Man that is weird. Thank you for the link; I have such mixed feelings.

On the one hand, yes I think it makes a ton of sense to vet your userbase if you want to cultivate a particular sort of discussion (i.e., you want thoughtful comments vs shitposts and memes). OTOH, the response reads like a “For WUSSIES ONLY” want ad. It’s the internet dude, toughen up a little. For the same reason, HOLY SHIT how do you have an instance without downvote? You can’t curate content on moderation a lone. But then, maybe that’s why they are defederated.