A Necessary Read & A Statement · 8:20pm Jun 4th, 2020
There are over one-hundred of you who follow me, and continue to do so despite me not being able to write anything of substance for a while now. I hope that some of you are decent people, and will read this post in its entirety, and maybe even write posts of your own. I hope you will read something written by someone else, at a time when it is more important than ever to speak out about the things we see that are wrong. This blog post by Mr. Numbers is a sobering read, and one that is shedding an eye on a problem that has become more and more prolific on this site, and in this community. I have noticed it, and whether or not you will admit it to yourselves, you have noticed it as well.
I joined this community many years ago because it was welcoming. Sure, I watch the show and enjoy it and certain episodes have me excited. But the fact of the matter is that it was this fandom, this community that got me interested, more than whatever the show may be about. That is why I find it wholeheartedly disgusting and despicable that the past years have seen this community thrown into a cesspit of toxicity, racism, and harmful speech. But then again, what else should I have expected about a fandom of which one of the most popular fan-creations is a white, blonde-haired and blue-eyed sex symbol with a swastika as it's cutie mark. It is one of the multitude of reasons I find myself shying further and further away from this site and this community; a community I was once proud to say I was a part of.
It's quite funny, really. Just a few short weeks ago I was enthusiastically attempting to finish up some stories and chapters that I had ideas for. But more and more as I crawl the annals of this site, my motivation dies out. And this post signals that sentiment. I have never really been a fan of the moderators on this site, as I have heard stories about them quite often leaning into bias when stories needed to be manually approved. But a moderation team rejecting stories they don't personally like is not as large a problem as them turning a blind eye to hatred and toxicity under the thin guise of "protecting free speech."
It feels silly to have to remind the site's staff on the rules they should be enforcing. But unfortunately, that seems to be the case. For God’s sake, the very first two rules on this site are as follows:
- No personal attacks, in public or otherwise.
- No attacks directed at individuals or groups due to race, gender, gender identity, religion or sexual identity.
There they are, plan as day, crystal freaking clear. And yet time and time again I see them broken in the comments sections of stories and groups and forums. The few times I've seen a moderator jump in, it has been to say some regurgitation of "everyone is entitled to their opinion, you don't have to agree with it, move on and be civilized." This is unacceptable, but even worse, it is profoundly hypocritical. It is bold of anyone to interject into a conversation and blatantly tell people to stop arguing against a comment that is clearly the worst case of uncivilized under the pretense of telling the others to be civilized. At that point, you are acting in defense of the very content you are tasked with moderating.
I digress. This topic is too overwhelmingly convoluted and widespread to break down in a single blog post, or even by a single user. (Thus I have included further reading below if you're interested.) However, it is an issue I feel needs to be made known. I cannot silently stand by this any longer, as to do so would be to stand in support of this wrongdoing. I do not support this behavior, and I most certainly do not support any forum that openly condones it. We are at a time in history when it is more important than ever to speak out on these issues.
I always thought that it was because I was in the comments sections of "the wrong type of stories" and the forums of "the wrong types of groups" that I came across this type of stuff. But as more and more users speak out about it, and I see more and more of it, perhaps it is time to stop being an active participant in such a community. I'm not leaving just yet, but this concerning revelation has done a number on my motivation to continue contributing. I hope all of you also take a closer look at this situation, and if some of you decide to hate or attack me because of this, well, I can't really think of anything other to say than "Thank you for proving my point."
Some further reading about this ongoing detrimental action harming our community:
The Mr. Numbers blog mentioned in the beginning
A Twitter Thread by Wootmaster detailing the current situation
Cynewulf's blog detailing the problematic rising trend
The absolutely horrid hate-filled responses to Depibooru's support of BLM
Thanks, I only come here for twidash stories and had no idea this was happening and it was your blogpost that brought it to my attention. Thank you again
I agree, I mean what the hell is wrong with this site
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I was looking around the blogs that other author's are posting regarding the situation in the US and around the world, and even some explaining how they themselves are hurt daily by such actions. The amount of vitriol that met them in the comments was, to say the least, appalling. I've come to fear that very little can be done to actually fix what is wrong with this site, especially with the total sense of apparent apathy from those unaffected.
Same. I'm seeing a wide spectrum of hate groups such as: misogynists, racists, anti-feminists, rape apologists/defenders, and frankly every manner of human filth pervading this site with their toxicity, and the moderators don't do jack about it.