@ThisPlaceAgain @OldAndCranky It’s definitely the fediverse (Open Social Web), & just that Masto is the biggest sw on it.
And it’s purely a cultural issue. I’ve found it’s very Eurocentric (and therefore REALLY white adjacent) but with a dose of “well, we don’t have racism the way the US does” smugness.
How to fix it is sadly above this YT boys pay grade. Mostly it’s about not tolerating intolerance and listening to BIPOC folks. Which sure SOUNDS like it should be easy….
@ThisPlaceAgain That ol' white privilege again. We don't have to build a space for ourselves, it just automatically is.
A couple of interesting Black Americans I follow are
@Uneek and @StillIRise1963
@ThisPlaceAgain @wndlb @dangero
As a white nerd, I really want that demo to change.
I couldn't stand to be on Twitter any longer, but the smaller number of people, the lack of diversity, and the fact that you have to seek stuff out instead of having it brought to you (yes, I miss "the algorithm", much to my surprise) make Mastodon a second-tier substitute.
The only recc I have to make is "start following a bunch of hashtags". That might prime the pump.
Dan --
Mesha's source is personal experience. You're *literally* asking her to point to the messages her attackers left her.
If you don't believe that Mastodon can be dangerous, google for "Mastodon blocked instances". There are many lists of them. Then choose one or several, and look through the public posts on those servers.
Then ask yourself: if these are the public posts that anyone, not logged in, can see, what would they write in private? Imagine that they were attacking you instead.
@ThisPlaceAgain @dangero @[email protected]
Oh, and maybe you've already gotten there, but I block much more freely here.
I used to feel bad about it, like i was insulting the other person, but look at this person here: they're not taking your word for your experience! I've decided that if i wouldn't enjoy hanging with you in real life, why am I spending my on-line energy on you?
@dangero
Dan, if somebody says they feel unwelcome and you don’t see why, the correct reaction is not to demand that they cite their sources.
The correct reaction is to ask yourself what you’re missing, and go do your own work.
Demanding labor from somebody in distress isn’t just rude; it’s harmful.
I don’t know how to break this to you, but…you are the asshole here.
Do you think this reply constitutes being welcoming?
@dangero @[email protected] @ThisPlaceAgain
When I see out the window that it's raining, I don't bother stepping outside to verify that it's wet. I've got years of experience that I've learned from.
When I hear a black American say that they felt unwelcome somewhere, I don't demand they produce evidence. I've got years of experience that I'm (finally) learning from.
@dangero @devinprater @ThisPlaceAgain Go and search Mekka Okereke’s pinned posts ( @mekkaokereke ) No one will do the work for you- please go and search. And in the meantime you can also complain why full text search is not working here- bc that could have helped you or already.
Or you could just simply point at yourself being an absolute dick and asking for “sources”.
Can not wait for the QTs, to be honest.
@dangero @[email protected] @ThisPlaceAgain NGL, if I were black, I’d have blocked your ass from this post alone, much less the 3-4 more posts trying to justify you doing exactly what you’ve had done to you as a blind person.
To be crystal damn clear, I am YT and I’ve seen plenty of examples of this (not counting yours, which just goes on the pile) and I’ve only put a LITTLE effort into it.
“Cite your sources” JFC.
Do your gdammed research.
@dangero Just because you don't see it, doesn't mean it doesn't happen. You said this yourself and then had the gull to essentially say "prove it!" The burden isn't on her to prove her own feelings. You could have kept scrolling, but yet you went out of your way to be a "reply guy." This happens so much here specifically on Mastodon that it's sickening. So here I am replying to you hoping you get it.
Having a disability doesn't give you a free pass to be an asshole to others.
@dangero @devinprater @ThisPlaceAgain
Mesha, I'm glad you're here. You don't owe anyone receipts for the anti-Blackness of Mastodon. People like me have collected tons of receipts, and they don't even look for them.
Instead, know that people are making changes to Mastodon, from a technical, but more importantly, human aspect, to make it less anti-Black. But it will take us time.
And if it's still too much, or we move too slow, you don't owe anyone your time and effort to fix this place.
@dangero @devinprater @ThisPlaceAgain
"My experience is X" says the black/trans/gay/whatever person.
"That's funny, I don't have that experience in my mainly white, cis, male feed; you must be wrong" says the white cis man
🤦♂️
Here's the thing: when someone, here, or in the "real world", says their experience is X, believe them! You can't possibly know what they've experienced, so questioning it, asking them to prove it, is demeaning them. Period.
We. Have. To. Do. Better.
@ThisPlaceAgain
As an autistic person, I don't always know what to say, and afraid of saying something wrong too.
I do know the feeling of being unwanted or ignored.
Sometimes I make the mistake of thinking that I know what other people think ...because I am not them, and sometimes I make wrong decisions because of that.
There are so many bad people everywhere.
People have to earn my trust now, while that used to be the other way around. But never forget there are good people everywhere too.
Mesha
Bearded Book Wyrm
stoicmike
anubis2814
OldAndCranky
Mike (no not that one)
Wraithe
ChookMother 🇦🇺🦘
WndlB
jz.tusk
Chip Unicorn
Paul Cantrell
Sapalotters
Jennifer Moore 😷
maegul
Just Boby
Silver Huskey
mekka okereke 
Jack Lund
Su The Coder
FrankBautist
Mirella