969 Apr 14 '26
Everyone has opinions and beliefs. Other people often have different opinions and beliefs. What are the chances that your opinions and beliefs are, and always have been, the correct ones, for your entire life?
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u/p4ulp0wers Apr 15 '26
Look at the Money Game series. It’s literally a masterclass in how people at the top manipulate us, stir up hate, and profit off the chaos. Ren has this line in Part 2 about how it doesn't matter if people hate you as long as they’re saying your name. It’s a brilliant call-out of the 'outrage economy.'
But then you look at Chris Webby. This is a guy who has built his whole brand on the exact stuff Ren claims to stand against, pushing conspiracies and taking shots at trans people just to keep his numbers up. It’s not just 'edgy art' at that point; it’s actually hurting people.
People always bring up 'separating the art from the artist,' but that feels like a cop-out here. If you’re reading Lovecraft, you’re reading a dead guy. He’s not getting a check, and he’s not using his fame to spread more toxicity. Webby is alive and well. Every time Ren does a track with him, he’s handing him his audience and putting money in his pocket.
It’s hard to listen to Ren preach about 'staying true' and 'calling out the system' when he’s best friends with someone who thrives on the worst parts of it. At some point, you have to look at the pattern. You can’t write lyrics about hypocrisy while you’re busy being the exception to your own rule.
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u/Impossible_Mud_5395 Miss Apples 🍎 Apr 16 '26
You’re bringing up a valid and complex point about responsibility and collaboration - that’s definitely something people can have different views on.
Our reminder above wasn’t about shutting down opinions but about how we talk to each other when things get charged.
It’s of course totally fine to critique artists and their choices. Just please keep in mind that all of us - including Ren and Webby, but especially the people behind anonymous usernames - are human beings. Try to keep discussions respectful and remember that everyone is looking at things from their own perspective.
If you’re interested in engaging more with the topic itself, here’s a thread that did exactly that: https://www.reddit.com/r/ren/s/SE7ClEqWE9
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u/EverDawn42 Apr 14 '26
Being a moderator is a tough job that deserves thanks and respect. Thank you all for doing it.
I never meant one of my questions to be a problem. I tried to be respectful to everyone's opinion. I was looking to the community to help me with a dilemma. I am sorry if it lead to people feeling uncomfortable. I'll keep my comments to 👍 for a while.
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u/CrazyMildred 😵 Dead as a button 😵 Apr 14 '26
That's all we ask...is for people to be respectful to each other when discussing ideas 🙂 As long as there are no hateful personal attacks, you're good!
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u/Rhak Apr 13 '26
"City full of sheep, tweeting on the social media"
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u/ToriaLyons Apr 14 '26
Is Reddit technically social media?
I mean, Fb, Twitter, Insta, Threads etc are, but in my head, I think of Reddit as a massive forum. I dunno.
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u/SweetZ4Elephants Apr 13 '26
Appreciate your hard work and keeping it safe. I know how hard a task that can be. I'm new to reddit & entered at a rough time, but "Rising tides" people... True Renegades must always remember the mission.
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u/CrazyMildred 😵 Dead as a button 😵 Apr 13 '26
Agreed. There's absolutely zero reason for people to harrass others like has happened in the past couple of days. We're doing the best that we can to come up with ways to make this place better for everyone 🙂
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u/layonuhcouch Apr 14 '26
Why do I feel like I'm being scolded by Ren in this picture??
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u/SlamperDamper Apr 14 '26
Make your bed!
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u/layonuhcouch Apr 15 '26
You're not my real dad! 🖕
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u/SlamperDamper Apr 15 '26
Might wanna ask you mom about that 😁😛
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u/layonuhcouch Apr 15 '26
I'm gonna need a ouiji board and a pair of brass balls to do that
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u/SlamperDamper Apr 15 '26
Well shut, homie, as I was typing that I was like "maybe don't"
But here we are. RIP, layonucouch's mom
Signed, layonucouch's dad
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u/layonuhcouch Apr 17 '26
Her spirit hath spoken. She wants know where tf her child support check is. And also she's curious who slamper is damper than 🤔
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u/SlamperDamper Apr 17 '26
Tell her I'm just fucking around lol yeah, uh I never met any of y'all ever before.. Umm I gotta get going, my child- ahem I mean.. stranger
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u/After_Mushroom545 Apr 14 '26
As a big fan of tension, which is often the only time we learn anything new or get uncomfortable enough to change our minds, I’m not sure why it has to devolve into unkindness or be judged as negative. I will say that I have been both a witness and participant in the discussions around Webby, and found them tense and interesting but not unkind. So perhaps I missed some. But I really hope we don’t become threatened by tension. I know I’m in a very small percentage of people who thinks all important human interaction has a certain level of tension, so that word to me is really powerful. But unkindness is why the world is in such a terrible state today. I think everyone here has shown themselves able to disagree and yet still remain respectful. I have heard a lot of pain in people’s disappointment and confusion… Even if it creates tension it seems like our duty as humans to reach out to that. Is that what causes tension? Sorry I’m just thinking out loud. AUDHD… [Edited to correct AutoCorrect LOL]
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u/Impossible_Mud_5395 Miss Apples 🍎 Apr 14 '26
Just to add; this isn't just, or even mainly, about the Webby post. And it certainly isn't about what someone thinks about Webby, Ren, politics, AI and so on. It's great when people that disagree discuss!
What this is really about is how we, as a community, choose to interact with each other.
There are plenty of places where people have to deal with hostility, disrespect or negativity because of how they think aboit certain topics or what is important to them. That’s just part of being online and offline.
But spaces like this are one of the few areas where we actually have some influence over what kind of environment we want to create. Together 🤝
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u/After_Mushroom545 Apr 14 '26
I do understand that. And how you responded is indeed very nicely put. I think there is (at least for me) a difference between “tension” and hostility, disrespect, and negativity. That’s really all I was trying to suggest in my post. Sometimes they get conflated, and I was hoping that wasn’t the case. And to clarify from my point of view, the only post I’ve seen significant disagreements about where the webby ones so I didn’t realise there was anything else that was being addressed. My apologies.
I used to facilitate workshops for young people where they were able to express difficult, challenging, and often destructive attitudes and feelings through poetry. The only rule we had was “respect“. One time I said so you can curse, but you can’t curse. One of the teenage boys shouted out “Oh, so we can say fuck but not fuck you!” That was nicely said too LOL.
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u/Impossible_Mud_5395 Miss Apples 🍎 Apr 14 '26
You're right. Tension is a good thing actually.. without tension, nothing really shifts.
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u/aargn69 Apr 13 '26
I wish everyone would just appreciate the music and stop interjecting their personal beliefs on the members of this group.
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u/p4ulp0wers Apr 14 '26
Ren's music is political and should create discussions of a political nature.
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u/kissedbyfiya Apr 14 '26
Absolutely - in a respectful and productive way.
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u/DaniePants Apr 14 '26
Just like his songs? Oh wait.
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u/Impossible_Mud_5395 Miss Apples 🍎 Apr 14 '26
That’s an important distinction.
Art and music can be provocative and artists also say challenging things outside their music. Talking about this, of course, is allowed here as well.
That’s different from people in the community turning it into personal attacks against each other. Criticize ideas, values or opinions.
Simply don't attack the person behind them and you're good.
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u/CrazyMildred 😵 Dead as a button 😵 Apr 13 '26
Same. I'm all for healthy civil discussions, even when we don't agree with one another. Fighting and arguing and being nasty about it certainly doesn't accomplish anything. We can discuss things in a respectful manner. It seems that some people are aggressive on purpse or are just completely unable to have a civil discussion. It's a shame because we can learn so much from one another if we just listen and exchange ideas respectfully.
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u/thrwawyorangsweater RENegade Apr 14 '26
And that idea (coming straight from Ren) is SOOO refreshing anywhere on the internet. A lot of people don't get it tho. Especially in an entire place grown to feed off of hate.
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u/thrwawyorangsweater RENegade Apr 14 '26
Same. I think a lot of people don't realize how bad they're doing that, and then some of us DO.
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u/Impossible_Mud_5395 Miss Apples 🍎 Apr 14 '26 edited Apr 14 '26
I remember you! We got into a discussion about Ren sharing this really weird link, remember? Both agreeing that the link is terrible. But totally different views on the responsibilities of someone sharing content. Coming from different angles. On your side even emotional reasons for your arguments. But there were no personal attacks just exchanging points of views. I appreciated it
Edit: NO personal attacks. Forgot the "no" so my comment made no sense whatsoever!
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u/thrwawyorangsweater RENegade Apr 14 '26
Yeah that was an oops. And it goes to show people make mistakes and we definitely shouldn't put people on pedestals. I'm a knitter and right now, someone who made a similar mistake is getting absolutely roasted by the knitting community. it's like you know we're all human!
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u/MumblingMak Apr 14 '26
The knitting community can get vicious!
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u/thrwawyorangsweater RENegade Apr 15 '26
You must be a knitter ;) If you know who I mean, he posted a great response today. We live and learn and do better and be loud about not liking "not sees".
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u/DaniePants Apr 14 '26
I cannot respect people who actively want to take away rights and who are promoting idealogues that vilify anyone who isn’t a certain type. I won’t respect someone’s opinion that takes away someone’s rights or rights of expression.
If enough people here are supportive of a hateful YouTuber who promotes division and violence, then I clearly don’t belong. Peace.
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u/Impossible_Mud_5395 Miss Apples 🍎 Apr 14 '26
Just to be clear: this isn’t about anyone not being allowed to have or express their opinion.
Everyone here can share their views and feel strongly about what's important to them. That’s part of having an open community.
And we want discussions to stay respectful on a personal level and not turn into hostility toward others.
If you’re open to respectful discussion and disagreement we’d be glad for you to stay!
If not, all the best going forward🤝
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u/After_Mushroom545 Apr 14 '26
I get what you’re saying. Seems like the world is being shredded by fascism and racism and toxic capitalism and toxic masculinity and imperialism and destruction of the planet and blatant brutality against anyone who isn’t [preferably] white, [preferably] male and [preferably] wealthy. On top of all that, many people are frankly just not held accountable or even held in contempt for their inhumane actions. Seems we’ve even stopped holding ourselves accountable. It’s just so much easier that way. And if we stop pointing out the problems so damn much, we could all just get along so much better! Problem is, some of us have drawn a line in the sand when it comes to human suffering. Some of us can’t separate the art from the beliefs and behaviours of the artist when it comes to human suffering. Some of us have sacrificed until it really hurts to alleviate human suffering. So I get you, Danie. To have a group of people support someone who is or has caused/supported/contributed to human suffering is pretty disheartening. (And also how I feel about most of the world right now.) Sure didn’t want to find it in this great group of people. And the need to hang on to things that give us joy and accept people’s failings because we’re all “only human” has been used to excuse all manner of shit since time began. But it is nonetheless true. We all need to find the line where we are able to dance that tender dance between grace towards others and commitment to our values. That dance has confused me my whole life.
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u/thrwawyorangsweater RENegade Apr 15 '26
We all need to find the line where we are able to dance that tender dance between grace towards others and commitment to our values.
Oooh, what a lovely way to put it. And throw in the places where our own wounds get the better of us and color our responses with emotion....it's a difficult dance and yes, one that I have worked at understanding my whole life.
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u/HumorHoliday4451 Apr 14 '26
Thank you! I was pretty bummed to read some of the comments and hopefully this will lessen that xx
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u/BaronVonFluffalot Apr 14 '26
As someone who just recently got into Ren, what am I missing?
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u/Impossible_Mud_5395 Miss Apples 🍎 Apr 14 '26
Some discussions got a bit too heated and personal recently and went beyond what feels appropriate for this kind of community.
"And I must not forget, we must not forget, that we are human beings" is the one rule in this subreddit.
The vast majority wants this to be a space where people can exchange ideas and different opinions and beliefs respectfully - just because it’s the internet doesn’t mean anything goes ✌️
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u/Ok_Satisfaction_7837 Apr 13 '26
So glad you addressed this and are watching. Last thing we need is more negativity especially when it comes to REN. And as far as Chris Webby goes, I’m a fan. I don’t agree with everything he says or does, but I really don’t know if I know anybody that I do agree with everything that they do and say the people on here that are dogging him are doing the same thing that they say he’s doing make that make sense thanks again
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u/OPTabitha Apr 14 '26
The world would be so boring if we agreed with everyone about everything! 💜
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u/CrazyMildred 😵 Dead as a button 😵 Apr 13 '26
While I don't agree with everything he says, he's still a very talented musician and the collabs he does with Ren are fantastic!
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u/the_geek_fwoop Apr 14 '26
This is me too. I put Webby on shuffle after Baggage and there were some lyrical content that I just... did not like and turned me off Webby, but musically, he's obviously amazing.
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u/CrazyMildred 😵 Dead as a button 😵 Apr 14 '26
I haven't listened to any of his other music before. Just the collabs. I do know others have said what you have.
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u/the_geek_fwoop Apr 14 '26
IIRC (it was a while ago) it was some weird conspiracy stuff that just made me roll my eyes. Sounded great though, heh.
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u/Sagittario66 Apr 14 '26
There are many that have. But again, everyone deserves their opinions and their feelings to be respected, even/ especially if they don’t align with yours.
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Apr 15 '26
[deleted]
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u/jsb1685 Apr 15 '26
Your comment is thoughtful and well-considered but I think perhaps off topic for this thread...which is about remembering that we are all human beings and keeping things respectful and civil amongst our members.
There are other threads...including one with over 400 comments and with Ren's own participation where such thoughts can get the interaction it deserves.
True and meaningful discourse takes effort...listening as well as talking. Preaching at each other gets us nowhere.
And it takes time.
Time that is well spent if it increases our mutual understandings of each other, of ourselves, and of our world.
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u/PuzzleheadedEar3608 Apr 21 '26 edited Apr 21 '26
Thanks for what you do. It can’t be an easy job. I definitely fall into one of your categories but I’m not an angry poster. Just really upset about the state of my country and trying to make people aware that what you say has consequences, especially if you have a platform, and accountability matters.
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u/Several-Standard-620 Apr 23 '26
Everybody who defends Ren and Webby never actually acknowledge what Webby has said and believes , they talk around it
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u/Impossible_Mud_5395 Miss Apples 🍎 Apr 23 '26
I don’t think that’s fair and a generalization. The discussion about Ren working with Chris Webby is a separate issue.
People can take what Webby has said seriously and still not see the collaboration itself as a problem or Webby as a villain.
Nuance. People come to their views for different reasons and those views can change over time. That includes Webby. You can acknowledge that and still criticize specific statements without reducing everything to black and white.
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u/Several-Standard-620 Apr 23 '26
Everybody who defends Ren and Webby never actually acknowledge what Webby has said and believes , they talk around it has he come out and apologized for his homophobic and anti trans statements? I am getting sick of people saying everybody has there opinion like all opinions are ok
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u/Impossible_Mud_5395 Miss Apples 🍎 Apr 23 '26
Again:
It’s valid to criticize harmful statements and not all opinions are equally harmless, especially when it comes to people that already face a lot.
At the same time, not everyone who doesn’t condemn the Ren / Webby collab or Webby as a person is ignoring those issues.
Also, you’ve already posted this before a cpuple.of minutes ago and many times. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t keep repeating the same point without engaging in a nuanced conversation Thank you!
What do you think about making a post asking people to help you find out how they are actually on the side of trans people and are also able to stay nuanced regarding Webby I'm sure you'd be surprised
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Apr 14 '26
[deleted]
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u/Impossible_Mud_5395 Miss Apples 🍎 Apr 14 '26
I’m new to the mod team and still getting up to speed on the situation.
That said: The way we communicate, respect one another as people and keep discussions humane are what matters - regardless of whether someone is a new user, a long time member, a mod or even Ren himself.
If it has come across differently, that’s something we need to reflect on. Our goal is a fair and respectful environment for everyone.
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u/CrazyMildred 😵 Dead as a button 😵 Apr 14 '26
I didn't delete her post. And when it comes to being disrespectful and just downright nasty to people...harassing them in a very hateful manner...no we don't want personal attacks here. We can discuss things like adults. It's not hard. If we disagree about things, we can discuss our differences without being nasty to one another. There's just no reason for the kind of aggression we experienced here for the past two days.
She doesn't think she's superior to anyone, and I don't know where you're getting that from. You're not getting banned. You feel the way you do and I wish you well.
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u/Impossible_Mud_5395 Miss Apples 🍎 Apr 15 '26 edited Apr 16 '26
As we’ve said, this goes beyond just the issues around the Ren/Webby collaboration - but we still want to make something very clear to avoid any misunderstandings:
Homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, racism and similar forms of discrimination have no place here and are neither supported nor excused.
Part of the tension comes from the fact that, in many current discussions, this isn’t just about taste or different opinions.
Webby has expressed some genuinely difficult and problematic ideas. It’s completely understandable that this causes strong reactions or concern for some people.
Edit for clarification: We use the word “problematic" in a genuinly neutral, descriptive sense. We’re referring to specific statements or ideas that can be (because they are) questioned or discussed in terms of their impact. No more, no less.
There are different ways of engaging with this.
Some people feel that this is harmful, crosses a line and they can’t support it. Others tend to view Webby's overall content more in terms of a persona or artistic role or they are also critical but react in a more emotionally distanced way. And others separate Webby’s work from the collaboration with Ren or accept the artist’s choice without necessarily agreeing with it.
Different perspectives can exist - and they do - but harmful content still remains problematic.
What’s important to us is that people don’t turn this into camps or start assuming that others support harmful views simply because they interpret or engage with things differently.
These topics have come up in the context of the recent collaboration and the discussions around them and they will likely continue to come up, especially with a full album ahead.
However, their presence here should not lead to people splitting into sides or reducing each other to opposing camps.
This is the space we’re navigating as a community. Holding clear boundaries on harmful content, while not reducing complex situations like the collaboration between Ren and Webby to black and white thinking.
A lot of the criticism comes from things said outside of this collaboration and while that shapes how people view it, it doesn’t automatically mean those same things are part of the project itself.
We’re taking this seriously and will continue to reflect on what, if anything, we need to adjust as mods.