Ginny mentioned the idea of a sort of Mastodon UN a while ago—a collection of instances where one can count on civility being enforced. I like this idea.
There has to be a place on the internet where harassment is not. There have to be places policed by conscientious admins who do not allow this behavior to happen. There has to be a point where abuse is not considered a point of debate.
This is the power of Mastodon over Twitter: we don't have to wait for a company to decide people matter.
.@csilverman I personally believe that all instances should have civility enforced. There can be intense disagreements with impeccable civility. See how it's done in scientific communities for example. And civility is totally unrelated to free speech, imo.
@Tryphon Exactly. This is a major reason I have zero respect for the idea that not letting people be assholes is going to chill valid speech. I know for a fact that it is entirely possible to have impassioned debates without veering into harassment or abuse.
Ars Technica is a good example. They have some very strongly worded discussions in the comments sections, and while people aren't always polite, I've never seen harassment/abuse—the mods don't allow that, and the community looks down on it.
@csilverman @Tryphon Find any comment section for the recent "No feigning surprise" article. Summary, "But what if I like being an asshole? What if I feel empowered by making other people feel worse?"