I think I should be talking more about morality, politics and culture on here. I am one of the people that doesn’t have the choice to engage in those or not. Without politics and culture, my physical and mental well-being would be actively at risk, every single day.
@fabio How can I help make this a place where you feel comfortable and confident talking about these important matters?
@fabio If it isn't for you already, let's make this a place where you feel comfortable talking about those things.
@fabio I think you’re right. I think we all should be talking about morality and cultures and politics as much as we can handle; as minds change, so the world.
@fabio Please feel free to discuss topics that are close to your heart and identity. As long as others engage with you civilly, it's okay. Otherwise, you should feel free to ignore, mute, or block (at least online). I used to hold back but now I post what I want to post about.
@fabio Just wanted to say you are not alone in how important these topics are for you, and although it's only implied and I might be misreading where you're coming from, I can see how or why you might have felt apprehensive about delving into them here.
Speaking for myself now: I can tell that a lot of people are putting a lot of effort into making Micro.blog a positive and safe environment and to distinguish it from places like Twitter, and there might be some - or a lot of - nerves about getting into topics of identity, morality, and politics lest things get out of hand. But I still think we can find a way to talk about all of that without it becoming toxic. I suppose it's my fundamental belief in peoples' capacity for empathy and ability to solve problems and build better communities.
So count me as one person who's actively welcoming you to bring those topics up. I'll be here.
@sherif @pratik @bkryer @patrickrhone @cygnoir Thanks all for the responses. Each of your replies means a lot. I’ve felt it’s hard to write or talk about social politics, morality and justice when those points you’d make are deeply essential for you. You risk putting effort in writing about things that are very close to your core, already choosing to become vulnerable, and either being ignored (which often happens on the internet: it’s obviously not an obligation on anyone’s part to care about what another internet citizen writes) – or being on the receiving end of some of the same reactions we see all too often: marginalisation, derision, justification.
Another peril for me is to radicalise myself and my opinions every time I’m exposed to extreme counterarguments. I think radicalisation is really one of the big contemporary social problems, and, as parts of what I think might appear as extreme to some, I don’t want to pour more fuel on the fire of the world’s opinions radicalisation. Just as much as - I’d rather not get mad at random internet strangers disagreeing that - e.g. - everyone should have equal rights and just protection. That not only hurts my feelings but also my ability to properly articulate my points.
About helping: well, once again, your attention and your replies already help, both me and others in making the message more visible, any message. Your sense of community, of holding hands with others, of sharing a bit of their message, is a great help. Discussing ideas is also fantastic. All discussions that are in good faith and do not contain extreme, either-black-or-white arguments, are good. All this means participation. Thank you for that. As you know, and as I’ve recently felt more and more, many of our ancestors, either close or distant, took arms for us to be able to participate. So we’re here. To end this, if you would like, I would ask back to you: how could we help for it to be easier to share matters that are close to your core?
@fabio I've always enjoyed this TED Talk by Megan Phelps-Roper who grew up in the Westboro Baptist Church cult and how online discourse helped change her mind. I think the roadmap she shares that worked for her is a great one to follow in all potentially difficult discourse. I especially have benefited from the first point, "Don't assume bad intent".
I think having some community guidelines for difficult discourse would be a good start towards creating a space where all can feel safe sharing all of themselves.
@patrickrhone I’ve only read an article about the guy that started the conversation with her. Thank you for linking to this!
@odd It iss, perhaps, my favorite TED Talk of all time. I re-watch it often as a reminder. Copied her high level points into my commonplace book as well for regular review.
@fabio To answer the "how could we help" question, I can think of two big ways. The first is to build an (internet) public square with the right bones/foundations or early decisions, and I think Micro.blog has made a lot of really good early decisions that help us have these kinds of conversations in a much better way than other social media sites. For example, the lack of character limits in replies/conversations allow for nuance, expressions of empathy, inclusion, etc. The absence of mob mentality catalysts like likes, easy reposts, etc, all temper the forces that can lead to extreme reactions or pile-ons in all but the most offensive of situations.
The second way is a shared responsibility I think. I agree that we should keep having conversations about guidelines and establishing some rules of engagement, but in the end nothing makes true vulnerability easy or perfectly safe imo. At some point we all have to take a chance on each other and be as authentic as we can be that day. The rest of us should do our best to notice when someone is expressing that vulnerability, and engage in reinforcing ways. Even in disagreement. And the person putting themselves out there can say what they need if they want to (e.g., just support, thoughtful debate, feedback, etc) and the rest of us should do our best to respect that.
In summary: I think the conditions for the kind of conversations you mention are close to ideal in a place like M.b. The rest is on us to be role models in putting ourselves out there and showing up for others who do.