> Which should be the default mode of operation with anything you read on Reddit these days.

Wide variance depending on subreddit - though, apart from the ferociously moderated exceptions, the large ones are all hopeless.

Where else can one reliably post and communicate on the internet today then?

Just because it can't be done or doesn't happen on reddit doesn't mean that it can be done or happens elsewhere.

Some place not run by a publisher with huge Chinese backing and millions of eyeballs? Like Fediverse, maybe? Fosstodon would be good for a lot of folks here. Just remember to not use the public timeline unless you're fine with 4chan levels of content, even on moderated stuff like fosstodon.

Good luck in this brave new world