A Note on Hate Speech and Criticker's Abuse Policy

Introduce yourself to the community or chat with other users about whatever is on your mind
mpowell
Posts: 3851
1 Ratings
Your TCI: na
Joined: Fri Sep 09, 2005 10:22 am

A Note on Hate Speech and Criticker's Abuse Policy

Post by mpowell »

Criticker has always been opposed to all forms of hate. But recently, we've had to step up our efforts to combat a specific source of intolerance: that which stems from extreme right-wing and/or white supremacist viewpoints.

This is a problem for many websites, and Criticker is no different. From this point on, we're going to be more strictly enforcing policies which facilitate an open, safe discourse. Among the steps we'll be taking:
  • * A review of our Abuse Policy to make it more comprehensive and clear, specifically addressing extremist and white-supremacist language, whether it is explicit or implicit

    * A tool to more easily report abusive or intolerant mini-reviews and forum posts

    * Proactive moderation of mini-reviews and forum posts

    * Decisive, immediate action when encountering language and sentiments that run counter to our values, including permanent bans
The Criticker community concentrates on movies, TV shows, and video games... and that's enough. But we want to make it very clear that the founders of this site are fully committed to progressive values, including an unquestioning acceptance of all humanity, regardless of color, gender, sexual preference, or self-identity.

To anyone who has been offended by something they've read on our forums, or within a mini-review, please accept our apologies. We're going to do better.

JSchlansky
Posts: 1514
595 Ratings
Your TCI: na
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2014 12:58 am

Re: A Note on Hate Speech and Criticker's Abuse Policy

Post by JSchlansky »

Thanks for this. It was that kind of thing that drove me away from the forum side of the site a while ago

iconogassed
Posts: 919
29 Ratings
Your TCI: na
Joined: Sat Apr 26, 2008 4:41 pm

Re: A Note on Hate Speech and Criticker's Abuse Policy

Post by iconogassed »

JSchlansky wrote:
Thu Jun 16, 2022 6:04 pm
Thanks for this. It was that kind of thing that drove me away from the forum side of the site a while ago
Since your last substantive (non-guess-the-screencap) interaction was with me, I feel compelled to correct this revisionism. Here is the forum thread in question.

There is nothing there, even from the right-wing and gleefully confrontational ShogunRua, that should be prohibited under any reasonable abuse policy, especially one specifically addressing hate speech. Just the kind of criticism one should be prepared for if one habitually uses a film message board for shameless self-promotion of creative works designed to enrich one personally and professionally.

Shortly before that, ShogunRua referred to one of your videos as "a very stupid parody". Perhaps a little harsh, but again, this is the least you should be prepared to deal with as an aspiring creative professional publicly sharing your work, and not something that should be prohibited on a forum whose reason for existing is film criticism.

mpowell: can you please confirm whether anything posted in those links will be prohibited going forward?

JSchlansky
Posts: 1514
595 Ratings
Your TCI: na
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2014 12:58 am

Re: A Note on Hate Speech and Criticker's Abuse Policy

Post by JSchlansky »

Bit of a self-report that you think I was talking about you, which is not the case. I don't make a habit of interacting with egregious right-wing posts, because what would be the point? I saw this type of sentiment expressed in the forums, was put off by it, and decided to step back from the forum/social side of this site, which is a shame because I had previously enjoyed it and still enjoy the cataloguing/database side of the site. I was thinking about returning to the image game recently, then saw that thread about "wokeness" and was reminded why I left the forums.

iconogassed
Posts: 919
29 Ratings
Your TCI: na
Joined: Sat Apr 26, 2008 4:41 pm

Re: A Note on Hate Speech and Criticker's Abuse Policy

Post by iconogassed »

Absent any explanation, I think posting in a thread about hate speech and abuse that you were "driven from the forums" by said behavior implies you were personally attacked in such a fashion, or perceived yourself to be. And since that thread was right before your departure, I wanted to be unambiguous. Thank you for providing context.

Having said that, I don't think that wokeness thread deserved to be jettisoned in whole, if that is indeed what happened (though I probably didn't read the whole thing). Speaking as a pansexual socialist (of a kind), what passes for "the left" these days is certainly deserving of no small amount of criticism, and the cynical exploitation of its anxieties by corporate America a lot more.

I would respectfully request more detail as to what will be prohibited on the board and in mini-reviews, if the implication is that everything in that thread was objectionable.

overrated
Posts: 90
278 Ratings
Your TCI: na
Joined: Sat Jan 09, 2010 4:07 pm

Re: A Note on Hate Speech and Criticker's Abuse Policy

Post by overrated »

Perhaps the best solution would be the creation of a "garbage dump" subforum where these topics would be moved to, where they don't appear under the "Currenty at the Forum" header. Then site admin could either lock the threads, or if the topic is broadly political allow them to continue subject to adhering to the terms of service on hate speech. I'm pretty supportive of site admin stating their position on this, but the ToS needs to be outlined loud and clear on what constitutes hate speech (the language in the now deleted thread did cross that line IMO). I agree that nuking a thread is a bit counter productive, for as much as I appreciate the work site admins have put into Criticker a somewhat more active moderation in the forums is needed. Threads devolving into political toxicity is a problem has been ongoing for more than a decade now.

JooJoo
Posts: 523
0 Ratings
Your TCI: na
Joined: Fri Apr 20, 2007 6:37 am

Re: A Note on Hate Speech and Criticker's Abuse Policy

Post by JooJoo »

I second overrated’s suggestion on the ‘garbage dump’ idea and the unclear ToS. The description of the General Discussion could also be seen as misleading - “ Introduce yourself to the community or chat with other users about whatever is on your mind”.

Moderating language or behavior (especially online) is bound to be difficult but certainly necessary in some capacity. I’ve personally never thought silencing (through bans or deletion of topics) is the correct approach to speech we disagree with if it’s within respectful and tolerable bounds, as this just pushes people into more marginalized and extreme circles by necessity in my experience.

The conversation will also still be relegated to the films or videos you allow people to contribute to the database that seems to contradict your forum policy, like let’s say the recently added documentary by internet dunce Matt Walsh - WiaW.Shogun’s use of a term like “normie” to someone like Matt Walsh makes my eyes roll out of my head and avoid w/e he would consider actual right-wing, but if he can do so in a respectful manner, he probably should still be allowed to voice his opinion on this fool since you allow the contribution of it on the site itself.

iconogassed
Posts: 919
29 Ratings
Your TCI: na
Joined: Sat Apr 26, 2008 4:41 pm

Re: A Note on Hate Speech and Criticker's Abuse Policy

Post by iconogassed »

I am also pro-dump.

JooJoo wrote:
Fri Jun 17, 2022 6:23 am
The conversation will also still be relegated to the films or videos you allow people to contribute to the database that seems to contradict your forum policy, like let’s say the recently added documentary by internet dunce Matt Walsh - WiaW.Shogun’s use of a term like “normie” to someone like Matt Walsh makes my eyes roll out of my head and avoid w/e he would consider actual right-wing, but if he can do so in a respectful manner, he probably should still be allowed to voice his opinion on this fool since you allow the contribution of it on the site itself.
So your contention is that What Is a Woman qualifies as "hate speech"? Is any expressed skepticism about whether a trans woman is "a woman", or opinions as to which ways they may not be, de facto hate speech?

JakeAesthete
Posts: 37
0 Ratings
Your TCI: na
Joined: Fri Jun 13, 2008 7:41 am

Re: A Note on Hate Speech and Criticker's Abuse Policy

Post by JakeAesthete »

If the site allows us to rate and review Birth of a Nation and Triumph of the Will (and obviously it should!), there's no reason not to include a "film" by a doofus so bent on owning the libs that he'll fly all the way to Africa to interview rural tribes just to ask them about gender roles. Way too (unintentionally) funny for anyone to be offended by, I hope (PS I've only seen clips, I'm sure there's stuff in it that makes cherrypicked leftist academics look accurately ridiculous too).

I must have missed the thread in question, but I can't even think of any particularly extreme views ever being expressed on here, or even any right-leaning ones aside from ShogunRua with his boilerplate Twitter reply-guy talking points. Nothing you wouldn't find on any other social media site. It begs the question of why a site dedicated to assigning abitrary ratings to movies feels the need to reassure us that it is "fully committed to progressive values", aside from the obvious fact that that's just what every business, corporation, non-profit, institution of any size really, feels obligated to do in the year 2022 (well, more like from 2017 onward).

JooJoo
Posts: 523
0 Ratings
Your TCI: na
Joined: Fri Apr 20, 2007 6:37 am

Re: A Note on Hate Speech and Criticker's Abuse Policy

Post by JooJoo »

iconogassed wrote:
Fri Jun 17, 2022 10:57 pm

So your contention is that What Is a Woman qualifies as "hate speech"?
I haven’t watched it and have no interest in it. Do you think it qualifies as hate speech?
iconogassed wrote:
Fri Jun 17, 2022 10:57 pm

Is any expressed skepticism about whether a trans woman is "a woman", or opinions as to which ways they may not be, de facto hate speech?
No. I suppose It would depend on the tone of the conversation and exactly how one articulated it. I could certainly see others jumping to hate speech claims over this topic if it’s questioning the legitimacy of trans rights, just as others have over gay rights or any other marginalized group in the past.

I was just putting forth a hypothetical using a doc that recently came across my radar as I’m on the internet, I do know the topic of it, and since The Daily Wire is producing it, can safely guess (even before the clatter of the internet) what side of the issue it leans to. The aversion to right wing views and what qualifies as an ‘extreme’ view was more what I was getting at, not specifically the hate speech.

I have no problem with any proper film of any viewpoint being put on this site or being discussed btw. My original point was just bringing up a contradiction that I don’t see as necessary in what is and is not allowed. If a topic about “Wokeness is Ruining Cinema” or w/e it was called has been purged, I don’t see a topic about “What is a Woman” being left open.

Locked