by "Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
Published 11/02/2017 at 16:39
by "Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
Published 11/02/2017 at 16:39
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STARS: 1
Today’s New York Times. Thoughts?
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
"benjrblant" (benjblant)
11/02/2017 at 16:47, STARS: 1
After reading the pdf, sounds like twitter has a few problems.
"LongbowMkII" (longbowmkii)
11/02/2017 at 16:49, STARS: 3
The world has a transgender problem so it makes sense that twitter would as well
"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction)
11/02/2017 at 16:53, STARS: 5
Twitter has a human problem, as in, its users are humans, and many humans are assholes.
Using Twitter - that in itself - is opening oneself up to the praise and/or abuse of any or all of its 330 million of its users (most of which are human, many of which are assholes).
Don’t want to get abused by assholes? Don’t spend time around assholes, in person or on the internet.
I know this is simplistic, and assholes shouldn’t win, and getting off Twitter is letting them win, but it pretty much is what it is.
"DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time" (dc3ls-)
11/02/2017 at 16:55, STARS: 5
I think the most depressing thing about the article was the author calling Twitter “A culturally significant place.”
To think future historians will be studying tweets to learn about us....
"Future next gen S2000 owner" (future-next-gen-s2000-owner)
11/02/2017 at 16:55, STARS: 0
While this particular article used trans people as the focus, any person harassed could easily fit into the stated problem with Twitter. It seems that Twitter itself is more of the problem than Twitter having a trans problem.(That isn’t worded well)
I don’t necessarily agree with the conclusion on two points. One, Twitter isn’t a culturally significant place. This is subjective, I’ll concede that.
Two, the framing at the end of Twitter trying to silence their voice, the voice of the trans community, is suspect. The entire argument is about the issue with Twitter suspending those being harassed when they push back. The question of being one to support those most vulnerable vs putting them in harms ways, I think is vague. This assumes the trans community is the most vulnerable, which in and of itself is subjective.
Just my two thoughts. I’m bored at worked and I’ve over analyzed the article enough.
"Eric @ opposite-lock.com" (theyrerolling)
11/02/2017 at 16:55, STARS: 1
Twitter has also long had a cultural and general intelligence problem. It is defined by vacuous garbage and the only thing that has kept it from shrinking dramatically is the obsession of backward politicians (and especially Trump, that dude should be on the payroll for keeping them relevant) and media types that found it long after it had devolved to the basest of forms (yet they still can’t fully comprehend it).
"Future next gen S2000 owner" (future-next-gen-s2000-owner)
11/02/2017 at 16:57, STARS: 4
This pretty much encompasses all of social media. It is simultaneously amazing and the worst idea/concept/thing ever. The interconnectedness and immediateness of the internet has changed society.
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
11/02/2017 at 16:57, STARS: 0
Thank you for a PDF form of this. I’m unfortunately filing it into my data repository.
This story made me cry. I reminded me of the saga I experienced with Get Off My Internets . It seemed that I had nowhere to hide, wherever I went, they were there. They chased me for months on end on every social media platform imaginable. I ended up making my Facebook entirely private and I removed all information from my LinkedIn because they were taking the stalking into the real world and were trying to ruin the lives and careers of their targets.
The worst part? Many GOMI users were and likely still are Kinja users.
The only thing that truly stopped them was when one of them obtained an address of one of their targets and made a threat to come there. The owner of GOMI finally took action and nuked the thread and anything related to it.
I even have my haters from Oppo, people who make burners and attack me here too. Thankfully that dropped off a cliff after a few people got banned in recent times.
This world sucks...
"EL_ULY" (uly)
11/02/2017 at 17:03, STARS: 2
I am human-neutral
half Mexican, half Liger, half poker card :]
"McMike" (mcmike)
11/02/2017 at 17:05, STARS: 4
The NYT has obviously not seen YouTube comments yet...
"Future next gen S2000 owner" (future-next-gen-s2000-owner)
11/02/2017 at 17:07, STARS: 2
Flat earth, yur mom, bro do u even.?!?
"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
11/02/2017 at 17:13, STARS: 1
Including a POTUS problem...
"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction)
11/02/2017 at 17:13, STARS: 0
It definitely has.
The difference is, with Facebook for example, you have some control over who gets to see what you share. You can put it out to everyone if you want, or keep it just to a select few.
Seems like many Twitter users want the good without the bad. They want the ability to “go viral” and get thousands of likes and retweets from people who agree with them, but don’t want to deal with the negativity that comes with an open network like this.
Granted, no one should be subject to abuse for who they are, but good luck controlling that on a platform like Twitter.
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
11/02/2017 at 17:14, STARS: 0
This assumes the trans community is the most vulnerable, which in and of itself is subjective.
There isn’t much data to back this up because our government would rather not track this, leaving the gap to be filled by the likes of the Southern Poverty Law Center, GLAAD, etc, but transgender people do remain one of the most vulnerable groups in America. This is generally accepted as fact despite government backing.
We’re in one of those unique positions where even members of other oppressed groups do attack us. Sadly, it’s basically one of those few situations where even a black guy and a white guy can come into an agreement: “Transgenders (sic) are mentally ill”
Twitter has also been historically terrible for trans people. I mean, they’ve banned some of us for reasons that they will not ban a cis person for.
That said, I think the article missed one important point: Twitter has a LOT of problems , treatment of transgender people is just one of them.
"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
11/02/2017 at 17:16, STARS: 1
I had that same thought at one point reading the story. But the writer said something about commenting in culturally impactful places, which is also a good point.
"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
11/02/2017 at 17:17, STARS: 2
Culturally significant or not, Twitter is not a place you’ll find me. In fact, Oppo is significant in that I find it a place worth being.
"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
11/02/2017 at 17:20, STARS: 0
Hi. Love you, BTW...
What do you think of the argument that if abuse is rampant and Twitter enables the abuse, that people who don’t like it ought to stay away? (Not necessarily my opinion, since Twitter has crossed a line of significance because POTUS...)
"Racin'Jason001" (racinjason001)
11/02/2017 at 17:21, STARS: 2
I know times have been tough for you, but I am here saying you are a great person! Don’t let the haters get to you, my friend, try to ignore them. Our world may be a difficult place to live in, but believe me, there is always a reason for living ... someone (wether you know it or not) loves you, and you are a special person no matter what some may say. Keep living the good life, Ms. Mercedes. we are here for you. :)
"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
11/02/2017 at 17:21, STARS: 1
Hopefully, Oppo is a place where you can feel a measure of acceptance and safety.
"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
11/02/2017 at 17:22, STARS: 1
Who
reads
those?
"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction)
11/02/2017 at 17:23, STARS: 0
Yeah, I get it. But if your goal is to profess strong opinions in the town square, you’d just better be ready for some to try to shout you down.
"Ash78, voting early and often" (ash78)
11/02/2017 at 17:27, STARS: 4
It used to be easy to “ignore the internet.” Even when I spent 6 hours a day in mIRC chatrooms and my college roommate failed out of school for spending every waking hour on early MMORPGs, it was still something you could “compartmentalize” and realize it was not a representation of reality. It was something you had to consciously go do, not something that sat in your pocket, always ready to falsely encourage you (or destroy you) in a matter of moments.
Today it’s not as easy. If there are any two sides of an argument that represent the 1% views, the remaining 98% in the middle are ignored because...well...they’re BORING. Our collective minds feed on sensationalism and it becomes harder and harder to filter out what’s real or what’s important. The sad part is that you won’t hear a lot of people pushing this perspective because most of society — especially those in charge of the media — have a strong interest in its continuation, both monetarily and for their reputation, reporting, and daily hobbies.
So I say BOYCOTT THE WEB. Use it for what you need, then put it down for a few hours or days.
Use it to learn how to change your oil. Figure out how to transplant rosemary. Find somewhere to have a laugh.
Don’t microblog, check in, share, snap, like, tweet, or do ANYTHING that you wouldn’t (or couldn’t) have done 10 years ago. Don’t read anything with “Trump” in the title.
Life isn’t much different right now than it was 10 years ago...except for that amazing, lifechanging social media. It’s even helped corrupt the highest office in the US, which could have deadly consequences one day. When you have to set up a press conference just to spray the world with diarrhea, you find that your mouth is suddenly much more in control.
It’s not life on steroids, it’s life on acid and PCP. Very little is real and nothing seems to have consequences, at least not immediately.
Full disclosure: I’ve held this perspective for a long time, but it was only really cemented when I watched a family member nearly commit suicide over what used to be an everyday occurrence. But social media inadvertently rubbed his weakness in his face and it broke him. He’s a lot better now. The doctor actually told him to close his Facebook and Twitter accounts, which was more effective than all the medications they gave him. Go figure.
"Racin'Jason001" (racinjason001)
11/02/2017 at 17:27, STARS: 1
I know it’s been said already, but, all social media networks have problems. It’s because we all have different views, and people do not react out of respect for their fellow human being. It’s good to talk about our differences, but not in such a hostile manner. I think one thing the author shouldn’t have done if this person still wanted an account is to not “fight back” and rather try to be polite to these apparent haters. Just because someone is mean, or angry with you does not mean you have to react to them in the same manner. These subjects are always difficult to discuss, but if we all be polite, respectful, and positive to each other, we can stop articles like this one from happening. I know, it’s a long shot, but if we don’t start somewhere, who will?
"Nauraushaun" (nauraushaun12)
11/02/2017 at 17:28, STARS: 1
I think it’s the world that has a problem. And the internet that has a problem. People are hateful and more so on the internet.
Twitter is just a medium.
"Future next gen S2000 owner" (future-next-gen-s2000-owner)
11/02/2017 at 17:28, STARS: 1
This is generally accepted as fact despite government backing.
I agree. I see your argument. I could also see someone making them argument that teens are the most vulnerable. Trans teens being a subset of both. Teens generally lack the empathy and mental ability to effectively deal with/process the issues/pressures they are facing.
That was my point I guess. Not that one group isn’t vulnerable but the statement declaring one the most.
I think the article missed one important point: Twitter has a LOT of problems...
This.
"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction)
11/02/2017 at 17:28, STARS: 0
You. I like you.
"bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
11/02/2017 at 17:28, STARS: 0
Part of the problem, I suspect, is the volume of abuse complaints, and there’s a hint towards that in the article - the bot armies that attack upon one of them being blocked.
Thing is, they don’t just have to attack with nasty replies, they can attack with abuse reports. If you get a hundred abuse reports in a short time on one tweet that has language that may appear abusive (even if it’s actually defending against abuse), an automated algorithm may easily decide that it’s banworthy.
People arguing for their rights in good faith don’t have bot armies, and therefore the algorithms are less likely to automatically ban when they report genuinely dangerous tweets.
"Racin'Jason001" (racinjason001)
11/02/2017 at 17:34, STARS: 2
Amen to that.
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
11/02/2017 at 17:37, STARS: 0
I love you too!
Honestly? It’s a tough question. In my case in the other response to you, it happened exactly like Twitter. Those in charge enabled the attackers and punished the victims.
Then comes the question, does one just leave? Or does one stand their ground?
First, let me get it out of the way that those in charge are never in the right for silencing abuse and enabling the attackers. Though, in defense of those in charge, there wasn’t anything they can do to stop them...
As for the victims, the answer to the question depends on the individual person. In my case, I stood my ground. I also tried (poorly) to take them down and failed in epic fashion (and was banned). I wouldn’t fault some others for leaving and not dealing with the mess entirely.
Overall though, I don’t think it’s good to stay away as a default. If all victims take flight, then the attackers win.
"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
11/02/2017 at 17:40, STARS: 1
I think you are orbiting around what amounts to a key liberal-versus-conservative dilemma: personal responsibility versus society-provided protections.
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
11/02/2017 at 17:45, STARS: 1
Awe thank you so much! Life is rather infuriating. Sometimes it feels like I make 2 steps forward, then fall backward down 10 stairs. And when I myself am doing well, everyone else isn’t. I now even know from repeated experience that in the event that something really bad happens to me, I will not be able to trust my County Sheriff to truly help me.
The biggest revelation of my life happened in July when I learned that people do love me, people do care that I make it home at night. Those thoughts are bloody amazing. Again, thank you! :)
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
11/02/2017 at 17:47, STARS: 0
It is! The mods here make short work of anyone who follows me here and sticks around long enough for me to read their comment. And like I mentioned, the number of burners following me dropped off a cliff after a few select people got banned.
Outside of an interesting exchange on Disqus with the fake Dusty Ventures (the one that knows my birth name) things have been great!
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
11/02/2017 at 17:50, STARS: 1
I used to. In years past, I used to debate with 2009 era YouTube commenters about smart car safety. Oh, and Yahoo Answers.
"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction)
11/02/2017 at 17:54, STARS: 0
I definitely think there should be strong protections against threats and physical violence, but in this country, for good or for bad, the assholes get to shout as loud as they want.
Now, Twitter is not America, and they can do what they want. But banning a ton of users for being mean, as morally right as that may be, probably isn’t good for business... Or at least that’s what they think so far.
"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
11/02/2017 at 17:58, STARS: 1
Thank you for this. For my part, I have foresworn cable news. I read WSJ and NYT daily and spend lots of time on Oppo because Oppo ain’t no Twitter.
There’s an entire conversation to be had around the whiny trope about liberal media. More accurate would be a complaint that [liberal media] have a formula that people listen to and that sells ads and that is therefor effective, something that apparently, conservatives haven’t.
I had some people try to destroy me last year by getting a parent to go downtown and bear false witness against me (I’m a teacher). In the end, zero of the allegations were substantiated. They took my computer and “black bagged” it. My thing was that perhaps they’d say something or other was a bit juvenile, but they’d be hard pressed to find even a vulgarity. Anywhere. On Oppo, we have the term “shit stirring.” Isn’t shit stirring Twitter’s only purpose?
"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
11/02/2017 at 18:00, STARS: 1
I’m not sure that’s such a long shot. You can issue all the affronts toward me that you want, but I have the power to decide whether or not I want to allow you to offend me. In fact, I think taking offense is little more nor less than using a tool to try and manipulate someone else.
"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
11/02/2017 at 18:01, STARS: 2
People say things on Twitter and other places that they would
never
say face to face. As well, people do not write well enough nor frequently enough that they have any sense of how their written words may be perceived.
"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
11/02/2017 at 18:02, STARS: 0
People arguing for their rights might find more efficacious places to do so than Twitter.
"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
11/02/2017 at 18:05, STARS: 1
I’d liken the notion to attempting to re-route an interstate highway by wading into the traffic. On foot.
"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
11/02/2017 at 18:10, STARS: 1
Mods can be bullies too. But I’m glad they keep you safe.
I mean, who has the time and energy to create Burners and chase people around? The same people who troll Craigslist and try and get me to send the camera I’m selling to their son on deployment in Afghanistan?
I’ve had success recently with my middle schoolers who call people gay. Your GAY. That’s hella GAY. I tell them, if you think they’re an idiot, just call them an idiot! It’s much more powerful, much less vague, and you’re not straight-up hating any more. It works.
"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
11/02/2017 at 18:11, STARS: 0
What’s your reference here?
"Future next gen S2000 owner" (future-next-gen-s2000-owner)
11/02/2017 at 18:14, STARS: 1
General youtube comments summed up.
"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
11/02/2017 at 18:15, STARS: 1
I think you’ve said that well. It’s like I just replied to Miss Mercedes: turning to Twitter to right an injustice is akin to trying to change the course of an interstate highway by wading into traffic on foot.
"bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
11/02/2017 at 18:19, STARS: 2
My point is that the people who are getting banned for calling shitlords shitlords are getting banned because the shitlords have bot armies reporting them.
The shitlords aren’t getting banned because the reasonable people don’t have bot armies, and Twitter’s algorithms are shit and vulnerable to bot armies. (It’s either that, or Twitter is actively trying to support the Nazis.)
"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
11/02/2017 at 18:23, STARS: 0
Yes, I totally got that from your post. So my interstate analogy perhaps should be an interstate with a rush hour press of Mad Max Thunderdrome vehicles.
And there’s an observation to be made about how the current POTUS is thriving in that environment... How many threatening tweets do you think DT receives that the Secret Service has to investigate and at what monetary cost too tax payers?
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
11/02/2017 at 18:58, STARS: 0
Challenge Accepted. ;)
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
11/02/2017 at 19:00, STARS: 1
The mods in question aren’t here, but another Kinja community that I’m no longer a part of. If you looked deep enough into my post history you could figure it out. :) Oppo’s mods have always been here for me, almost more than my parents.
I like when people call me gay as an insult, I always respond back with “well, who doesn’t appreciate a nice penis?” lol
"Decay buys too many beaters" (decay)
11/02/2017 at 19:12, STARS: 0
It’s not life on steroids, it’s life on acid and PCP. Very little is real and nothing seems to have consequences, at least not immediately.
This is a perfect way to sum up the modern internet, thank you.
"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction)
11/02/2017 at 22:04, STARS: 1
Very nice simile.
"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
11/03/2017 at 07:41, STARS: 1
That wasn’t a challenge. More of a reality check.
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
11/03/2017 at 10:35, STARS: 0
Fair enough. :) I seem to have a problem with planting my feet directly in harm’s way. Some of the time I take the hits without damage, other times it’s overwhelming. Though perhaps in my case in 2015, I couldn’t run from it either without literally leaving the Internet (which I did actually do for a short time).
"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
11/03/2017 at 11:45, STARS: 0
I was talking about a mod here. I’d have made an issue of it, but I fear winding up shunned and other mods that I reached out to wouldn’t talk to me about it, so
c’est la vie
.