Hello users of Hexbear, we wanted to inform you that we are going to be locking the_dunk_tank and dredge_tank communities. We have created two new communities /c/gossip and /c/counterpropaganda to serve a similar but clearly distinct purpose than the dunk/dredge tanks.

Not only is the dunk tank a term that has racist origins, but also many posts there were almost no effort and often times requiring later edits to show how they weren't reactionary, not useful with regard to developing rhetoric and furthering dialectical analysis of that which we dunk upon.

To that end, we wish posts of reactionaries to be placed in !counterpropaganda@hexbear.net along with an accompanying explanation (as simple or complex as desired) with the intent of countering the reactionary propaganda in the post body, as of now comments are not subject to the same rhetorical rigor rule.

For the posts that are not "low-hanging fruit' of notable people we ask that you use !gossip@hexbear.net .

These changes are mainly part of a continued effort to remove the racist and misogynistic elements from our community and grow.

Any moderators of the dunk tank or dredge tank that want to be a mod in the new communities let me know.

Any users with questions or comments please use this post, this change was made at the behest of the entire Hexbear mod and admin team. We will be looking for more moderators in an organized volunteer drive shortly, if you wish to submit an application you may send it to me via hexbear or matrix direct messages.

Use this post as a place for discussion to these changes. We will keep things as they are for 2 weeks and then reflect on the feedback, including this post: https://hexbear.net/post/3858346

As a personal addendum I am sorry if the closing of the tanks these changes removes a beloved space on the site and if you want to suggest a community to replace them you may do so at !commrequest@hexbear.net or submit a mod application to take a more active role in shaping the site.

Sitewide or community changes come from proposals put forth from the mod team, discussed, and voted on by the mod team.

Any users wanting to suggest a community to replace the tanks, may do so at !commrequest@hexbear.net current discussion is here https://hexbear.net/post/3858346 or submit a mod application to take a more active role in shaping the site.

You may also consider using !shitreactionariessay@lemmygrad.ml as a substitute for dunk/dredge tank posts as well

The mod statement can be found here: https://hexbear.net/comment/5613033

Application

What is your Hexbear username? Do you have any preferred pronouns? What are your thoughts on capitalism? What are your thoughts on imperialism? What are your thoughts on trans rights? What are your thoughts on racial justice? What do think about current and previous protests around the world? What are your thoughts on Veganism and Animal Liberation? Do you have any experience with other leftist online communities? What did those experiences teach you? What is your approach to moderation, and how do you work with teams? How do you deal with online drama and people who try to start things for the sake of it? What current comms would you be interested in moderating? Do you have any ideas for community engagement? What is your general time availability? (Time zone, amounts, common browsing times, etc)

  • Venat [he/him, any]
    ·
    3 days ago

    Ultimately, upon reflection and reading the favorable statements, I think I support this decision.

    r/shitliberalssay and other left subreddits is where yuri got most of the dunk/dredge content. You could just go to those websites and forums to get your slop.

    I guess you can miss the emotes.

    I kind of think it might affect the Hexbear users in that it might diminish its engagement numbers, but things like Oct 7th and the genocide thereof; well, I understand that this collective outrage and need for a punching bag via the dunk tank as an outlet to let off steam is an act of futility and self-indulgence.

    To be satisfied with having the right disgust at the right people, to think emotional regulation and ventilation is sufficient to maintain our humanity in the midst of believing the world to be conquered by evil. All of this is insufficient and only helps to maintain your sense of self; an act of individuality not collective catharsis and action.

    Refreshing your outrage is not enough. I think UlyssesT understood this both times he left the site. You have to act.

    Posting isn't praxis despite its alleged intent in !gossip & !counterpropaganda, because those communities real intent is for you, the user, to process on an intellectual rather than an emotional level why your reactionary prole is wrong, why a member of the power elite acts this way, how these institutions manipulate and destroy you. When you can articulate these emotions on an intellectual level you can communicate these thoughts, analyses, and insights to others in your own life.

    You have to reconcile what you know is true in your heart with how you can communicate those thoughts and feelings through your mind, intellect, and persuasiveness.

    • glimmer_twin [he/him]
      ·
      3 days ago

      r/shitliberalssay and other left subreddits is where yuri got most of the dunk/dredge content. You could just go to those websites and forums to get your slop.

      There’s often an obsession with “dismantling reddit brain” on this site, and when that attitude (which I’m not against) closes down two popular comms, the answer is “just go to reddit lol”.

      • Venat [he/him, any]
        ·
        3 days ago

        I've referenced the self-referential and axiomatic nature of the rhetoric and discourse among this website and its users before, which is why I understand the frustration of the termination of two sub-forums that communicates memes and forces the brain to respond in memes.

        From what I gathered among this thread is the primary grievance is that this decision was a unilateral decision made by anonymous moderators who diminished the userbase as being brocialists who like slop as denigrating to marginalized persons, and did it so suddenly, without warning, and so abruptly, without consultation.

        I apologize for the patronizing tone, but would you expand on that statement instead of having me try to intuit the meaning?

        • blobjim [he/him]
          ·
          3 days ago

          From what I gathered among this thread is the primary grievance is that this decision was a unilateral decision made by anonymous moderators who diminished the userbase as being brocialists who like slop as denigrating to marginalized persons, and did it so suddenly, without warning, and so abruptly, without consultation.

          Which I would think people on here would be fine with since part of the site culture is that sometimes people with power just bring the hammer down. And that can be a good thing when done by the right people for the right reasons. Endlessly debating and voteing on every dumb litte thing is not democracy. And an internet forum is not "a democracy". And there is no feasible way for a website to be "democratically run". The admins are making a decision they think will improve the website. And people are making whiny process critiques and getting mad that their favorite slop is going away. People should get some perspective!

          • Venat [he/him, any]
            ·
            3 days ago

            I agree with you. I was just describing the situation as I saw it.

            (I'm just annoyed when people communicate or reply to me in these riddles and intuitions like I have the same common understanding of their thoughts extant in their mind. I can't read minds and sometimes context is lost on me .I can only conjecture someone's intent and meaning when someone's being vague and mysterious [ which comes off to me as aloof and arrogant ].)

    • miz [any, any]
      ·
      3 days ago

      I will never go back to reddit

      death to reddit

    • Frank [he/him, he/him]
      ·
      3 days ago

      You are missing the social component. Where else on the internet can you apply a marxist lens to shitposting without having a dozen liberals attacking you with ahistorical nonsense about the USSR? This is, as far as I know, the only place on the Anglosphere internet where it is possible to have a reasonable and level headed discussion about Marxism that can be unapologetically silly.

      Refreshing your outrage is not enough. I think UlyssesT understood this both times he left the site. You have to act.

      I am disabled and often unable to leave the house. There are no productive venues on the internet where I can do praxis. Please take in to consideration that others have different abilities than you and as such use the site in different ways.

      to process on an intellectual rather than an emotional level why your reactionary prole is wrong

      This is extremely insulting and patronizing and shows a great lack of familiarity with the many complex and theoretically dense discussions that emerge organically on the dunk tank.

      When you can articulate these emotions on an intellectual level you can communicate these thoughts, analyses, and insights to others in your own life.

      shockingly I am surrounded by anti-communist and often actively fascist fanatics who are dangerous to me so so I can fucking not.

      • Venat [he/him, any]
        ·
        3 days ago

        I apologize for any offense given. I was speaking broadly because political change has little precedent being spearheaded by the digital and virtual, although I did not mean to admonish or shame any persons who are unable to express or act beyond as such.

        I think you're right about this site being one of the few (perhaps some lemmy sites) sites that you can shitpost and find political theoretical analysis. I recall that was true of r/cth and its derivative, r/moretankiechapo.

        I was referring to the development of intellectual will to explain, to persons in reality and online, why reactionary thought is not only misanthropic but materially, feasibly, logistically, and morally wrong/evil. (e.g, being able to explain why r/collapses obsession with Malthusian solutions and explanations are evil and erroneous.)

        I was speaking generally; there are always exceptions and apologize if I've given offense.

    • PointAndClique [they/them]
      ·
      3 days ago

      I like your comment and it's helped me understand the rationale motivation behind the mods changes o7