I think….when I see people say they don’t want to see “x” on AO3 and it’s pointed out to them that tag system allows them not to see “x” and they insist that no that is not enough they reveal there hand.
It’s not that THEY don’t want to see “x” they don’t want YOU to see “x”. They have decided that you can’t be trusted with your own decisions. That you can’t make your own decisions. And that only are qualified to be the arbiters of what is good.
I think it’s condescending, insulting and reveals more about how they want to control others.
The number of “lmao good ban the pro-shippers” takes I’ve seen the last two days has been…so funny and sad.
You will suffer if ao3 starts cracking down on certain things. Your ships, the things you like…are not pure. I don’t know how to explain this to you any better???
The ships you are cherishing in your minds and hearts right this second? Someone hates them and wants to take them away from you. Sometimes for reasons you haven’t even THOUGHT OF. All of you. You’re not special and pure “lmao”
I have been reading a bit on the OTW elections and the whole Tiffany G thing, but most of all, I’ve been reading comments from people supporting Tiffany saying that she just wants to clear AO3 from all the CSAM (child sexual abuse material) content and I don’t know who needs to hear this but:
If someone comes to a predominantly QUEER space (like AO3) and tells you that censorship is necessary to eradicate CSAM… it’s not actually CSAM they want to eradicate…
I’ve seen this type of discourse about Pride and about queer literature and queer movies and queer communities. It’s a tried and true technique of the right and conservative movements.
First, they say there is a DANGER to the community through CSAM and they conflate the actual threat of CSAM in the community (we all know someone who thinks that writing a love story between two characters who are 16 is CSAM…), and make you believe that censorship is the only way to PROTECT THE CHILDREN. And since most people are (rightly) mind-bogled at having to explain that of course they don’t support CSAM content, they bow down and accept the censorship for the greater good, without anyone actually trying to have a conversation about what qualifies as CSAM (which needs to, you know, actually involve real children and not fictional characters who are 17 and losing their virginity with their crush in a Mature-rated story about high school football and first love based on the author’s own experience of losing their virginity at 17 to their crush in high school).
Then, they tell you that there are other forms of DISTURBING CONTENT, and what they really mean is porn that THEY find disturbing, for ex, (and I kid you not, I have seen comments like that) porn featuring disabled characters, which they consider to encourage the exploitation of vulnerable individuals, or BDSM porn (which supposedly encourages violence and lack of consent), or rough porn, or any kind of porn that isn’t two (preferably white and skinny) able-bodied people doing it missionary style while lovingly gazing in each other’s eyes. SO TO PROTECT VIEWERS, that needs to be banned as well.
And then, they tell you that even that sanitized version of porn is still porn and that people under 18 or under 21 or under whatever age they consider too young to view anything sexual regardless of the fact that not all countries have the same law about the age of maturity, should be free to surf the site without having to *gasp* filter out properly tagged works. So TO PROTECT THE CHILDREN, every explicit content is censored.
And then finally, when all that is left is a sanitized, white-washed, ableist, puritan type of content featuring General-Audience approved gay works of two nice men or two nice women holding hands and chastely kissing each other on the lips… Well guess what? :) CHILDREN SHOULD NOT BE EXPOSED TO QUEER CONTENT SO WE NEED TO BAN THAT AS WELL, and since we’ve basically done purge after purge before and there are still a handful of people on the website, well surely they won’t mind/care anymore, will they?
It’s not just a slippery slope, it’s something that has been done time and again, and that is why censorship on AO3 will never, never have a positive outcome.
These images are not explicit. These pictures show two adults, engaging in consensual kissing. That’s it. It isn’t violent, it isn’t pornographic. It’s literally just two adult humans sharing a kiss.
It’s ludicrous and insulting that – especially in 2018 – this is flagged, either by some sort of badly-designed algorithm, or by shitty homophobic people.
And to just restate something that I reblogged a little bit ago:
the reality is that for a lot of the LGTBQ+ community, particularly younger members still discovering themselves and members in extremely homophobic environments where most media sites were banned (but Tumblr wasn’t even considered important enough to be), this was a bastion of information and self-expression.
I am so lucky. I am so massively lucky and privileged. I’m rich, I’m white, I’m a CIS male in a heterosexual relationship. I can look just about anywhere in the world and see myself represented in art and media. My experience has been normalized to the exclusion and oppression of people who don’t share that experience.
That. Must. Change.
I can only imagine what it must feel like to fight every second of ever day just to exist in a world that is filled with people who share my demographic (but not my values) using their wealth and power and privilege to attack you, simply for being who you are, for existing. I can only imagine how terrible and suffocating and exhausting that must be.
According to marginalized and vulnerable people, this change in policy will directly hurt them, and that’s indefensible.
The ridiculousness of this policy change can be simply illustrated by the image here being flagged. Why was it flagged? Because homophobia is rampant and too many people who should stand up against it are cowards who don’t want to risk their own wealth and privilege in the service of people who can’t defend themselves.
I applaud and admire and respect the hell out of everyone in the LGBTQ community here who have formed networks and friendships and relationships and support structures for each other. You have worked so hard to create and maintain a safe space for each other, and I’m embarrassed, appalled, and furious that people who look like me are making your lives – hell, your very existence – so hard.
I’m just one person, and maybe it won’t matter or make a difference, but I stand with you, not just on this website, but in our entire universe. I see you. I love you. I value you.
I’m not even sure how to caption this, but here we go: this is Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelsen as paper dolls, in vintage ad form, because it’s me. In theory, you could dress them up to act out one of the many Madancy ships that are out there. Orrrr you could just enjoy them as they are, in their snug white underwear.
If there are any Fannibals who want to move to pillowfort but can’t spare the $5 for an invite code, let me know. I’ll do my best to help when it’s back up!
UPDATE:
I’ve made a spreadsheet for those wanting a pillowfort invite and those willing to buy them!
Please go here to enter yourself in the relevant column!
