discussionist is a misogynist pit hole - vulgar language

[stevenleser]

337. I can see this both ways.

Last edited Mon Sep 1, 2014, 09:39 PM - Edit history (1)

I understand why you and Skinner see this the way you see it.

I also understand why Bainsbane and Boston Bean see it the way they see it.

To sum up your point of view, everything worked like it should, the troll got banned. I kind of agree.

To sum up their point of view, not enough is being done to foster a non-misogynist environment on both sites and this episode with the doctor is symptomatic of that. I kind of agree with that too, not enough is being done in general against bigoted views here on DU against several groups, Jews, Women, LGBT, etc.

I know you and Skinner are extremely reluctant to do this, but it might help to start out with an addendum to the TOS that spell out certain kinds of bigoted behavior that are unacceptable.

Even though I am guessing you probably saw this already, in case you haven't, here is how Fark handled it. They added this to their moderator guidelines, an expanded list like this could be added to the TOS:

Things that aren't acceptable:

- Rape jokes
- Calling women as a group "whores" or "sluts" or similar demeaning terminology
- Jokes suggesting that a woman who suffered a crime was somehow asking for it

Obviously, these are just a few examples and shouldn't be taken as the full gospel, but to give you a few examples of what will always be over the line. Trying to anticipate every situation and every conversation in every thread would be ridiculous, so consider these guidelines and post accordingly. I recommend that when encountering grey areas, instead of trying to figure out where the actual line is, the best strategy would be to stay out of the grey area entirely.

As one of the folks who picks headlines, I can also say with some certainty that we're not going to get everything right all the time on our end either. I've been trying to keep an eye toward these guidelines for a couple months now and I still make mistakes and/or miss problem taglines completely. We're trying to make the Fark community a better place, and hopefully this will be a few steps in the right direction.

and we can add things for LGBT like "making statements advocating for something other than complete equality for the LGBT community", etc.

Edited to add: Bainesbane had a list of what she considered misogynist statements. I agree with most not all, here are the ones I agree with that I think should be added to the TOS:

Misogyny can be extreme and intensive or chronic and pervasive. Among the positions some feminists identify with sexism and misogyny are the following:


Insisting the SCOTUS Hobby Lobby decision isn't a big deal
Insisting men should have the right to compel a woman to abort a fetus
Insisting a man's having to pay child support equates with the state's efforts to prohibit abortion
Insisting men are more oppressed than women
Adopting the GOP idea of forcible rape vs. other rape and insisting the later (usually child rape) is less serious.
Insisting that large numbers of women invent false rape charges
Insisting rapists should not be punished with jail time
Frequently taking the side of accused rapists over their victims
Insisting women's issues and feminism aren't important and don't constitute real politics
Calling women c...t and b....s
A whole slew of derogatory or sexualized comments about women's bodies
anti-choice positions
opposing ACA's covering of women's reproductive care
blaming women for their own sexual assaults
arguing that violence against women isn't important
arguing that rape isn't a societal problem
Insisting a misogynistic mass murderer had real concerns about how bad off men have it today
denying sexism and misogyny
arguing that women in the US should be content with what they have
Citing a study held out by an MRA big-wig that claims women say no when they really mean yes
Insisting consent is "elastic"
Insisting that consent is assumed.
Insisting there is no such thing as male privilege