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 threadT. Emil Rivera-ThorsenApr 30, 2023

@Are0h I had never heard of BlueSky before, but if I see it correctly, they also are portable/network agnostic, build on open standards and fully interoperable - so if this is true, I see no technical reason to prefer one over the other.

Is there any good places of entry for someone ignorant to learn about the problems with the Fediverse for people of color? Perhaps naively, I cling on to hope that this can change but obviously, the onus is not on the prospective Black/Brown users to fix.

Show threadRoApr 30, 2023
@thriveth You mean other than following and listening to Black and Brown? Ha, not there is no big book of grievances that can be perused at your leisure.

Just follow some people, read their stories, and listen.
Show threadT. Emil Rivera-ThorsenApr 30, 2023
@Are0h Or you could just not mock me for not already knowing what you know but OK, you do you.
Show threadRoApr 30, 2023
@thriveth Which is why suggested following some people.

Do it or don't. That's up to you.
Show threadT. Emil Rivera-ThorsenApr 30, 2023
If it were obvious to me who to follow, I wouldn't have asked. But you were clearly not the right place to ask for a pointer. Good day and goodbye.
Show threadRoApr 30, 2023
@thriveth You didn't take for people to follow. You asked where you could learn about ‘people of color’ like there's some zoo exhibit I could point you to.

When you get over your temper tantrum, I'll be here.
Show threadT. Emil Rivera-ThorsenApr 30, 2023

@Are0h I didn't ask for any "zoo exhibit", I asked for entry points to learn about the problems people of color have experienced here.

But let's just agree to part ways here, this is clearly not productive.

Show threadRoApr 30, 2023
@thriveth And I told you how to get that information.

No one is keeping you here.
Show threadT. Emil Rivera-ThorsenApr 30, 2023
@Are0h Technically speaking, I guess you did.
Show threadRoApr 30, 2023
@thriveth I get my tone is sarcastic but it's not malicious.

People ask me for info all the time but I'm skeptical of their motivations, which is why I usually tell people to actually go listen to people.

The problems on here are nuanced and complex and cannot be easily summarized.
Show threadT. Emil Rivera-ThorsenApr 30, 2023
@Are0h I get that, and I actually also understand your skepticism. The hitch is, when I am asking, it's because I barely even know whom to follow and where to find them. Not every POC concern themselves with these questions or want to spend their energy on them, and following people just because they are Black, expecting them to be resources for this, feels awfully like tokenization. Which was why I was hoping perhaps there were some quick recommendations of good places to start...
Show threadT. Emil Rivera-ThorsenApr 30, 2023
@Are0h ...Recommendations which could ideally be valuable starting points for me, while not requiring an awful lot of mental clock cycles for someone like yourself who look like you have them at the front of your mind anyway.
Show threadRoApr 30, 2023
@thriveth Don't make assumptions about what occupies my mind. You are sure to be wrong.
Show threadT. Emil Rivera-Thorsen
@Are0h That's what the words "look like" are there to mark. Is it unreasonable to think that someone who writes confidently about a topic, *might* have some good pointers to entry points to beginners?
Apr 30, 2023 at 5:22pmWeb
Show threadRoApr 30, 2023
@thriveth It's unreasonable to assume that's all one thinks about based what they see online. "Looks like" isn't necessarily congruent with what actually is.

And there are plenty of basic entry points. I'm not the end all be all of the fediverse.
Show threadT. Emil Rivera-ThorsenApr 30, 2023
@Are0h Why on Earth would I assume that is all you think about? I don't think I have given you any reason to believe that. I just reached out to someone who looked like he knew what he was talking about on the off chance he might have a few quick pointers to share about some good places to start - something I would happily have given myself in questions I know something about. "Sorry, can't help you there" would have been a perfectly legitimate answer.
Show threadRoApr 30, 2023
@thriveth shrug I don't know why you would assume that, but you seem pretty upset about your perceived lack of assistance when I've given you adequate direction.

But for whatever reason, because I didn't answer you in the way you thought I should, you seem ready to dismiss it all together.

Ha, and that's your perogative, man. It's not my problem you don't like when Black folks don't give you the benefit of the doubt.

But you'll be ok. Ha, you're not in any danger. Walk it off.
Show threadT. Emil Rivera-ThorsenApr 30, 2023
@Are0h Again, the word *might* says the exact opposite of assumption. I don't know why you're so hell bent on making me come off as a shitty entitled dude that you will just straight up make shit up just to make it fit your narrative, but I am done with it. I thought for a second there that we were entering a place of good faith but clearly I was overly optimistic.
Show threadBynkiiMay 2, 2023
@thriveth @Are0h you also seem to want people to do a lot of real work for your benefit sans any payment.
Show threadBynkiiMay 2, 2023

@thriveth @Are0h have you perhaps thought of going into listen-only mode with Black folks on mastodon. Try it. For the next 30 days, actively seek and find Black people to follow on mastodon, but don’t reply.

Just listen. Just read. Take in what they are saying for 30 days.

Might help.