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[Meta] Proposal: Maximum user choice

Follow up to the discussion in this thread: https://literature.cafe/post/20498464

Given the variety of perspectives shared in that thread, I don't think that a single community will be able to satisfy everyone.

As such, I have come up wit the following split:

While it does fragment the userbase (always a risk with in the fediverse), it would put give individual users the maximum amount of choice for what posts they wish to see in their feed, and what topics they wish to discuss.

I am interested in hearing people's thoughts.

25 comments

  • Do the admins of Lemmy.zip know that you're planning to host a community on their instance where people who are critical of JK Rowling will be censored? @gazby@lemmy.zip @Demigodrick@lemmy.zip @v4ld1z@lemmy.zip @Sami@lemmy.zip

    I don't see how creating a community on that basis and then naming it !harrypotter will not produce a safe space for transphobes. I've suggested a compromise in naming a Harry Potter focused community !jkisabigot, where harry potter memes and non-JK content can be redirected from !harrypotter. There are several examples of communities on Reddit like Trees, MarijuanaEnthusiasts, and Anime_titties becoming successful not just despite their name, but partially because the story their name tells.

    News and criticism about JK Rowling is part of the HP fan discourse. I've been told to "fuck off" like I'm an outsider, like I don't belong in the fandom because I think discussion of JK Rowling's bigotry is more important than her stories. Places where you can enjoy HP content while avoiding Rowling criticism exist on Reddit. They don't belong on the Fediverse.

    And a !jkrowling community on lemmy.blahaj.zone is a terrible idea. Who is going to moderate it, you? Why do you think you're qualified?

    A majority trans instance doesn't need reminders that JK Rowling exists in their local feed. If people there wanted it, they would have created the community already. I'm sure @ada@lemmy.blahaj.zone has good intentions, but the existence of that community will only be used as an excuse to push Rowling criticism away from where it needs to be seen; by people actively consuming HP content.

    • We've had an chat internally and decided that we'd be happy with a community that separates HP from JKR as long as it was properly moderated in line with its purpose.

      The suggestion allows for a community on another instance where JKR could be discussed in relation to HP. The merits of such a community are obvious, however we don't agree that the subject matters can't be discussed separately, if there was a demand for that community to exist.

      So, we would be happy with a community to specifically discuss HP, if such a community was to be opened.

    • "A majority trans instance doesn't need reminders that JK Rowling exists in their local feed."

      How tf does that make sense with the rest of your arguments? You keep saying that it is important to highlight the JKR criticism, but suddenly agree that it is traumatizing for a lot of people?

      • I feel slightly alarmed that I need to explain this to you.

        JK Rowling is traumatizing to trans people because she wants them not to exist. There's very little trans people can do to take away JK Rowling's power to harm them. Note that Rule 3 of !trans@lemmy.blahaj.zone is "Don’t post negative, depressing news articles about trans issues unless there is a call to action or a way to help." !jkrowling will be a !trans rule 3 violation community.

        I imagine JK Rowling is traumatizing to you because she wants trans people to stop existing, is using your participation in her fantasy world to fuel her crusade, and the cognitive dissonance between that knowledge and the belief that you aren't an oppressor of trans people is uncomfortable. Maybe you are comfortable with Rowling's goal to erase transgender identities. It could be that are concerned with the growing social consensus that Harry Potter is fueling transphobic policies and propaganda, and people are catching on to your bigotry more easily because of your enthusiastic participation in the fandom. I honestly don't know why you consider your exposure to news about JK Rowling's politics in a HP community comparable to feelings of anger, anxiety, and depression exposure to JK Rowling news is likely to cause in a trans community.

        There's a fundamental difference between the trauma you are concerned about and the trauma I am concerned about. With the knowledge of what JK Rowling is doing, you can choose to pirate the content and encourage your friends not to give JK Rowling any more money. You can make trans-inclusive fan art of HP characters. You can choose to listen to the many trans people who have asked you to stop engaging with the franchise entirely. You can stop building your identity around her specific fantasy world. You have so much agency to deal with the trauma of knowledge. Trans people cannot stop being trans.

      • It's important to highlight JRK criticism, but having that in the local feed of the queer instance isn't probably the best place to have it.

        Another instance would be better, as it allows users from Blahaj who are interested to subscribe, while others don't have to see it by default in their local feed.

    • Good point about the lemmy.zip staff, looking forward their answer.

      News and criticism about JK Rowling is part of the HP fan discourse. I've been told to "fuck off" like I'm an outsider, like I don't belong in the fandom because I think discussion of JK Rowling's bigotry is more important than her stories.

      Same here, and I agree with you.

      the existence of that community will only be used as an excuse to push Rowling criticism away from where it needs to be seen; by people actively consuming HP content.

      They wouldn't be able to do so, as criticism would still be allowed here. To be fair, I don't expect a JKR only community to really get off.

25 comments