A LANDFILL

im under the impression the forum rules don't apply. treat this like a separate forum, it's on this forum out of convenience and the other chat forum still exists so this place hasn't superseded that one.

i vote that harrassment & slurs and stuff shouldn't be allowed because we need a modicum of order.

I disagree with this alleged "need for order" and would want to keep things as casual as possible. This order is available elsewhere, but it leads to over-conscientiousness, and I haven't seen any harmful 'disorder' as of yet.

please, tell me how allowing harassment and slurs would make things more ~casual~, as opposed to shitty and tense

Here's a question: Why do people on tumblr use one set of swear words that older generations draw offense from to sound like they're big bad rulebreakers and trendsetters while hawkishly looking out for a new set of words that holds just as much offense to their own generation's sensibilities? (Is it to try to fool themselves that they aren't going to turn out just like their parents?)

slurs are usually swear words, but most swear words aren't slurs

also lmao, "people on tumblr". yeah, you stick it to those sjws!!

The answer is because in the eyes of someone with a middle class habitus, what language is seen as ugly happens to also be lower class language. Filtering out people who use the offensive language is a easy way of filtering out people who don't fit into class conventions (because they do not have time to keep up on all of the updates to class conventions) much like what happened with the person who laughed by saying *laffs*.

slurs are used against lower class people. slurs are used primarily against lower class people. the point of a slur is to dehumanize. slurs are very good at dehumanizing. slurs target minority groups, which are largely made up of lower class people

If you wanted to make your suggestion a rule, you would have to define 'harassment'

how about repetitive behavior that is threatening, coercive, or intentionally disturbing? its not that hard

and what constitutes a slur -

geeze, i dont know, how about words with very clear negative connotations that target minority groups

both things which require some subjective judgment and can be used or misused based on the judge's personal taste.

unlike every other rule ever

I think it's better to let people say what they will. The freedom to say bad things allows people to make mistakes

mistakes that are far from harmless

- and when they do, someone else can talk to them patiently about why that certain thing is bad

you're assuming someone will be there to talk to them. you're assuming they're going to be patient about it.

instead of just issuing a command and punishment that makes them wary about saying anything at all in the future.

you're allowing them to take actions that harm other people in the hopes that they'll stop taking those actions that harm other people.

And if they were to just leave after being scared off without changing their attitude, that doesn't mean anything is fixed - they will simply flock toward likeminded people. Then, if you push too hard without offering any humanity to them in return, you might actually invoke spite in other groups who only see your righteous side and assume you to be acting in malice because they see nothing offered from your ilk!

i didnt know you were such an avid supporter of respectability politics til now

If you want one way to think of how to act when you come across a Wrong Sounding Thing, something that sticks out at you, you can think of it like in those ol mafia werewolf game terms - 'is this scum or dumb?' Then remember that people generally want to be good and a mishap usually comes out of ignorance (only ~1% of the pop is sociopathic), not malice.

Washington was tried for murder in Waco, in a courtroom filled with furious locals. He entered a guilty plea and was quickly sentenced to death. After his sentence was pronounced, he was dragged out of the court by observers and lynched in front of Waco's city hall. Over 10,000 spectators, including city officials and police, gathered to watch the attack. There was a celebratory atmosphere at the event, and many children attended during their lunch hour. Members of the mob castrated Washington, cut off his fingers, and hung him over a bonfire.

One attendee kept part of Washington's genitalia;[30] a group of children snapped the teeth out of Washington's head to sell as souvenirs. By the time that the fire was extinguished, parts of Washington's arms and legs had been burned off and his torso and head were charred. His body was removed from the tree and dragged behind a horse throughout the town. Washington's remains were transported to Robinson, where they were publicly displayed until a constable obtained the body late in the day and buried it.[24]

"people generally want to be good and a mishap usually comes out of ignorance (only ~1% of the pop is sociopathic), not malice"

the fact that so few people lack empathy is the reason dehumanization is used. without dehumanization, atrocities like that wouldn't be possible. don't downplay it as just ignorance. it is malicious.

slurs are a tool to dehumanize.

We've all been stupid in youth. Most of you would probably spit on a ten-years-younger version of you. But now look at you! You've grown! Because someone gave you a chance. The only way to learn is by other people taking the time to talk to you like a human being and help learn mistakes - not by being hit with a ruler for deviating from an ever-changing catechism. Words and their meanings change, but the basic intents of human beings do not, and you should judge people's posts (which are conveyances of thoughts) based on the intent, not the words themselves. So punch a proven jerk, but talk it out with a fool.

the toxic beliefs i held as a teenager didnt come out of the void. the views i held were constantly reinforced by the people around me. the casual use of slurs against minority groups was a part of that reinforcement.

i didn't grow by learning. i grew by unlearning.

. . . i m h o.

you're not humble. this opinion is toxic.