Comment on The best thing *you* can do for the fediverse is *just be kind*

• Cris_Color@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  I can understand your anger, I’m in the same boat, but I really wasn’t asking you to do that :( I was asking you to be kind to the people here. That you share this space with.

  I wish I had left this list of examples in the original post where I had them at first

  • Compliment people’s art and ask about their process
  • Teach people about something you’re knowledgeable on
  • Give constructive criticism on peoples projects when it’s welcome
  • Thank people for posting things you’re glad you got to see, tell them you enjoyed it
  • Tell people you’re glad they’re here
  • Tell people you hope they have a good day

  I moved them to a comment because I have a bad habit of being really long winded and I wanted people to actually read the whole post, but I think moving them and leaving “try to approach people you disagree with with curiosity rather than hostility” prompted a lot of folks to interpret what I was saying as “tell the Nazis who want to debate your humanity that all their views are swell, actually”

  What I meant is exactly what didn’t happen in our interaction with eachother. I’m a queer leftist whose humanity is debated by the right. You don’t completely agree with me and that’s okay, but I’m not deserving of your hostility.

  We may not see things exactly the same way but I care just as much about combating fascism as you do; everyone I love save for some of my family is a minority with a target on their back in the eyes of the current administration.

  I wish I could have made it more clear what I meant. I’ve gotten lots of comments more or less insinuating that I’m encouraging we all complicit in the rise of fascism. And it’s not a big percentage, but I’m still a human being who hears 12 people forcefully telling me that, and it doesn’t feel great.

  That’s not what I’m advocating. I’m advocating that when you don’t completely see eye to eye with someone, you ask them what they mean (and also lots of other things, but I feel like thats the specific idea in question).

  WE don’t see exactly eye to eye. You and other commenters here don’t see exactly eye to eye. And that’s okay. Being willing to talk with them or me about what they think and why doesn’t help the Nazis.

  (Like I said I’m really long winded 🙃 sorry for the wall of text, I know it’s not even the first one I’ve replied with to you specifically 😅)

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  • SoftestSapphic@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    It’s specifically the “don’t call people Russian trolls/bots”

    There are a lot of Right wingers sympathetic to fascist countries right now, and it doesn’t matter if it’s a troll farm or a regular person pushing hateful ideology it’s harmful and unacceptable either way.

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    • Cris_Color@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Personally I don’t see calling people Russian bots/trolls or accepting harmful behaviour as the only available options.

      I don’t think the former is at all productive or helps anything, and the latter is completely unacceptable. But those aren’t our only options when we decide how we want to engage with people we disagree with

      and again, fascists are not the only people with whom disagreements happen on lemmy. We’re literally disagreeing right now, if you called me a Russian bot I think that would be silly and unproductive. That’s literally my whole point. Not everyone you disagree with is arguing in bad faith 🤷‍♂️

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      • SoftestSapphic@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        If we keep letting Nazis into the bar it becomes a Nazi bar

        This is a good principle to learn as to not accidentally validate people with invalid worldviews.

        en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/Nazi_bar

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