I see a lot of the drama that is happening between people of color on the platform and the mastodon dev team.

[blogdiva@mastodon.social]

@MichaelTBacon @timnitGebru @polotek @CaribenxMarciaX @are0h didn't opencollective close shop?

[polotek@social.polotek.net]

@blogdiva @MichaelTBacon @timnitGebru @CaribenxMarciaX @are0h they're going through some changes I guess. But not disappearing.

[awolfincheapclothing@calckey.world]

@[email protected]

If you don't like the instance your on, move to one that fits your needs, or start your own! There are literally hundreds of instance in the fediverse, many using different platforms (like Calckey, firefish, pixelfed, friendica, ect...) so don't feel you have to stick to Mastodon.

[polotek@social.polotek.net]

@AWolfInCheapClothing easy! Can you tell me which buttons to push?

[jlink@det.social]

@polotek What about wrapping standard mastodon in an API-compatible proxy which allows moderation? It could make those efforts mostly independent from the core dev team. And it could also be picked up to integrate back into the core later.

[itsmeholland@mastodon.social]

@joefox @polotek @pete the biggest red flag which outsiders should understand immediately to signal to a person of color that theres no conversation to be had is, a white person saying "i feel like youre excluding/making assumptions about me based on my skin color" (read: "reverse racism," etc.)

Anyone putting in minimal effort in 2024 needs to understand: there IS NO RACISM AGAINST WHITES. In a global system of white supremacy, its not possible for whites to be oppressed for their whiteness.

[itsmeholland@mastodon.social]

@joefox @polotek @pete the comment about "what do i have to do to be good enough" is also p sketchy. Productive & equitable conversations with people of color, especially as they're actively experiencing marginalization & trying to find solutions, isn't some cool kids club to buy your way into with the right words & behaviors. Sometimes it's not even appropriate for a white person to participate at all. But if you do, you should at least kind of understand white supremacy on a basic level.

[polotek@social.polotek.net]

@jlink sounds great. You should get started.

[jlink@det.social]

@polotek I'm an old white man. IMO it should be a community effort controlled by those who need it most. I'm happy to help.

[polotek@social.polotek.net]

@jlink I don't work on the project. You should talk to people who do.

[awolfincheapclothing@calckey.world]

@[email protected]
Well this link will help https://joinfediverse.wiki/Instances

[pete@mas.to]

@itsmeholland @joefox @polotek

If I say, up front, "these are my credentials", they can be dismissed as not good enough. If I don't give my credentials I can be dismissed as not good enough, because of where I was born, and my skin pigmentation.

This is neo-racism.

The way to solve racism is not more racism.

I use the phrase "myth of race" based upon Robert Sussman's book which I have read, and the term "neo-racism" based upon Coleman Hughs' The End of Race Politics, which I have also read.

[mloxton@med-mastodon.com]

@polotek
Growing the dev team by adding BIPoC members might help, but then how does one do that with such limited funding?

[mloxton@med-mastodon.com]

@yisraeldov

OK, and do you have insights to offer on improving the current situation?

@polotek

[yisraeldov@linuxrocks.online]

@mloxton @polotek Exposing specific cases is usually going to be the best thing.

What do you suggest?

[polotek@social.polotek.net]

@yisraeldov @mloxton what makes you say this is the "best thing"? For who exactly?

[polotek@social.polotek.net]

@mloxton help how?

[polotek@social.polotek.net]

@pete @itsmeholland @joefox it sounds like you're not actually willing to provide the information I asked for. Thanks anyway Pete. I wish you well on your journey of trying hard to understand. There are a lot of other books to read, so I'm sure you'll be fine. Cheers.

[polotek@social.polotek.net]

@AWolfInCheapClothing it doesn't. What next?

[yisraeldov@linuxrocks.online]

@polotek @mloxton My experience with the huge amount of anti-semitisim on mastodon, is that the best solution has been to confront it publicly.

But I do know that when prejudice is considered acceptable, it is hard to do anything about it. I know that people on this thread want to discount the prejudice that I've dealt with, especially in the tech industry.

I'm happy to discuss more, but the people on your thread seem to attribute to me ulterior motives.