While there are some legitimate arguments being made relating to misogynistic societal perceptions of that word, the mods include women and enbies who disagree and specifically requested this name. I feel that this situation parallels the initial pushback that was experienced with disabled in which users voiced concerns that this name could be ableist, but the moderators of that community are themselves disabled and specifically requested that comm name, verbatim.
am i fuckin reading this correctly??? only because some of the people were women and/or enbies, their decisions are now supposed to be the pinnacle of wisdom and uncontestable?
i know that the mods are meaning no harm, i had nothing but positive experiences with them before this whole debacle started, and OP in particular has genuinely been really great at clearing up the current situation, thank you for that, BUT BEING PART OF A MINORITY GROUP DOESN'T ABSOLVE YOU OF BEING WRONG AND JUST REALLY INSENSITIVE IN THIS PARTICULAR SITUATION! all this is a little bit similar to certain trans people stating that they are okay with the t-slur being used on the internet, and while im sure nobody harbors this kind of sentiment in here, i hope this shows what harmful pitfalls this "im Part of a minority group, therefore im right"-thinking can bring.
so to reiterate from my removed thread:
The term "gossip" has a long history of being weaponized against women, particularly in ways that diminish their voices and portray them as trivial, unimportant, or malicious when engaging in communication or expressing themselves. This cultural baggage doesn’t disappear just because a few people choose to reclaim or adopt the term in a specific context. By using it, the forum risks perpetuating a stereotype that affects gender and sexual minorities who are already marginalized, especially when used as the name of a community meant to serve them.
some folks from marginalized groups, might want to take back words that have been thrown at them, but it’s a pretty complex thing to do. reclaiming those words means being really aware of how it affects others, especially in places that aim to be welcoming. just picking up a term because some people in the community are cool with it doesn’t really consider the real damage that word might still do to others in that same group. like, using the word "gossip" might give off the vibe that this place isn’t really serious about tackling the bigger issues of sexism that are still out there in society.
hexbear communities should be all about making sure everyone feels respected and supported, especially those who have often been overlooked. using a word like "gossip" might accidentally push away folks who think it's disrespectful or plays into negative stereotypes about them. Even if some people who identify as women or genderqueer, might not see the term the same way, their views can really depend on their own experiences and privileges.
one of the key things to building a welcoming space is to watch the words we use, since some can hurt people, even if we don't mean to. just because some folks in the group are cool with certain words doesn’t mean they’re okay for everyone. If we want our community to feel safe and inclusive, we need to think about how our words affect everyone and steer clear of terms that can be harmful.
tldr: it is great that racist terms like the_x_tank
are being purged from the site, but it is absolutely not great that potentially sexist terms are being used as a substitute.
the worst part is that the germans did commit a holocaust in africa. furthermore, many early members of the sa and SS were engaged in german colonialism. the brown shirts originally stemmed from the colonial police in german occupied namibia.
care to elaborate?
well, "those clique-y and rude women" shouldn't exactly be the sort of connections a supposedly gender-inclusive site should maintain
german parliament enacts "anti-antisemitism" law effectively banning pro-palestinian speech
The text was ready just in time for November 9. After all, the "traffic light" parties and the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag wanted to use the opportunity to misuse the commemoration of the Reichspogromnacht for a comprehensive attack on freedom of opinion, freedom of assembly, artistic freedom and academic freedom. Nothing else is behind the resolution with the misleading title "Never again is now: Protecting, preserving and strengthening Jewish life in Germany".
The pamphlet, which is to be passed by the Bundestag this Thursday, has nothing to do with the fight against anti-Semitism. After all, what use is it to Jews if the Bundestag is eloquently happy about the "diversity of Jewish life", but at the same time deliberately harasses them with the most stupid distortion possible: by equating the state of Israel and their religious community. This is exactly what happens in the resolution, which is emphatically based on the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's (IHRA) working definition of anti-Semitism, which defames criticism of Israeli policy as "anti-Semitic". Rejection of war and genocide or opposition to the illegal occupation policy thus fall outside the spectrum of permissible opinions. A great "diversity" that is being celebrated.
However, other groups are the main target of the resolution. "In recent months, the alarming extent of anti-Semitism based on immigration from the countries of North Africa and the Middle East has become clear," the text states. In addition, there is also an "increase in Israel-related and left-wing anti-imperialist anti-Semitism". The solution to this? Ampel and the CDU are calling for "loopholes in the law to be closed and repressive options to be consistently exploited". This applies "in particular to criminal law as well as residence, asylum and citizenship law".
The addressees of these remarks march in uniformed beatings squads, sit in courtrooms and offices. Dog-whistle politics is the term used when enemy images are named in disguise and released for firing. The resolution may not have the force of law, but it is a signal to the representatives of the "raison d'état" to strike without inhibition when they encounter supposed "anti-Semites" with the wrong religion, the wrong origin or the wrong - because anti-imperialist - convictions. The Springer newspaper "Welt" rightly hopes that this will lead to "a considerable toughening of the approach towards all those who agitate against Israel or against Jews". Anyone following the brutal police attacks on Palestine solidarity camps and demonstrations that are already taking place can easily imagine what will happen next.
But it is not only on the streets and in the immigration authorities that the "pace" is being stepped up. The resolution calls for further bans on associations against "extremist organizations". The internationally active BDS movement (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) is explicitly mentioned. "Anti-Semitic behavior" at universities should be punished by "appropriate means". These include: "the application of domiciliary rights, exclusion from classes or studies and even de-registration". Funding for art and culture will only be available after an attitude test. Anyone who leans too far out of the window here with criticism - for example of German involvement in the genocide in Gaza - will quickly be out.
According to the will of the traffic-light-coalition and CDU, already severely restricted debating chambers will soon be closed completely. This is also attracting criticism from the middle classes. In the "Berliner Zeitung" newspaper, Olaf Zimmermann, Managing Director of the German Cultural Council, spoke out "against an obligation to make a statement when applying for cultural funding". Deutschlandfunk radio reported on confidential discussions with members of the Bundestag who had "followed the work on this resolution with grave misgivings, in some cases horror". They had felt under pressure from pro-Israeli lobby organizations and the Israeli embassy, among others, and were afraid of "being defamed as anti-Semites and Israel haters by the Bild newspaper".
The consequences of the resolution should therefore come as no surprise to anyone. Especially not for those who are hardened enough to push ahead with the reactionary-militaristic restructuring of the state under the title "Never again is now".
i know this is a somewhat older article but the ramifications for german anti-zionism are terrifying and should be brought to international attention.
perhaps non-theory works from communist authors, especially soviet ones like maxim gorky or demyan bedny. if they receive it well, you can slowly guide them towards the more political stuff and if they resort to racist russophobic or anticommunist screeching you'll know to run before it's to late.
we are all a product of our material conditions, which means that if society gets better people will to. this is what i tell me to motivate myself to do real-world organizing.
also, people in immigrant communities are usually pretty sweet.
ill admit that im not very up to date with the culture of "da youfs" but i remember the term being used dismissively against women back in "my days". though maybe im just
preach!
i know that the mod team means it well and i am thankful for the volunteer work they put into this place, but they seem to be overlooking the potential harm and negative connotations associated with using a term that has sexist or misogynistic roots, even if some of its supporters are women or genderqueer individuals.