Mesha“Blah blah people are still on Twitter for no good reason,” says the non-black person fitting into this white-ass space with the utmost of ease.
Dan Gero@devinprater @ThisPlaceAgain People keep pointing out that Mastodon isn't very inviting for black people and that there's a lot of racism here, but the only mentioning of black people I've ever seen here is people pointing out that Mastodon isn't very inviting for black people. I've never seen anyone even hint towards the idea that black people aren't welcome here. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but if you want people to see that it's an issue, you have to site your sources.
@dangero @devinprater This place will never change, because it’s ppl like you who can’t read deeper than the surface. Just because you don’t see ppl yelling “n*****” 24/7 doesn’t mean it’s inviting. Are you actually listening to what black ppl are saying? Because I’ve heard there’s been numerous convos on this long before I got here. There’s a reason black ppl aren’t here. It ain’t just a fluke.
@ThisPlaceAgain Post 1/4: I can sympathize, because I am also part of a minority group. I know all too well what discrimination feels like and how it can present itself. But I also know that a lot of people don't know about the issues we have to deal with. Any time I encounter some form of discrimination, I do my best to explain the problem and how I think we can fix it. I admit I'm not always on the ball with that, but I know that it's my responsibility to provide as much context as I can.
@ThisPlaceAgain Post 2/4: Context is paramount. Most people aren't going to read my posts and decide to take time out of their day to look everything up themselves because I didn't give enough context. Most people scroll through their feed, go "Oh, that's interesting", boost/favorite, and continue scrolling through posts. Providing links will entice people to click and read. Most of my knowledge about certain topics comes from me clicking on the links people provide.
@ThisPlaceAgain Post 3/4: I admit I'm not the greatest at providing the necessary context to get people to take action. You know what I don't do though? What you just did. I asked you if you could give me the sources you got your info from, and instead of doing that so I can be more educated on the issue, you took to finger pointing. Phrases like "People like you" really don't help your case. Rather, it's a fantastic way to get most people to block you and never listen to what you have to say.
@ThisPlaceAgain Post 4/4: The reason I'm making multiple posts is because my instance has a 500 character limit. I know this was a pretty long series of posts, but I hope it encouraged you to stop and think about the way you go about this advocacy thing. I'm not trying to chastise you; I'm trying to help you. I really hope you take this to heart.
WndlB@dangero @ThisPlaceAgain The inviting thing is unquestionably in the eye of the new person. The “a lot of racism here” charge really could do with some cited examples, particularly of reported posts kept up, still offending.
@ThisPlaceAgain @wndlb I don't know any black person on Mastodon besides one, and I follow him already.
@dangero @ThisPlaceAgain Dan, meet this place again...
@wndlb @ThisPlaceAgain Yes, I would like to meet you and understand more about you and your struggles, so I'll follow you both.
@ThisPlaceAgain @dangero It's not just few discussing #KendrickLamar; few discuss #harrystyles either. The generic poster, for better or worse, is, in some form, a coder, and not just as a hobby.
jz.tusk@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.
@ThisPlaceAgain @dangero I do think that that median demo says something: they are the ppl who do know when it is time to get out of, in this case, the Dodge of social media.
Chip UnicornDan --
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.
@Chip_Unicorn I understand. Give me a few minutes, I'll get back to you.
@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?
@ThisPlaceAgain sorry you're going through this. You're right, there have been numerous convos on this for a loooong time, @shengokai's "The Whiteness of Mastodon" talks about this in more detail.