Moderator Note
This spinoff thread IS about women’s experiences here, along with racial issues, gender issues, and anything else that factors into why the SDMB demographics are what they are. Discussions about what to do about it are also on-topic for this thread.
And just a reminder to all that this is not the Pit. Please treat others with respect while in this forum.
If this place is so repressive, could one of you that think this point out less repressive places to have a decent conversation? Most of the places I’ve tried that allow the type of talk some seem to be pressing for in this thread (and other threads through the years) are even more restrictive to progressive ideas, usually to the point of instabanning and complete elimination of all posts. In fact, the type of discussion we are having right now usually isn’t allowed at all.
But I’ve got an open mind, so if you’ve got examples of other places that do it better please point them out.
The criticisms being offered about the board are actually consistent with what I’m seeing and hearing in meatspace as well. People are reluctant to broach controversial subjects with each other unless they already know going into it that they see things the same way, and this is within liberal circles. And the knee-jerk hypersensitivity largely does seem to be driven mostly by left-leaning white people who seem soldered to their own frame of reference.
Solipsistic narcissism is what I’ve diagnosed this. I see it manifest in the following forms:
It is happening in a lot of places, not just here. But yes, it’s happening a lot here. People with very strong opinions are often not humble enough to realize the insularity of their own experiences is the only reason they believe in what they do. Insularity is what you get when you stay in echo chambers and hug boxes.
Do you find a lot of this in the right-wing online forums that are more accepting of your points of view?
I don’t frequent boards that I would characterize as “right-wing”, so I cannot answer that question.
Then perhaps, compared to them, we are doing quite well when it comes to tolerating diverse opinion. It is kind of hard to know exactly what it is you are wanting to happen here without some sort of example.
I concur.
This board is doing quite well, IMHO.
When it comes to allowing civilized conservative opinion, perhaps, but when it comes LGBTQ+ and female issues we still have a ways to go in my opinion.
My point is that the current vibe of the SDBM is a microcosm of a larger social phenomenon occurring in left-leaning communities. Resistance to intellectually engaging ideas that challenge commonly held viewpoints is that phenomenon.
I couldn’t care less what is happening in “right-wing” boards. It’s not a contest.
This is a false narrative. What happened was that you decided to stop talking about anything else other than how trans people were awful. You engaged in a ton of hatefulness, even to the point of directly harassing a trans poster, telling her that she had faked her suicide attempt.
So, like other posters who were only here to promote bigotry, you got moderated. However, unlike them, you only got a topic ban. You were free to discuss literally anything else.
Your sister even claimed that you weren’t obsessed with this topic. And yet you never had anything else to say. Even now, you’re pretending that you speak for all women, even though most cisgender women are fine with trans women.
If all you think is important is pushing scientific transphobia, then you get treated like those who only push scientific racism. You’re one of those who is against bigotry towards like you, but condones it towards people you don’t like.
You were only silenced because you were saying the same thing as the scientific racists, just with a different minority.
You’re describing yourself with your obsession about trans issues. You think women in general agree with you, which means you must be in an echo chamber.
And you’re pushing a very conservative worldview. Because bigotry is not a debatable topic. No one would be allowed to say that black people are all out to get white women, either. So of course you don’t get to say that trans women are out out to cisgender women.
Again, you harassed a trans poster. You were told to stop. You weren’t silenced in general. You just had nothing else to say.
But you only seem to be intolerant of the leftish lean of this one little message board, while claiming to disregard the vast right-wing cornucopia available on the interwebs. We are only a tiniest piece of the Pie Of Opinion, but you seem to want even this little piece shared with the far right while disregarding the fistfuls of pie they have already grabbed. If you have examples of “intellectually engaging ideas” that have been presented in a civil matter but have been shut down anyway, could you point them out, because right now all I’ve got to work with are vagaries.
YWTF: The SDMB has a hypersensitive culture consistent with what I’m seeing in other places, both online and offline.
Czarcasm: You’re intolerant of us but not of right wingers, wah!
Why are you bringing up the right, once again? I already know dogmatism has largely displaced rationality in their online communities. Do you really think everything is fine just as long as you’re not like them? If that’s your preferred comparison group, then you might be closer to them than you think.
Let’s get specific. What isn’t allowed that should be, specifically? What viewpoints are outlawed, specifically?
YWTF: I demand the right to post transphobic bigotry.
SDMB: No. But you’re free to post on all other topics.
YWTF:
I gotta echo @iiandyiiii and ask what specific views aren’t tolerated? I can think of a few, but they all relate to bigotry, misogyny, racism, etc. I’m fine with those not being tolerated. Are those what you’re talking about? Is it the very short list of “settled topics” like flat earth and the moon landing hoax?
There’s a difference between being silenced and not being received kindly. I haven’t seen a discussion on universal healthcare shut down because it’s a forbidden topic.
Are you looking for a place where you can freely discuss (non-bigoted) topics? I will support you in that goal. But if you’re looking for a place where you can discuss topics without people arguing against you, then you’re on your own.
Testing again
Closing the side issue was my intent.
In response to “nobody’s discussing this thing X that is happening,” I was pointing out that X doesn’t appear to be happening. It didn’t seem necessary to add, “therefore we don’t need to be discussing it, let alone discussing why nobody’s discussing it.”
It’s a new secular religion. Which is scary and dangerous. I’m honestly not sure why it’s been allowed to manifest on this board.
What is a new secular religion, at least on this board? Please be specific. There’s a lot of vague and uncited references and very few, if any, specifics, in these allusions.