What is political about an additional axis along which some people choose to make known how they'd like to be referred to? I'm genuinely asking. I don't believe things become political when they happen to be split down party lines in <current country> -- if that were the case then climate change is political now, but climate change is as debatable as, say, the existence of subatomic particles. IMO something is political when it actually relates to what politicians do, i.e., it's something you can vote for. You can't vote for... a ban on using pronouns that don't match birth sex? A ban on sharing pronouns at all?
like it or not but things like pronouns, rainbow themes, gender neutral avatars, even masks are used as political symbols to signify allegiance. It's opt-in (like wearing an arm band) and allows people who partake to identify political allies and adversaries.
Even pointing this out objectively will get somebody steamrolled.
Interesting, thanks for clarifying! Looks like I live in an environment where this is not a thing. Or I'm not aware of it. I'm also not in the USfor what it's worth.
> I'm so tired of the constant battle to make very simple, innocent ideas political.
You may be tired, and I may get downvoted, but this is oversimplifying the problem so much that the message itself seems political. First, identifying pronouns is not really opt-in. There is significant peer pressure, and once you're the lone holdout, it's very hard to keep yourself pronoun-less without becoming a social outcast and targeted as a bigot.
I am 100% behind equal rights for trans people, and will call anyone by their preferred pronoun (he or she, on the fence on they, and would probably not go into the neo-pronouns). That said, my wish is that the default mode to address someone is based on observed external sex characteristics, and where people whose external sex characteristics match their traditional pronouns do not communicate their pronouns. My reasons are that at a young age, kids are extremely easy to influence, and I have a strong feeling that many kids identify as another sex to mask other underlying issues. For similar contrarian perspective see the book Irreversible Damage and also Blair White's youtube channel.
Probably also has birthday and an option for an avatar and various other personal attributes; what of it?
(I mean, yes, in the last few years this has been politicised, primarily in the US, by a right wing desperate for a new wedge issue, but you'd have to be fairly gullible to fall for that...)
If you're not colorblind, you may notice the rainbow progression of navlinks under the title. Then there's the choice to include pronouns as a special data item in the markdown, and the specific choice of "they/them" in the example, even though that's probably much rarer than the two more traditionally-expected choices. Then, of course, there's the affiliation with a Mastodon instance; we're all aware of the developer's politically-motivated choices and limits on federation with the main Mastodon instances.
Is "burning crosses" over-the-top? Yes, obviously. Does it say, "You're not the kind of social we have in mind," to a sizable portion of potential users? Yes again.
What is political about an additional axis along which some people choose to make known how they'd like to be referred to? I'm genuinely asking. I don't believe things become political when they happen to be split down party lines in <current country> -- if that were the case then climate change is political now, but climate change is as debatable as, say, the existence of subatomic particles. IMO something is political when it actually relates to what politicians do, i.e., it's something you can vote for. You can't vote for... a ban on using pronouns that don't match birth sex? A ban on sharing pronouns at all?
I'm so tired of the constant battle to make very simple, innocent ideas political.
Sooo f*ing tired.
like it or not but things like pronouns, rainbow themes, gender neutral avatars, even masks are used as political symbols to signify allegiance. It's opt-in (like wearing an arm band) and allows people who partake to identify political allies and adversaries.
Even pointing this out objectively will get somebody steamrolled.
Interesting, thanks for clarifying! Looks like I live in an environment where this is not a thing. Or I'm not aware of it. I'm also not in the USfor what it's worth.
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> I'm so tired of the constant battle to make very simple, innocent ideas political.
You may be tired, and I may get downvoted, but this is oversimplifying the problem so much that the message itself seems political. First, identifying pronouns is not really opt-in. There is significant peer pressure, and once you're the lone holdout, it's very hard to keep yourself pronoun-less without becoming a social outcast and targeted as a bigot.
I am 100% behind equal rights for trans people, and will call anyone by their preferred pronoun (he or she, on the fence on they, and would probably not go into the neo-pronouns). That said, my wish is that the default mode to address someone is based on observed external sex characteristics, and where people whose external sex characteristics match their traditional pronouns do not communicate their pronouns. My reasons are that at a young age, kids are extremely easy to influence, and I have a strong feeling that many kids identify as another sex to mask other underlying issues. For similar contrarian perspective see the book Irreversible Damage and also Blair White's youtube channel.
Probably also has birthday and an option for an avatar and various other personal attributes; what of it?
(I mean, yes, in the last few years this has been politicised, primarily in the US, by a right wing desperate for a new wedge issue, but you'd have to be fairly gullible to fall for that...)
It's more than that, it's the entire theme. It screams "you're not welcome here."
It's the left wing equivalent of putting up a bunch of burning crosses and pretending they don't mean anything.
I know exactly how fairly I would be treated in that community and it looks like this: (the flagged and dead comment below this)
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34271510
I'm genuinely curious and wanting to understand what makes you feel that way.
Are you colorblind and the colors of the text are hard to read? They weren't very readable on light mode but I wouldn't call that political
Is it the mastodon instance? The overall peppy feel of the page?
If you're not colorblind, you may notice the rainbow progression of navlinks under the title. Then there's the choice to include pronouns as a special data item in the markdown, and the specific choice of "they/them" in the example, even though that's probably much rarer than the two more traditionally-expected choices. Then, of course, there's the affiliation with a Mastodon instance; we're all aware of the developer's politically-motivated choices and limits on federation with the main Mastodon instances.
Is "burning crosses" over-the-top? Yes, obviously. Does it say, "You're not the kind of social we have in mind," to a sizable portion of potential users? Yes again.
You're so hard done by.
It's nice, playful, and youthful branding.
how's the water?
https://youtu.be/eC7xzavzEKY
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It screams "everyone is welcome here."
"...as long as you agree with us about everything"
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