*logs into twitter*
…and this is why i can't exist solely on masto #WhitePeople
https://twitter.com/IjeomaOluo/status/828790160192008193
yes i just used the #WhitePeople hashtag don't @ me
Realtalk though, every day I log onto twitter and I see people (mostly, people of color) doing important work critiquing whiteness and racism and sexism and transmisogyny and what have you, organizing and making a difference and making a change. Would #BlackLivesMatter have taken off on Mastodon? Actual question. #YesAllWomen? #SayHerName?
Because from alot of what I've seen it's like, we don't do that here. “I don't want to have to see your critiques of my whiteness, tag that shit and keep it hidden.” (Like, not what content warnings are for, folks.) Features are more than just technology. Where are the communities of support, where are the journalists, where are the activists? And you wonder why people leave. And you wonder why people go back.
When there is legislation being passed that is putting me and the people I love at risk, when there are communities in danger that need our help, you can't ask me to keep that stuff under wraps. You can't ask me not to be vocal. Not when that stuff is as core to who I am as a person as any gender or sexual label. Like, so much for inclusion when we can't ever visibly mourn.
Twitter: “Hey followers my friend can't get into the US because of the #MuslimBan please send help and best wishes.”
Mastodon: “OMG birdsite getting all wild about politics so glad we don't have that here #whyijoinedmastodon”
Like I know I'm caricaturing here but also fuck that noise. Yall should be getting angry. Yall should be getting upset. Like, I mean, take care of yourselves. But come on.
It has felt like “no politics” (or “keep politics hidden”) has been the cry here since day one, but we've yet to really define what “politics” means. Does being black count as “politics”? What about being trans? If my queer friend down in SF goes to a rally and ends up hurt, is that suddenly “politics”? If I try to change my name, am I being “political”?
The brunt of my question is this: To what extent is (some of) our anti-politics culture standing in the way of people living their lives in a visible, open manner? And I say “people” but obviously not all people are affected by this equally. And: If people can't live their lives in a visible, open manner on Mastodon, is it any wonder they choose a different service where they can?
Like, I understand the wear of being surrounded by this stuff all the time. Believe me, I get it. But sometimes you don't have a choice. Sometimes this stuff is your life whether you like it or not. And I'm not gonna just sit back and watch a bunch of white queers avoid talking about racism because they're afraid of destroying the sanctity of their “safe space”. Like, safe for whom. Really.
This is not saying we shouldn't use content warnings. This is not saying it's okay to dogpile, or call people out unnecessarily, or promote harassment. This isn't saying you shouldn't act judiciously when it comes to posting to public/unlisted/private/whatever. These tools exist for a reason. Use them.
But when shit goes down, show up. What is the point of calling yourself a community otherwise.
@yatchi I'm worried because like. I support content warnings. I support safe spaces. But, like. Come on. We're better than this. We can do better.
(I hope.)
@marrus_sh well said