You may have noticed a distinct lack of return2ozma. This is due to their admitting, in a public comment, that their engagement here is in bad faith:
I’m sure there will be questions, let me see if I can address the most obvious ones:
- Can I still post negative stuff about Biden?
Absolutely! We have zero interest in running an echo chamber. However, if ALL you’re posting is negative, you may want to re-think your priorities. You get out of the world what you put into it and all that.
- Why now?
Presumption of innocence. It may be my own fault, but I do try to think the best of people, and even though they were posting negative articles, they weren’t necessarily WRONG. Biden’s poll numbers, particularly in minority demographics ARE in the shitter. They are starting to get better, but he still has a hell of a hill to climb.
- Why a 30 day temp ban and not a permanent ban?
The articles return2ozma shared weren’t bad, faked, or from some wing-nut bias site like “beforeitsnews.com”, they were legitimate articles from established and respected news agencies, pointing out the valid problems Biden faces.
The problem was ONLY posting the negatives, over and over and then openly admitting that dishonest enagement is their purpose.
Had they all been bullshit articles? It would not have taken anywhere near this much time to lay the ban and it would have been permanent.
30 days seems enough time for them to re-think their strategery and come back to engage honestly.
What he’s engaging in, in the second link, is Christian apology, not overt homophobia. He’s not saying LGBTQ+ is the devil, he’s explaining why Christians might believe that.
Which is a whole OTHER deal:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_apologetics
Again, not actionable. If they were to come out and say themselves “I’m homophobic” or “gays are teh debbil” then, yeah, that would be removed.
But this whole “homophobia because it’s two steps removed”? Not so much.
Oopsie, thought I was clear about this: I don’t care how you justify it as not homophobia. It is homophobic to come into posts only about bigotry being aimed at LGBT people to deny that it’s happening.
If it makes you uncomfortable to sit with the fact that you’re fine with running a community where homophobic comments are welcome, then good. It should. That’s a choice you’re making that you can change at any time.
The comments are not, in and of themselves, homophobic. Not actionable.
I don’t know why you think I’m interested in hearing you deny that these homophobic comments are homophobic, but if you need to be told again explicitly: I’m not interested in hearing it and I’m also not debating it.
If you need help understanding why it’s homophobic to deny that bigoted comments are being aimed at LGBT people or don’t understand how that fosters an environment hostile to LGBT people generally, feel free to ask.
Because you are the one continuing to demand they be removed for homophobia when they are not, by themselves, homophobic.
I’ve explained to you, repeatedly, why they are not actionable. I can’t help you accept that fact, but guilt by association is not against the rules.
Ping me when they, themselves, are being homophobic. As of now they are not.
OK, since it wasn’t clear to you before, I understand that your position as a mod is that homophobia is only homophobia if it fits a middle aged straight man’s cartoon caricature of what homophobia looks like. Unfortunately that doesn’t fit the real world experience of LGBT people dealing with homophobia.
If you need help understanding why calling the LGBT community demonic is homophobic or why denying that bigoted speech against LGBT people even happens is homophobic you can ask for help at any time. Until then this is just a community where veiled homophobia is welcome. Again, this is a choice you have made and can change at any time.
(sigh) One more time…
That user DID NOT call the LGBT community demonic.
If they did, that comment would have been removed.
What that user DID DO was explain what justifcation a Christian fanatic would have for doing so.
Doing it themself? Homophobia.
Talking about why someone else did it is NOT HOMOPHOBIA.
And for the person reporting my other comment, my having to explain this is ALSO not homophobia!
This discussion is over.
If you don’t have anything to say other than “nuh uh this isn’t homophobia” then please just stop replying, it’s pointless.
Multiple times I’ve offered to educate you (which you are clearly not interested in). You denied that saying the LGBT community is demonic is even homophobic itself, by hand waving it away as Christian theology (as though the two are unrelated to begin with, much less exclusive). I did not say the user specifically said that. I’m saying that excusing and denying it is not a significant difference. Please at least read what I’m saying if you’re going to condescendingly explain to me what homophobia is.
I’m fine with this discussion being over, you’ve made your position very clear. Especially to anyone who wants a green light on what types of homophobic comments are acceptable here.
Again, if you want any education on this I am more than happy to help you out. But until you grok this you’re going to miss more homophobic comments and foster an environment where homophobia is welcome.
You are clearly misrepresenting what I am explaining to you in no uncertain terms:
Here’s what I LITERALLY TOLD YOU:
Let me explain it to you like this…
Someone makes an incredibly stupid comment.
I explain why they might think that way.
That does NOT, in and of itself, make ME stupid. It’s not an agreement or an endorsement of their stupidity, it’s not a value judgement at all. It’s an explanation.
So some idiot preacher makes an INCREDIBLY vile and homophobic video.
Somebody else explains how that tracks because Christianity has a skewed world view.
That does not make that comment intrinsically homophobic.
Had they gone “He’s right! X, Y, and Z!” that would be homophobic and would have been removed.
THAT IS NOT WHAT HE DID.