Silencing Spinster Instance for all of QOTO, CW for Length 

@alex @mk
@freemo
@arteteco

After much discussion among the mod team we've decided to silence the @spinster instance for QOTO users.

We do not take the silencing of an instance to be anything less than totally serious. We have had issues with being silenced and we do not wish to simply ban an instance because they disagree with us.

Abuse and harassment without moderator comment, however, is a different story.

There are many showings of misandry, anti-trans ideologies, and abusive behaviors dressed up in the guise of 'Protecting an Oppressed Class'.

We at QOTO do acknowledge that there are a great many issues facing women in this world, and that indeed the current social structure of society is almost certainly stacked against them, as it is other oppressed and minority groups.

We cannot, however, support an instance that has little to no moderation of it's more extreme elements that cross the lines of understood acceptable behavior on Mastodon.

It is important to note that this is not necessarily a permanent decision. Should Spinster change their moderation stance on their users and begin to better police their instance we will be happy to unsilence and try again to have a relationship with these people who are undoubtedly trying to fight for what they feel is correct.

As I have said before, and will say again:

It isn't what you say that's important, it is how you say it.

Silencing Spinster Instance for all of QOTO, CW for Length 

@Mrkhvoice @alex @mk @arteteco I'm assuming this is a continuation of the previous conversation. I'm afraid I haven't seen it until someone else I followed boosted it. My apologies.

Silencing Spinster Instance for all of QOTO, CW for Length 

@Mrkhvoice @alex @mk @arteteco At this point, however, I think it best not to dwell on this and to go whatever way you'd like to go.

As I'm sure you've all noticed I still interact with some members of the server, and happily so.

I just only see the people I follow now. So, if you'd like to speak to me directly, I think you can DM me. This is not the solution I personally hoped for, but it is the situation we're in now. The only thing to do is muddle on through and perhaps revisit it at a later date.

I do wish you good luck, and good health in all your endeavors and please let me know if there's something I can do for you.

@SPRENGLARF
No one is blocking, a silence has been set, and the political opinions of anyone were completely irrelevant here

@Surasanji @Mrkhvoice @alex @mk

@arteteco @Surasanji @Mrkhvoice @alex @mk Way to silence them then! I know that game well! I don't have a meme for 'Keep calm and silence' em all'! LOL!

Silencing Spinster Instance for all of QOTO, CW for Length 

@Mrkhvoice @alex @mk @arteteco

I can only speak for myself as to why I voted the way I did. I can speak for no one else, nor will I try.

Through the first part of the argument I was trying to reach consensus. I was then attacked by several members of the Spinster community and called some rather unflattering things. At no point were these people moderated in any way by Alex or MK. I figured they were busy dealing with the shit show.

But if one person speaking to the community, as a moderator of a different community while trying to find a way to work through what he saw as a rather petty and minor issue (On both sides, don't think I didn't tell Freemo my thoughts. I did and I do.) is attacked by that community he was actually trying to defend it leaves a rather sour taste in his mouth.

This is a very small thing, Claire and is somewhat part and parcel of the federated nature of Mastodon. People are people- right and wrong. I did, in the end, vote to silence Spinster.

And I did so for the entirely personal reason that I was unfairly attacked by the spinster community when I had done nothing, in my opinion, to deserve it.

My attempts to try and deescalate the situation were thrown in my face and I was called something along the lines of a 'woman hating neck beard' by one user. I'm fairly sure that same user called me a creep, as well, which again is not fair or true.

I still follow more people from spinster than any other instance. I will continue to do so because I enjoy interacting with those people.

So, with my personal reasons in mind: that I came to try and honestly make things work and calm shit down and neither party would allow me to do so- The path of least resistance was to put a band-aid on the instance and try and let the situation cool down so later on maybe I could get something done.

That is unlikely to happen, though, if people aren't able to move on.

Silencing Spinster Instance for all of QOTO, CW for Length 

@Mrkhvoice @alex @mk @arteteco Lady, I wasn't criticized. There was nothing critical about what was said to me- they were attacks. Let's not mince words here.

And don't you try and throw my requested explanation back in my face like I owed you anything at all- I don't.

This is what I'm talking about. I have answered you respectfully and you turn it around and act like I've done something wrong by letting you know why I made my decision.

And now we're going to play the game about who's "Issue" is more serious?

Claire, criticism is different than abuse and don't for a second think I don't know the difference.

I didn't say anything about intersex people. I didn't call any woman a cunt. I didn't suggest ANYONE on Spinster die in a fire.

And since we're going on a whole 'I'd suggest by your actions' kick-

I'd suggest by your actions that you are still very upset about how this went down and somehow feel guilty regarding how things ended with QOTO deciding to silence Spinster.

That's why you can't let it go. You need the validation to kill that guilt.

In short, Claire, Fuck you.

Fuck you for trying to turn around my honest comments and explanations and play some sort of 'UH WELL IT'S WORSE FOR SOMEONE ELSE' game.

I tried to make things right and I got attacked- there was nothing critical or helpful about what was said to me, it did nothing to forward or advance the conversation or to help Spinster in any way.

Spinster USERS are the reason why I voted to silence spinster. Like it or not someone who was trying to help the situation got abused and attacked by users on Spinster.

Do not be surprised that he said 'Yeah, maybe we should keep Spinster from showing up in the federated timeline for QOTO users' based on his experience when he tried to fucking help you not be silenced.

I'm finished with this conversation now, Claire. I suggest you finish with it, too.

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Qoto Mastodon

QOTO: Question Others to Teach Ourselves
An inclusive, Academic Freedom, instance
All cultures welcome.
Hate speech and harassment strictly forbidden.