I had a person tell me in game they hate black people, then left a comment on my profile referring to black people as black monkeys. I reported them. About five times. Steam does nothing. Their comment would be still up if I haven't removed it manually after one of many reports resulting in nothing. Their profile is full of proof of it being a long term continuous effort. Their account has a high level, which makes me think it may be why Steam seems to be protecting them. I reported people in the past and stuff was done about it. It's my first time dealing with blatant racism AND no moderation effort from Steam. I even ended up messaging steam support about my concerns and got a generic response which amounted to nothing.
I see people speaking up about poor moderation on other platforms, so I chose to speak up about Steam's as I'm really tired of this bullshit.
First rule of the internet: everyone is a liar. Therefore nothing anyone says matters. I hate bigotry too, but there is a good chance this is just the leverage a troll is using for attention.
So, we do the same as we do with all trolls, don't feed them.
We also can recognize that there is racism, bigotry, hatred and marginalization. Otherwise they wouldn't try and leverage it.
I agree we should denounce it, welcome everyone without expectations, but after being on the net and prior since the 80s, only one thing works: don't give them the satisfaction or power.
"It's the internet" is a failed and ruinous attitude that permits bad people (yes, some people are worse than other people in spite of your thought-terminating platitudes). And for what? To feel smug and superior?
Also, false equivalencies that condemn everyone just so you can dismiss individual concerns are old tired shit that should have been retired in the early 2000s.
i'm saying i disagree with this approach. people have been preaching "not to feed the trolls" for decades and the internet has only gotten more bigoted and terrible. forcing those people out of any non-nazi space should be priority #1. we do this on hexbear and as a result the site culture there is significantly more welcoming to minorities than just about anywhere else on the internet. i've been on the internet for like 25 years now (admittedly not as long as you) and it's the only site i have ever seen where people bandying about slurs and abusive language are not only not tolerated, but are actively rejected by the community en mass
it works. if you build it, they will come. if you ban the shitheads, good people will stay. if you don't, you end up with 4chan.