Brendan KeoghNov 11, 2022
Little Mastodon tip if like me you find the content warning culture here overly annoying, you can just go into your settings and tell it to auto-show all posts and/or all sensitive posts. So you can effectively get rid of the content warnings for yourself but let everyone else still have them, which is cool.
Show threadquayNov 11, 2022

@brkeogh the issue is less about how to read the posts yourself than it is about having empathy for others to choose to read your posts if they are of a nature that would be discomforting to others.

CW are about others, not you.

Show threadSarah WNov 11, 2022
@quay exactly this. A CW gives others the choice. It's easy to override in your settings
Show threadElon James WhiteNov 11, 2022
@Sarahw @quay real question - Can’t you choose not to follow people who don’t use CW’s?
Show threadquayNov 11, 2022

@elonjames @Sarahw Of course. But that’s still off the point. CW are about you showing respect for others. IRL, we use ‘CW’ all the time. I don’t just burst into a room and start running off about my itchy penis. I have that convo with only people who want/need to hear about it. CW allow us to emulate normal human behavior online to a certain extent.

To repeat: CW are outward-facing choices you make as author of self-expression. You use them to show care for others.

Show threadElon James WhiteNov 11, 2022
@quay @Sarahw but some would argue talking about racism is the equivalent of talking about an itchy…ahem. They don’t find it to be inappropriate for polite convo. And I can assure you I discuss the topic no matter what situation I’m in. Your comfort around the subject doesn’t outweigh my right/need/desire to speak about it publicly. What if I didn’t want to read about a woman’s period? Should women CW an aspect of their lives for my comfort?
Show threadindri
@elonjames @quay @Sarahw
But maybe it's a Black woman after a shitty day full of micro aggressions at work who doesn't want to read about racism after coming home?
Nov 11, 2022 at 6:17pmWeb
Show threadElon James WhiteNov 11, 2022
@Sarahw @quay @indri This seems like concern trolling. I should hide any discussions of racism because a hypothetical Black woman might not want to read that? I’m sure Black women follow me on here and I’m pretty sure they are aware that I discuss racism. If this hypothetical Black woman didn’t want to read about racism I’m pretty sure she would just skip social media because BW are one of the most targeted groups around. Highlighting racism is a public good.
Show threadSarah WNov 12, 2022
@elonjames I appreciate your point of view. I suspect lots turn off the hide CW feature I do, I find it a nuisance to uncover every item I want to see. There is the option to filter toots using key words but that's more onerous than adding a CW. But insisting that one is heard seems like shouting over someone who doesn't want to listen. Yes, many topics are important to discuss, but many are listening, it's giving a choice.
Thanks for an interesting and polite discussion
Show threadCreatrix TiaraNov 17, 2022
@indri @elonjames @quay @Sarahw plenty of Black and other PoC users on here have talked about varying perspectives on CWs, some for some against. But we mostly agree that white people trying to decide on our behalf is annoying at best :P