Alioth Fox (but you can call me Daddy~)Feb 6, 2023

Queer people aren't saying you CAN'T eat at Chick-fil-A or play Shitty TERF Wizard Game. We're saying that we don't see you as a trustworthy, safe friend if you choose to do so, and you don't get to dictate how we feel about it. You don't get to dictate how your choices affect others' perceptions of you.

It's not even about "boycotts." It's about literally the most basic litmus test possible: asking you to sacrifice something you DON'T EVEN NEED. We're not asking for money. We're not asking you to picket. We're not asking you to go out and hold a sign. We're literally saying "don't eat at this one particular fast food restaurant" and "don't spend money on this one particular video game," both of which are wholly unnecessary leisure activities.

And even if you CAN'T make that tiny sacrifice, literally all you have to do is just... not talk about it? Like... it's not like we're hacking people's computers to figure out whether they've played Shitty TERF Wizard Game or not. The whole conversation really does show how performative and shallow some people are.

Because we're not even saying "you can't play this game." We don't have that power. We're just saying "I do not want to associate with you if you support this." And even that much makes people rage. It's not even that people don't want to be told what to do - it's that people want to do whatever they want without facing any social consequences or negative perceptions from people.

You want no consequences for the choices you make. And you know what? Tough shit. You don't like that you're losing friends over "PoLiTiCs?" Well, I don't like that every day of my trans brothers' and sisters' lives has to be a constant battle because of shitty people who claim they "have nothing against LGBT people" and "some of their best friends are trans," but won't give up a goddamn chicken sandwich for them. But you don't like it when people think badly about you when you won't do even the simplest thing to show those "some of your best friends" that you value your friendship with them? Cry harder. I don't like it when it rains on my birthday, but clouds form and precipitation happens.

Show threadLeoBurrFeb 7, 2023
@AliothFox How do you feel about folks who remain on Twitter when Elon is actively hostile to LGBTQIA+ folks/supports right wing fanatics?
Show threadAlioth Fox (but you can call me Daddy~)Feb 7, 2023

@LeoBurr That’s a bit apples-to-oranges in my mind. Twitter is a broad, far-reaching communication platform, and even with it in decline, I think it’s important for queer people to be part of the conversation there instead of just rolling over and letting Elon bully them off the platform, especially given how many of them built their personal support networks there. There are obviously alternatives to Twitter, but leaving a network altogether where you’ve built important connections is not at all on the same level as refraining from a single purchase of something literally no one needs.

TLDR: "just leave Twitter" is far and away not as simple as "just don’t play this one game."

Show threadLeoBurr
@AliothFox It's a matter of values. To some, the convenience of a local Chick-Fil-A, or their enjoyment of the flavor is more important to them than benefitting people who are hostile to LGBTQIA+ people. To some, using Twitter, where their friends are is more important than the fact that doing so benefits someone who is far right wing and hostile to LGBTQIA+ people. It's not apples to oranges. Apples and oranges are both fruits. And as with most things, there is no black and white. People will make value calls, and they won't always align with your own values. This isn't to say yours aren't valid. :) But some may have childhood memories of Potter that remind them of someone they loved, and they play the game for that reason, and that reason alone. Not because they hate LGBTQIA+ People. And that, per their values, is valid too.
Feb 7, 2023 at 4:08pmWeb
Show threadAlioth Fox (but you can call me Daddy~)Feb 7, 2023

@LeoBurr I'm sorry, but putting "I can't leave this chicken behind because it's too convenient and tastes too good" on the same level as "I can't leave this platform behind because it's where the people I've come to rely on as my support network are located" is pretty gross and, quite frankly, tells me everything I need to know about your values.

"This chicken tastes good, and that matters a lot more to me than my queer friends' concerns matter" is what you're saying with that, and making that out as being exactly the same thing as "I can't leave this network because it's where all my friends are" is incredibly disingenuous.

If a chicken sandwich and a single video game matter that much to you, then you do you, but you're never going to be able to convince me that you're a safe person if you do, and that's the point of what I'm saying here. I don't have the right to say "no, you're not allowed to eat/play this." I DO have the right - which I will continue to exercise regularly - to say "if you support these things, I personally want nothing to do with you."

If you think your absurd and contrived false equivalence makes me a hypocrite, then likewise think of me what you will.

Show threadLeoBurrFeb 7, 2023

@AliothFox Be angrier.

I'm not calling you a hypocrite. People have different value levels at which they'll bend. For some, it's as simple as a chicken sandwich made by people who hate LGBTQ+ people because it's convenient and tasty. For others, it's a video game that reminds them of better times in their life in spite of the IP being owned by a TERF. For others, it's keeping their Twitter account in spite of the whole network being owned by Elon Musk, who is also highly LGBTQ+ unfriendly.

You're free to block/ban/not associate with anyone you want, whether or not they eat a Chick-fil-a sandwich or any other reason. Just as others won't associate with people who continue to use Twitter because they despise Musk and what he represents. Peace out. :)

Show threadAlioth Fox (but you can call me Daddy~)Feb 7, 2023
@LeoBurr The entire point of this post is to say "if the 'point at which you will bend' is literally a chicken sandwich, you are not an ally and I don't want you in my life." Hence the CW marked "rant." You came into my mentions and decided to be a debatebro and make it about something completely different, and now you're being a sealion about it. Get lost or get blocked.
Show thread[MESSAGE ME TO FOLLOW] greenFeb 7, 2023
@LeoBurr this. this is EXACTLY WHAT THE ORIGINAL POST IS ABOUT. this is EXACTLY THAT. why even bother? why not just say "I want to play the TERFy Wizard Game and I don't care that my money is going to be used by a virulent transphobe to enact violence and oppression against trans people"? if you want to sit at the Nazi table, go ahead. you can sit there if you want. nobody's stopping you. we're just *fucking sick* of listening to your endless "slippery slope" and "it's ~~coooomplicated~~" and "all opinions are valid" bullshit while you're doing it.