Hello users of Hexbear, we wanted to inform you that we are going to be locking the_dunk_tank and dredge_tank communities. We have created two new communities /c/gossip and /c/counterpropaganda to serve a similar but clearly distinct purpose than the dunk/dredge tanks.

Not only is the dunk tank a term that has racist origins, but also many posts there were almost no effort and often times requiring later edits to show how they weren’t reactionary, not useful with regard to developing rhetoric and furthering dialectical analysis of that which we dunk upon.

To that end, we wish posts of reactionaries to be placed in !counterpropaganda@hexbear.net along with an accompanying explanation (as simple or complex as desired) with the intent of countering the reactionary propaganda in the post body, as of now comments are not subject to the same rhetorical rigor rule.

For the posts that are not "low-hanging fruit’ of notable people we ask that you use !gossip@hexbear.net .

These changes are mainly part of a continued effort to remove the racist and misogynistic elements from our community and grow.

Any moderators of the dunk tank or dredge tank that want to be a mod in the new communities let me know.

Any users with questions or comments please use this post, this change was made at the behest of the entire Hexbear mod and admin team. We will be looking for more moderators in an organized volunteer drive shortly, if you wish to submit an application you may send it to me via hexbear or matrix direct messages.

Use this post as a place for discussion to these changes. We will keep things as they are for 2 weeks and then reflect on the feedback, including this post: https://hexbear.net/post/3858346

As a personal addendum I am sorry if the closing of the tanks these changes removes a beloved space on the site and if you want to suggest a community to replace them you may do so at !commrequest@hexbear.net or submit a mod application to take a more active role in shaping the site.

Sitewide or community changes come from proposals put forth from the mod team, discussed, and voted on by the mod team.

Any users wanting to suggest a community to replace the tanks, may do so at !commrequest@hexbear.net current discussion is here https://hexbear.net/post/3858346 or submit a mod application to take a more active role in shaping the site.

You may also consider using !shitreactionariessay@lemmygrad.ml as a substitute for dunk/dredge tank posts as well

The mod statement can be found here: https://hexbear.net/comment/5613033

Application

What is your Hexbear username? Do you have any preferred pronouns? What are your thoughts on capitalism? What are your thoughts on imperialism? What are your thoughts on trans rights? What are your thoughts on racial justice? What do think about current and previous protests around the world? What are your thoughts on Veganism and Animal Liberation? Do you have any experience with other leftist online communities? What did those experiences teach you? What is your approach to moderation, and how do you work with teams? How do you deal with online drama and people who try to start things for the sake of it? What current comms would you be interested in moderating? Do you have any ideas for community engagement? What is your general time availability? (Time zone, amounts, common browsing times, etc)

  • Xavienth@lemmygrad.mlEnglish
    14·
    3 days ago

    I blocked those communities once i realized they were basically the only part of hexbear that consistently made me feel dread. This shit is not good for you, and you don’t even realize it until it’s gone.

    I think I’ll be blocking these new communities because they will inevitably become like the old ones, and heavy moderation to try to change that is going to just cause whining.

    • Frank [he/him, he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
      9·
      3 days ago

      There is a great unwillingness being expressed by many users to consider that other people do not have the same experiences as them. It is not good for you. For others it is an important source of comfort and solidarity. Your experiences are not representative of all people and I would encourage you to take that into consideration and read some of the posts where people express how and why the dunk tank has value to them and helps them survive this hellish fascistic nightmare in which we are trapped, and in which many of us are facing horrific torture and death in the coming years.

    • redtea@lemmygrad.mlEnglish
      6·
      3 days ago

      I blocked the lemmygrad ones, too. My mind has been in a better place, since. Can’t see the point in coming to a leftist forum with a better atmosphere only to have all the shit that I wanted to escape plastered on the front page. If I wanted to be angry, I’d open twitter. Don’t think I’ve had to block the HB ones because of the way federation works, I wouldn’t really see them unless I subscribed and viewed by subscribe.

        • redtea@lemmygrad.mlEnglish
          2·
          3 days ago

          That was a good move, I agree.

          Every so often I think of unblocking it but I give myself a day to think about it. I know I’d get rage-addicted quick! Giving myself some breathing room, I usually forget that I posed the question rather than explicitly decide against it.

          These kinds of thing can give a real FOMO when it becomes so much of what you see everyday; but once you get used to not seeing them—meh.

        • redtea@lemmygrad.mlEnglish
          1·
          3 days ago

          I find that browsing by all can sometimes give the same effect as opening the comm itself! I’m no saint, though; I browse by all here and there.