Huntn00Jan 11
@minmi @iranon @so_treu Examples (driving non-whites away)?
Show threadMinmiTheDinoJan 11

@Huntn00

If you click through the replies to my post you’ll see some very helpful responses to the very request you’re making.

But I also want to just let you know that in these discussions there are often people who demand examples in bad faith, never actually prepared to give any credence to anything someone offers of their lived experience. So asking for examples when they’re quite easy to find on your own isn’t a great practice here. I’m assuming you’re actually just looking to learn, so I do invite you to check out the resources ppl link to, but wanted to let you know for the future.

@iranon @so_treu

Show threadHuntn00Jan 11
@minmi @iranon @so_treu I’ve been on Mastodon for a year. My impressions of this social media platform are formed by seeing a huge number of posts from a large variety of individuals and while I’ve had disagreements and blocked some, my overall impression is that M is mostly a left leaning melting pot. In my personal experience I’ve seen no organized systemic methodology to drive non-whites away. Yes, there are assholes everywhere. 🤔
Show threadMinmiTheDinoJan 11

@Huntn00

That has also been my impression. But I’m not a person of color, so when they tell me that’s not their experience, I have zero reason not to believe them. I would be an incredible asshole not to believe them, actually.

When my husband walks down the street with me, he experiences people being respectful towards me. When I tell him that’s not how it looks when he’s not around, I expect him to believe me.

If you’re interested in this actually being a good place to be, that thread has a lot of good resources. But I’m not going to argue this with you. It is well established fact at this point and our task is not to argue over whether it’s happening, it’s to fix it.

Show threadHuntn00Jan 11
@minmi Most of the people I am exposed to here on Mastodon from a multitude of instances appear to be good, inclusive multi-colored people. I’ve seen the bigots, trolls, ___ nationalists, and ultra left. I do not dispute individual
perspectives of negative experiences, but have not personally experienced a ‘movement of segregation’ aimed at people of color. 1:2
Show threadHuntn00Jan 11
@minmi Maybe I’ve been shielded by virtue of being white myself, but I am open to the idea of its existence, and on look out for it, ready to counter it, for what little that’s worth. 2:2 🤔
Show threadMinmiTheDinoJan 11

@Huntn00 I’m glad to hear you’re ready to counter it. We’ll all have to be ready to do the work.

In that spirit, I want to offer that the way you approached this exchange is actually contributing to, not countering the problem. There was no reason to doubt the original posters point of view: they know more about this than we do. So asking for examples and then continuing to couch your statement in “ifs” is actually pretty hostile.

I don’t say this to make you feel bad or because I think you had bad intentions. But we do need to change our behaviors to make change broadly.

Show threadHuntn00
@minmi When someone makes a claim about something you’ve not observed and asking for an example is considered hostile, then I do see an issue on that basis by itself. This is not faith, not all opinions are reasonable or valid just because they are stated. I’d hold up MAGA opinions as examples. But this by no means implies there is no racism or attempts at segregation on Mastodon.
Jan 11 at 9:59pmWeb
Show threadMinmiTheDinoJan 11

@Huntn00 I want you to consider the time and effort I’ve put into answering your request for examples, after having already responded to a different person requesting examples. And that’s on a single thread in response to just one post that wasn’t even mine.

Then consider what that’s like for it to be the thousandth person demanding proof of your own lived experience on post after post. Despite the fact that 1) someone telling you their lived experience (not their opinion) does not require proof and 2) there exists truly staggering amounts of evidence that people have gone to great lengths to surface and that could easily be found by someone wanting to look into it.

I’m telling you this in an effort to be helpful, not to engage in a debate. You can of course take it or leave it.

Show threadHuntn00Jan 11
@minmi Not asking for examples, in this last post, just explaining my reasoning. And sorry, I had not seen your replies to others before making my first post. Apologies.