dyedgrey @dyedgrey@qoto.org

Front row seats to the dumpster fire.

@mekkaokereke A large part of the problem that some white people have is that they do not see themselves as overtly racist. The imagine that racism is attending Klan rallies. Actively hating people. They don't see or understand the systems they take part in that result in systemic racism.
Innuendo Studio recently released an excellent video that details this very issue. Well worth the view.

https://youtu.be/wCl33v5969M

I'm done mourning Twitter.

Now I want to help build the actual future of social media.

And there is no future of social media without the Fediverse.

I’ve boosted lots of info about CWs this week. I’ve also seen CWs weaponized against BIPOC and other marginalized folks, so want to clarify:

White ppl, it’s racist to ask BIPOC to CW racism. Racism CWs are Not For You. (Same goes for other axes of discrimination. If you’re holding the privilege, STFU.)

It’s not ok to harass/confront people about CWs. Just move along. You have tools to curate your feed.

I will boost marginalized voices on this issue. Feel free to unfollow/block me for that. 👋

BIPOC people talking about #racism should not need a #ContentWarning to make white people “feel safe” on Mastodon or other platforms. We need to face the reality of the current and historical harm we have done to others without it being hidden from us. @patricia https://twitter.com/pati_gallardo/status/1590485665535643649

@jentaub
My bird site schadenfreude extends to wishing we could persuade Mush to buy Fox News next.

#Religion has no place in schools unless it is being examined historically from an 'all religions/no religion' perspective...
The practising of faith based customs in schools is segregationist, exclusionist and promotes 'distrust of others'...

#Religion, for those who still think it has relevance, is and always should be an extra-curricular activity...

#atheist #atheism

go to your preferences and check "slow mode". It works on all clients. Instead of skittering past, it forms a notification link at the top of the column.

"[T]here’s been endless hand-wringing about whether Democrats turned off salt-of-the-earth, diner-going Americans by not loudly condemning calls to defund the police. In the wake of Republicans’ weak showing on Tuesday, the political press should lavish similar attention on the ways the fringe right has alienated normal people." 🎯 @michelle https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/09/opinion/republicans-midterms-abortion.html

For all it's advantages and faults, #Mastodon was not built to be a *new* Twitter. It was built to be *not* Twitter.

That distinction is important.

Two things that are really important on here:

♿ Add text descriptions to your images/videos/audio. Accessibility is fundamental. More info: https://fedi.tips/mastodon-and-fediverse-accessibility-tips/#HowDoIMakePostsMoreAccessibleToBlindPeople

⚠️ Use Content Warnings on anything that people may not want to read right now. It could be upsetting like violence or politics, mild like movie spoilers, but either way it shows empathy and consideration for strangers. More info: https://fedi.tips/staying-safe-on-mastodon/#UsingContentWarnings

These features are key to keeping this place friendly. Please use them. 🙏 ❤️

I must say, that even in the last few days since I joined Mastodon I’ve seen a culture shift - more #politics, more ‘hot takes’, less discussion, fewer #CWs, less #AltText. I hope it’s a blip and urge newbies like me not to unwittingly play out the #coloniser #stereotypes and ride roughshod over the existing culture. It’s a lovely, gentle, curious #community here, would be awful to ruin it because we’re conditioned to something worse.

As a user interface note on the continuing discussion of CW's

(1) Add CWs liberally to your posts, UKPol, MH, violence, war, eye-contact, food, alcohol, spoilers, etc.

(2) If you don't have any triggers or stressors around these subjects and find clicking to expand them tiresome go to Preferences -> Appearance -> "Always expand posts marked with content warnings"

Magically all the CW'd posts in your feed will be auto-expanded. Then *everybody* wins, the experience is good for all.

#FediTips

https://www.sciencealert.com/we-have-the-first-evidence-of-bumble-bees-playing-with-toys-and-its-utterly-adorable

Timeline cleanser: bumblebees play! H/t Doctor Kaboom

Part of what is going on right now is that the culture of #Mastodon has largely been shaped by neurodiverse, queer, and disabled people. This means it's designed to be as accessible to as many people as possible.

Many of the people coming in are cishet and/or white and/or able-bodied and/or neurotypical and/or male and struggling with the idea that their preferences are not centered.

What makes Mastodon weird also makes it accessible. It's worth keeping.

Seriously though, fedi was *built* by furries, trans and queer folk, disabled neurodivergent people.

This is *the reason* the culture here is what it is. Why CWs are a thing. Why image descriptions are a thing. Why privacy matters here. Why moderation tools not only exist, but are usable — and used.

If you had joined and asked yourself "wow, how come this place is so chill and kinda… nice?" — that's thanks to all the nice people from communities some people call "weird".

So #KeepFediWeird.

I don't know how old these kids are (to my elderly eyes they all look about 13) but their expert note-perfect recreation of this masterpiece is as if a bunch of primary-school kids grabbed paint brushes and mocked-up a serviceable Da Vinci. Just extraordinary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDrqTwkuLlg