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Nope, but we can get most of them. It's not that difficult, I don't think. And the main issue that gets people banned is they don't even try as far as I can see. It's just the same repetitive reflexive boo outgroup stuff.
But I disagree above, we can in fact overcome those gulfs. And in fact if you find it makes you resentful that is (in my opinion) part of the problem. It doesn't make me resentful when I have to rephrase something so I don't offend a Christian or a white nationalist. Why should it? I WANT them to read and engage. I want to hear from them, so spending a bit of time to hopefully increase their engagement is a positive thing in my mind.
Letting go of all of the emotional baggage of what people do outside of this space, is I think key. Treat it as its own world. Even if 99.9% of gay librarians or white nationalists would just yell or seethe, we are writing for those who come here and want to engage. Don't resent rewriting your words, that's the whole point of the space. See how well you can predict those you disagree with, if you have a good understanding of them, then you should be able to do well in reducing heat, if you don't, then that's the other thing this space is for!
I've been here and back when we were on Reddit for years, and I don't think I have ever even picked up a mod warning let alone a ban. I am sure I will at some point, but avoiding the most obvious boo outgroup stuff, and wording that is likely to enrage or annoy your opponents is fairly easy. You just have to want to spend the time and energy to do it. Regardless of (to go back to my original point) how much you hate or despise or think they will be ungrateful, or wouldn't do the same in reverse. Do it for you, not for them. Because you want the conversation that might result. Those moments when you can for a second connect with someone you think is entirely wrong about the world and might even be harming it, when you can see through their eyes for just a second. Even if they never see through yours.
What we do here has no impact on the outcome of the culture war, there are no stakes. It's just for the love of the game.
It's not exactly the rewriting that generates the resentment, it's the constant failure. And the goal-post shifting, accusations of nutpicking when you're referring to godforsaken New York Times bestsellers and columnists... It's the exhaustion that generates resentment, not the trying. It's
that, giving what you will never get back, over and over and over. I don't know how you do it, but I'm glad you keep on trying.
Anyways. Thank you for the food for thought.
My only ban in a Mottespace was a boo outgroup joke back when we were still SSC, which was understandable but irritating because much worse went unmoderated, but my last ban elsewhere was for calling someone a bigot for making grossly bigoted statements about Appalachia. I don't regret that, and it rather made me dislike the moderation of that space, who was supposedly inspired by The Motte's rules.
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