Maggie MacIntyreNov 27, 2022

Good morning! A post just rolled across my fedi-timeline saying not to post about politics on Mastodon, so I'm here to remind you that:

1 "politics" refers to decision-making about how to live together in groups
2 choosing to not participate in political discussion is saying you support the status quo, and is a political stance
3 abstaining from politics because you feel safe from its impacts is a privilege and a choice to abandon your more vulnerable neighbours

Show threadJonChevreau 🇨🇦Nov 27, 2022
@inkstainedmags perhaps a good compromise is to use CW for all political posts?
Show threadMaggie MacIntyreNov 27, 2022
@JonChevreau I know there is a lot of talk about how to use CW over here. I'm new and trying to listen and learn but my opinion is that CWs should be used sparingly and those who want to avoid certain subjects should use mute liberally.
Show threadGeoff WinklessNov 27, 2022
@inkstainedmags @JonChevreau that might be your opinion but the problem is your idea of what warrants a CW might be different to someone else's.
Show threadRevK Nov 27, 2022
@Geoff @inkstainedmags @JonChevreau That is a fundamental issue with CW. Some people "take offence" (and it is taken in a lot of cases) far too easily. Some people want to avoid causing any possible offence at all costs. Some people "speak their mind". It is never going to be perfect. The best we can do is find some compromise.
Show threadM. VerdoneNov 27, 2022

@revk @Geoff @inkstainedmags @JonChevreau content warnings are not about preventing "offense" they are about preventing pain. There are many topics or images that cause some people anxiety or sadness. Pictures of food can stress people with eating disorders. Eye contact can cause panic. Talk of terrible politicians can cause anxiety in people who live in places with those politics but no ability to escape or change their situation.

There is no list of topics to warn about. But if you can empathize with people, you might want to use CWs for some topics. That's it.

Show threadLuuk Paulussen
@sixohsix @revk @Geoff @inkstainedmags @JonChevreau
I guess an important point (implied by OP) is that there are times when it is important for people to be exposed to things that make uncomfortable. Especially people who benefit from the status quo.
Nov 27, 2022 at 10:24pmWeb
Show threadGeoff WinklessNov 27, 2022
@luukpaulussen @sixohsix @revk @inkstainedmags @JonChevreau no. It's not for you or anyone else to decide what other people "should" be forced to read.