White Cishet people don't understand Misogyny, Anti-blackness, transmisogyny, misogynoir, et all.
The issue is without a diverse staff, things cannot run in a fair and egaltarian way. Even w/o a staff, FOSS is very "cishet white dudes" which makes it hard for marginalized groups to get involved.
Not even accounting for the ableism.
@spiderrobotpig debating somebody right now over this. Basic attitude: "hey if you don't like something, block it. Troll control is an imposition on freedom".
Asked him if he was white cishet guy: "Um yea but so what?"
I always hit an impasse here—how do you explain harassment to someone who doesn't experience it and doesn't care about people who do?
(I remember someone said this re: defending the ACA:) "I don't know how to explain to you why you should care about other people.")
@csilverman Surprised we can't tbh
@csilverman This exactly. Everytime I try to have this convo with a cishet white dude, I get that response.
But it's like, A. I shouldn't -have- to block people threatening to kill me, and B. There's never just one or two people.
If you don't experience it, or don't listen, you just can't understand.
@csilverman If you have a problem with straight white people, just say so, this is the internet. You don't have to make stuff up.
@broketech I don't have any problems with straight white people—I'm one myself. Stating that straight white guys aren't targeted the way nonwhite LGBTQ people are isn't trashing anyone—it's a fact.
The guy I was talking to hadn't been sexually harassed by mobs of vicious strangers and thinks that anyone who *has* been treated like that—and wants to protect themselves—is overreacting.
As Anja said: "If you don't experience it, or don't listen, you just can't understand."
@csilverman @broketech People are complete trash I have no problem believing that such a thing not only could be true, but could be likely.
@tn5421 @broketech I believe it because I have female/LGBTQ friends who tell me about the shit they go through: slurs, discrimination, harassment, etc.
Which is why when I come across someone who doesn't believe it, and is all "oh boo hoo someone called you a name, get over it", my first instinct is to assume that—since they have such an unrealistic impression of what abuse means—they likely belong to a demographic that isn't treated badly by the majority of society.
@csilverman @broketech Well, I'm poor, so despite being straight white cis male, still treated like shit.
@tn5421 @broketech Yeah :( there is absolutely that, too. That's one reason why I don't think diversity—as used to determine college admissions—should be based on race alone: it screws people who didn't have the income/education/freedom to accomplish things that would stand out on paper, and are still considered too "privileged" to warrant admission.
@broketech This isn't about white straight ppl being callous and evil. I'm well aware there are leftists who do think that—I work on a very left-wing campus, and I see that attitude all the time. It's just as hateful and toxic as prejudices against any other race.
My point: If you're straight and white, you're *far* less likely to be fucked with than anyone else on here. One shouldn't assume that people who report abuse are snowflakes who should stay out of the kitchen, etc.
@csilverman Same guy probably whines occasionally about how hard white cishet guys have it these days "because thry are the only gtoup it's okay to discrimjnste against"......
@ElectricMink Eh—I do see contempt directed at whites. I don't like it. Addressing racism isn't about gratuitously shitting on people—it's about *not* gratuitously shitting on anyone, no matter how privileged they are/aren't.
It also means recognizing that one person's right to not be gratuitously shit on comes before someone else's desire to gratuitously shit on them. If you haven't been shit on, you might not know how much of a problem it is, or identify with ppl who have been.
@csilverman @spiderrobotpig
I don't think white cishet is the (whole) problem. Folks like that *want* to remain ignorant.
(I'm white cishet and I understand why troll control is good even though I'm spared being the target almost always.)
I don't know. I mean, if folks *want* to understand, I've had success explaining these things. Too many don't want to understand though :(
@kurtm @spiderrobotpig Agreed. The fact that I was able to guess he was white/hetero isn't a statement on white people being heartless, it's an indication of why this guy didn't think abuse was a problem: he doesn't belong to a demographic that's targeted for abuse. Like I said: how do you explain abuse to people who don't experience it and don't care about ppl who do?
Real problem isn't race, it's empathy. If you don't care enough to listen, you suck, no matter what color you are.
@spiderrobotpig ...last paragraph: extra parenthesis, not a smiley face. Wish I could edit posts on here.