SecondJon @SecondJon@social.cleverlibre.org

@freemo @commandelicious @Surasanji Some things are just unquestionable. I'm basically saying, I'll debate differing opinions all day long as long... as they aren't bigoted views. In real life I've had successful debates; a few months ago I even got a Vietnam Vet wearing a MAGA shirt to admit he'd vote for Michelle Obama. ;) I reject the notion that engaging with the other side is totally pointless, and I actually usually feel like a minority with that opinion in my real life.

@hashtaggrammar Can't argue with any of that. The lack of healthy debate in the USA is a good part of why i left.

@Surasanji @commandelicious

@commandelicious @hashtaggrammar @freemo I have trouble understanding people who want to silence differing opinions because it makes them uncomfortable.

Personally, I'd rather know where people stand in relation to myself. It allows dialogue. Gotta face that cognitive dissidence someday.

I just got an official response from mastodon.social over someone from bofa trying to get us silenced for being free speech oriented.

I got an official response from the moderators over there and told #QOTO will NOT be silenced. They did not find any justification for the report.

@arteteco @absolutus

Oh and stop it with the self-congratulatory circle jerk where you keep patting each other on the backs for fending off the bogeyman

And yes I did notice he wrote “CIS” in all caps and I’m sure some of y’all are ready to use that as further evidence he’s a transphobe or whatever, but I’m not going to hold it against him for making a common mistake in this context

@SecondJon @wilw

Not a single one of us is totally innocent and we all have views that may, or may not offend others.

And that's fine. People are free to offend and be offended as they will. That's life. Not everyone is going to get along.

I won't pretend to know if Mr. Wheaton is phobic to anything at all. I won't pretend to know him as an individual.

I certainly won't deny that one of the reasons I'm willing to defend to him is that he was involved with one of my favorite things in the world, Star Trek. I'm a human being, and there are certain mental processes that just sort of click. My biases will always play into my decision making process.

It is totally unforgivable and unacceptable for what amounts to the 2018 version of a pitch-fork wielding mob to tar and feather some poor dude who was- as near as I can tell- not doing anything at all to try and harass anyone.

Personally, I don't care at all what your outlook on life is, what your gender is or isn't, your religion, or your creed, or race- none of those things truly matter to me whatsoever.

What does matter, however, is your behavior and how you treat others..

You can't change how other people act- but if you're someone who feels it is okay to attack someone else because of a traditional bias, bad actors, social issues effect you than you are, quite simply, part of the problem.

You aren't going to change the world by attacking other human beings. Nobody responds well to the proverbial (or literal) punch to the face.

This doesn't mean you accept bad behavior, or people who's opinions (or actions) are destructive. IT does mean, however, that you- as an individual- have to behave in a way that is almost entirely consistent with the values that you claim to hold. Integrity is, without a doubt, a far better measure of a human being than any spoken, written, or followed ethical/moral code.

TL;DR: Be Excellent To Each Other. Treat people like people and *be consistent* in the application of your chosen morality. Being a member of a minority does *not* give you a right to be a douchebag.

@wilw You should come to #QOTO we wouldn't ban you and everyone would love to have you here.

I have been asked to keep things short with a Content Warning. I apologize in advance, I won't be doing that here:

I am exceedingly upset that @wilw has more or less been chased off Mastodon.

He absolutely doesn't deserve to be treated badly, to be maligned, or abused. This admin who's banning Mr. Wheaton because of the actions of OTHER PEOPLE is, quite frankly, a total hashtag. I'm going to use Hashtag here as an insult, because honestly I can't think of anything else without swearing loudly.

I don't know the full story. I don't want to know the full story- because some dude, and it *doesn't matter who said dude is* just got bullied and harassed right off of a social network by toxic, garbage people.

And do not for a moment think that you are not garbage people, those who did this. You are. You are garbage. Rationalize your behavior however you want, but at the end of the day? You are a dumpster fire of a human being and you need to look at yourself good and close and do something about it because I don't want your toxicity poisoning the well any further.

I've recently been reading "The Gay Science" (perhaps a misleadng translation) by Nietsche and I came accross a quote that's a perfect summary for why I made this Mastodon.

Nietsche despite his talent for writing was profoundly embarrassed by it, to quote him "even a parable [of my writing] disgusts me" and he goes on to say

"B: But why, then, do you write? A: Well, my friend, to be quite frank: so far, I have not discovered any other way of getting rid of my thoughts."

@absolutus @freemo There are two very major reasons why 'Be Excellent to Each Other' is my vote.

One: It comes across much less arrogant and is a more neutral term compared to 'Be the bigger person'. It feels counter productive to use that sort of thing given our desired and stated goal.

Two: Wyld Stallyns.

Hey there #QOTO ! It's time for another #ShareTheMusic

The band I'd like to talk about today is near and dear to my heart.

They Might Be Giants is one of those bands that a lot of people have heard without realizing that they know the band.

Maybe you heard them on Tiny Tunes as a kid, singing 'Istanbul' or Particle Man

Maybe you heard the theme song to Malcolm in the Middle, Boss of Me.

Either way, they're a fantastic band that has been pumping out albums for quite some time.

They've got too large a discography for me to actually share all my favorite songs- I do recommend you check them out.

Here are just a few of my favorites:

Answer: https://youtu.be/0cpawwRbSNY

Youth Culture Killed My Dog: https://youtu.be/_uejz92M-SM

And, of course, Particle Man:
https://youtu.be/3_mEctH8e4w

Enjoy and don't forget to #ShareTheMusic!

@Surasanji @freemo latter is best as "bigger" may be interpreted as physically bigger and we wouldnt want someone confusing things, plus we're on the keto diet 😀