The person in question who reported it (or at least who my post was in response to, so I can only assume it was them) knows who they are.
The person who reported the post was
not the person you were responding to. We won't provide more detail than that.
For Clarity
People get upset. People get offended. People say the wrong things, and sometimes people take things the wrong way. The reality is that we're never going to be in the business of policing the feelings and emotions of anyone else here. If someone tells us that they've been offended in some way, all we can really do is take them at their word, assume the best intentions, and do our best to course correct.
This is right. We're trying to cultivate a space that's welcoming, transparent, and empathetic. Part of that is assuming good faith. If someone says they're offended, we're going to hear them out.
I don't think the reported post was necessarily reported because it was offensive. It was emblematic of increasing tension. We're going to discuss neo-Nazis, deportations, and whatever else on this board, but we're not going to do it in this thread going forward. When this thread started, we had ~20 like-minded members. It made sense to herd all political talk in one thread. I discussed this with the moderation team, and we all agreed that apoliticals, centrists, and Trump voters should all be welcome here. That means leaving space to talk about tariffs and their impact on our hobby without wading into everything else.
You can mention Trump. It's his policy. You can criticize the tariffs or the economy he's running. That's all fair game in a thread about toy tariffs. Let's keep everything else in the politics thread.
And to be super-duper clear: keeping this a (reasonably) peaceful environment is the goal here, NOT giving space to and apologizing for destructive ideologies.
Yep. Tempers can flare and passions can rise, especially when we're talking about the fate of our country. I've certainly posted out of anger on a message board before. It happens. In the spirit of what we're trying to make this place, let's aim to minimize the condescension and aggression as much as we can.
For my part: if y’all see activity that is destructive to the community (bigotry, open support of fascism, you know the drill), drop a line to the mods. We will handle it decisively, and with a minimum of fuss. I think a lot of us are used to having to push back against destructive incursive forces without backup, and I get that: I’m used to that too. But that’s not what’s going to happen here. You DO have backup, and the moderation team is unequivocally on the side of reason, decency, respect and inclusion. We are committed to keeping this place safe and positive, and while we will strive to be fair we will not languish in impotent neutrality.
Yes. We have a zero-tolerance policy for slurs, bigotry, and hateful language. If you see someone trolling or antagonizing people, let us know. We'll deal with it.
And because it should be said: yeah, that inciting post was a pretty callow dirty trick, in my view designed to start a chain reaction that the original poster could point to and say: “see, so much for the ‘tolerant left’”. And I don’t think we owe civility to that attitude, but I think we should do our best not to fall into those traps when they are set. I fall into those traps myself, so I totally get it. Let’s all lean on each other, and make this a place where that kind of talk is discouraged.
The CaptainCracker situation is tricky. I remember him well from Fwoosh. I think he made his post out of hurt rather than an attempt to stir the pot. I can imagine how it might've felt to come here and read 30 pages of liberals deconstructing the election, the Trump movement, and the future of our country. I bet it was alienating. At the same time, people are not immune to the consequences of their actions.
Trump supporters have a right to be here. They do not have a right to feel like everyone agrees with them or likes them.
I understand this is a difficult needle to thread. If you have questions or want me to expound on anything, just ask.
We’ve got this, folks. This is already a great place to be, and we will all keep it that way. Keep being honest and open, and we will figure out all the rest of it.
To quote Donald Trump, I have the best people.
