RoApr 29, 2023
So there's been a Bluesky vs. Masto convo in my mentions for the last couple of days, and it's made something very clear.

White men have this strange loyalty to Mastodon but not a better fedi itself. And they project this loyalty onto anyone that even considers Bluesky, no matter what cultural background they come from.

I have my own reasons for not considering Bluesky, but there's this nasty implication that Black and Brown people should be grateful for Masto despite the fact people loyal to that project have repeatedly run us off with no remorse.

This massive cultural gulf is at the core of why the fedi can't get out of its way and be the next evolution on public social media.

There's enough room here for everyone to have their communities, but the willful ignorance that often leads this discussion and projects in the fedi has us running in circles.
Show threadRoApr 29, 2023
By and large, the fedi has not been a safe and better experience for Black and Brown, which is why BlueSky is getting traction.

If you are serious about the fedi becoming the defacto experience for social media on they web, you need to take this seriously instead of trying to lecture people based on myopic quasi-leftist principles based on an anecdotal perspective.

BlueSky may not be a viable option but many Black and Brown folks know Masto and by extension, the fedi isn't for them, so they are open to giving it a try.

The fedi has repeatedly shown it does not want to change, so I can't and won't blame anyone for giving BlueSky a hard look.
Show threadAnthonyJK-AdminApr 29, 2023

@Are0h

I have my own issues with Bluesky other than racial that would probably discourage me from using that app anyway.

Also, even those who are gravitating to Bluesky are finding the same paternalism and conceit that led them to escape Twitter in the first place, even if they are rediscovering the creature comforts they had back then that Mastodon lacked for them.

Spoutible is becoming more of the hot thing for them now due to the branding of being Black-owned.

Show threadChristopherApr 29, 2023
@AnthonyJK
I remember some very compelling arguments by Dr. Jonathan Flowers as to why black run fedi servers with a focus on black safety was a failure on the rest of the Fediverse's part, with the central issue being ghettoization. I'm not hopeful, in light of that argument, that black owned centralized social media solves the issue.

It just sounds like auto-defederation to me.

But if it works, it works. And it's not like most people my skin tone or lighter (err, maybe that's too restrictive, as I glow blue in the sun) paid him, or any other black folks who have been here for days or years, any attention.
@Are0h
Show threadAnthonyJK-AdminApr 29, 2023

@kichae @Are0h

Sorry, but that "ghettoization" argument is pure liberal "Free Speech Absolutism" bullshit.

The idea that Black Fediverse users must get used to racist harassment and overly restrictive and corrosive admins just to satisfy the center of a mythical bell curve of users is hogwash.

Separate safe spaces are more than justified in this time of right-wing assault on the marginalized.

Show threadChristopherApr 29, 2023
@AnthonyJK
I mean, that's sort of my core reasoning, too, but his argument isn't so different from what I've seen Ro argue a hundred times or more now: That the Fediverse will remain stunted until people of colour, and black folks/Black Twitter in particular, are safe across the core of the network while also being embedded across that core.

Maybe his arguments lose some impact if we accept that a fractured microblogging ecosystem is just what's going to happen now. But "there's no reason for black folks to come here, and digital red-lining isn't the solution everyone in my mentions thinks it is" seemed like a pretty cogent argument to me in my naive and ignorant paleness.
@Are0h
Show threadAnthonyJK-Admin

@kichae @Are0h

But that then goes to the heart of my original argument about centralization vs. decentralization; because if you are wanting to prevent such red-lining and protect Black folk across the core of your app, then doesn't that essentially cut across the flank of decentralization and requires a central authority to set and enforce the rules across the spectrum?

Apr 29, 2023 at 10:22pmWeb
Show threadChristopherApr 29, 2023
@AnthonyJK
I think it was more of a call for white liberals to stop patting themselves on the back for not being racists while simultaneously talking down to people of colour because they want certain things.

But maybe I've misinterpreted his point, or am conveying it poorly. I'd tag him in to correct me, but I haven't seen him post anything in months now.
@Are0h
Show threadRoApr 29, 2023
@kichae @AnthonyJK The point Dr. Flowers has made revolves around the lack of consideration for safety in these spaces.

And my point has always been that technology doesn't matter if that will is nonexistent.

And if the fedi fractures because of specific instances of not wanting to take safety seriously, I'm okay with that.

It's a point about building community, not ‘digital-redlining.’ The technology needs to follow intent, not the other way around.
Show threadAnthonyJK-AdminApr 30, 2023

@Are0h @kichae

Point acknowledged and well taken.