So much for the measured approach to encouraging board behavioral change, at least in this instance.
I’ve never called for or rejoiced at anyone’s banning, even the most virulent morons. So I can’t muster up anything besides a “meh” at Huey’s departure. He got what he wanted - a brief warm glow of satisfaction at being once again martyred by the White Man, or (alternate explanation) a few months of joy out of stirring people up under a fake identity.
QFT+1
You didn’t. Others did.
Genuine, period. As the corollary to the famous cartoon goes, “On the Internet, no one knows you’re a dog. Everyone knows you’re an asshole.” He probably was an angry black man, but I have no way of knowing. And if he was faking it, he hardly would have been the first to adopt a fake persona here.
I am not and have never been a mod, but in my experience long-time posters get more slack, particularly those who have demonstrated that they can constructively contribute to discussions (even if they prefer to be, as you say, jerks). Huey came in all guns blazing and showed every sign of being unwilling to do anything except make offensive comments, accuse people of everything under the sun and be a jerk. As I said in the other thread:
It is true that this messageboard needs a wider range of different voices, but that doesn’t mean that there should be unlimited tolerance for someone who just screams incoherently at the top of his lungs and smears shit on the walls, even in the Pit.
Should he have been banned? I don’t know - I didn’t ask for it to happen, but I won’t miss him.
I am upset when any voice that can foster understanding of another viewpoint or that can speak truth to power is silenced.
Huey was not that voice.
Definitely not. In the 1960s–and even today–you can’t swing a dead cat without smacking into a self-righteous white liberal scolding black people for being so angry. Invoke any of them, not King.
Admittedly I’m not a King scholar, but I’ve yet to run across any circumstance in which he sided with a white liberal against a black radical, chastising the latter for being so angry.
Again, I’m no King scholar, but I’m pretty sure that the MLK you’re talking about here is the defanged, anodyne version that we’ve mythologized, not the actual man. And I’m pretty sure he’d not be down with a white dude explaining racism in a condescending manner to a person of color, and I’m pretty freakin’ sure he wouldn’t want to have his own words twisted into support for such an action.
That “I Have a Dream” speech was talking about a future in which skin-based judgment wouldn’t happen. It wasn’t forbidding folks in the present from recognizing the different experiences of racism that folks have according to their skin color.
You do realize that you’re whitesplaining Dr. King, don’t you? You just think you’re doing it the “right” way.
If Huey Freeman had much to teach us, I don’t care to learn it. I already know how to be an asshole.
Regards,
Shodan
cool thx
That idealized vision would have him say “yep, dude’s an asshole.” While I think he might have said that, he may have instead sided with those who think it better to concentrate on greater injustices. What I don’t think he would have said is “you only resent him calling you an inbred retard semen-eater because he’s black!”
It sure looked to me like you did. You characterized his posts as “Huey was banned for being an angry Black man who did not play nice with both the outright (and proud) racists on this Board, as well as the never-met-a-pile-on-they-didn’t-like posters.”
I apologize that I misunderstood. However:
No, I can’t. But if you pissed me off, it wouldn’t be okay for me to say you were inferior because you were black. Similarly, it doesn’t matter what Guin says: you don’t get to attack her for her mental illness, sex shame her, or treat her like an object who only has value if she has a man.
There’s no excuse for bigotry, no matter what someone else does. So this comes off as defending one of the horrible things Huey said.
Now this does make me thing I misunderstood you, and that you and I are on the same page on this part. You don’t defend him, but you disagree with how the moderation was handled.
But please don’t defend what he said to Guinastasia. You’ll note that she and I don’t exactly get along, but that’s irrelevant in this case. I will defend absolutely anyone from bigotry, especially when it seems that some of that bigotry is not being addressed as such.
And I apologize if quoting the Reverend Dr. King offended you. It was not my intent. I just thought his words were better than any I could come up with. I’m also used to quoting him to the alt-right, and so I didn’t think about how it might come off as whitesplaining.
It didn’t seem to me that BigT was criticizing him for “being so angry.” It was for being a sexist, misogynist, ableist, and other things.
I had mixed feelings about Huey. I thought it was valuable for majoritarian culture to be exposed to ideas from someone who has been tangibly harmed by our white supremacist society and describes in clear terms what his or her experience is, without cushioning.
However, I soon stopped reading his posts because they largely became long blocks of insults and expressions of various kinds of bigotry. Still, I would have considered Huey’s viewpoint a contribution with some value, provided that the mods curb the extreme personal attacks on other posters.
Again, as I said above, there should be a rule against using a poster’s revelations of personal difficulties and weaknesses against him or her in such a vicious manner, even in the BBQ Pit.
The guy was a jerk. You could see it. I could see it. He was aware he was being a jerk! And even in the pit, where it’s more acceptable, he went too far.
I don’t see a problem banning him for being a jerk, after a couple of ‘dial it back’ mod notes. I really don’t see the need to split hairs or make some convoluted justification, to be honest. Failing to see a controversy, to be honest.
Are we supposed to believe a white poster would have been perfectly accepted when saying such things? Because that’s beyond silly in my opinion. No chance! (Would they get banned? Hard to say, that seems to hinge much more on response/posting history/attitude, as far as I can tell!)
“That’s bait!” said Max.
It’d also be wrong, because I’m not Black.
I’m not defending it, I’m explaining it.
You know about explaining things, don’t you, BigT?
Yes.
Didn’t offend me, it amused me, and pretty much for the reasons LHoD outlined: your using King’s words about a desired future as if it represented current reality is amusing.
But don’t worry, I’m not going to get all angry about it. That kind of actin’ up don’t go over too well round these here parts, no, Sah. jigs
It may not still be the latest thing, but why must 21st-century slang have such a short shelf life? If a usage is cool and fun, let it hang out in the lexicon a while instead of insisting it go on the trash heap.
Speaking of which…
Oh snap!
If that were a banning offense, how is it you’re still around?
Love it. Seriously. Excellent post, in every way.
qft
Since we’re doing the QFT thing, this:
If Huey had some good arguments, he could have posted them in GD, but that’s why he stayed in the Pit, he wouldn’t have went very far without the insults. In fact, he just didn’t get out much anywhere else. Huey was running out of gas even before he was banned. His insults became more and more mean-spirited towards quite a few, but Shodan’s were a hell of a lot wittier and funnier with their exchanges, so his thread did have some good laughs in it.
Was suprised how many fed the troll time and time again, and I’m sure Huey enjoyed all of the threads being created just for him and all of the attention he was getting. Some of the stuff the Dope speculated and suspicioned Huey might be or be a part of only fed the troll that much more, and wished those would have been kept to a minimum.
There were quite a few that tried to engage him without the insults and far out speculation, but he either ignored their posts or didn’t seem as interested in their arguments.
Okay, here is my QFT. I still like how this poster summed it all up in Huey’s thread: