The future of Political Discussions on AF

[Metalhead]

I understand a certain thread I started may have set off this thread. The mood at my office that day was dour. I apologize because even though it involved a topic affecting people with autism, I really just wanted to air out a personal grievance.

 

[WhitewaterWoman]

Someone might want to repost this, but if not, here we go...


If I can have the table, I would like to share an admission here.

I really went off the rails here last night and blew a gasket over political posts I perceived as negative.
There was no excuse for that and it was very harsh.

We all joined here either for support or for knowledge.
Some pass the knowledge out, while others gather it.

I was one who came here seeking knowledge.
I stuck around until Brent brought me on as an admin.

Early on it was a lot of work until things got settled down.
We had some messes to clean up and ropes to learn, but eventually we got it sorted out.

A few years have passed, and we got to welcome @Satal here as our new owner/IT professional.

Times were looking great and we had a firm handle on things.

Then I started to see posts that I didn't like.
The ones that got my ire.
I considered those types of posts spreading fear and panic, which they feel like to me.
Most of the time, I rarely react with more than disappointment and shrug it off.
Sometimes I get kind of irate.
Last night, I blew a gasket and went off the rails.

It wasn't until I had a conversation with @tree that I realized that my irrational reaction was the result of a trigger that escalated into a meltdown over political differences.

What?
No way!

Yeah, way

So here I am, trying to explain all of this to those who might listen and humbly asking if I can get all of you to try to understand that this Superman found his kryptonite.

Nitro, I know/knew. I understand. I love you for who you are. I suspect that is true for most of the others of us as well.

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

I thought a post that I submitted that got edited was part of the issue. Normally I stay away from politics.

 

[Alexej]

So here I am, trying to explain all of this to those who might listen and humbly asking if I can get all of you to try to understand that this Superman found his kryptonite.

Thank you for your honesty and vulnerability.

Honour to you for that - would that we all could be more honest when we (I) screw things up.

 

[Roisin]

This post is filled with rethorical questions and points to pause on and contemplate. Im not looking for specific responses!!

My few pence

A forum is an ecosystem, sustainability is critical, this is my primary consideration.

To me, moderators are the lifeblood that keep the system balanced and healthy.

They need support to remain balanced and well, does it exist here?
What adaptations are made to their moderating role to support their individual needs? Is there a policy on this in AF?

How can a person with diagnosably limited social energy navigate the social spats here, the interpersonal misunderstandings and the members that require more attention than others.
Surely that comes at a cost to them? The inclusion for everyone in this situation requires balance, anything extra that tips the scales towards further burnout like politics is not sustainable from my perspective

I feel that all members lives are affected by the policies in our respective countries, solution focussed discussions relative to specific members challenges in these areas is a necessary and practical response.

Where it strays into ideology, "shoulds" "used to be this way" etc and BLAME it becomes an expression of individual bias.

I wonder if it was UK, Russian, or Palestinian politics seeping into the forum how would members in America view this?

On that note is AF American now? I'm interested in balance and integration and a place that has international members. I can have segregation, sectarianism and strife as a result of politics if I step outside into my town. Do I want that in my online Autistic space? Nope, not for me thanks.

If I feel that desire I'll use social media to express my political opinion.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

Within the public sphere individuals can be triggered emotionally by any topic. The problem is not with the topic, but rather the individual. Everyone has their own life experience, personality traits, knowledge, and so on. There's no way to accurately predict if and when someone is going to post something that will trigger another to have an emotional reaction. The problem, again, is not the topic, but rather the individual.

Having said that, we absolutely CAN NOT allow any one individual have power over what the group is discussing. It reinforces some narcissistic and sociopathic traits when one can manipulate the content on a public forum with their disruptive, emotional reactions and shut down an entire discussion.

As others have suggested, if any one of us does not like the content of a particular thread, they have their full freedom to simply avoid it and not interact. I don't think any of us read ALL the threads on the forums, but rather just a relative few. We make our choices.

 

[thejuice]

I think we need to be able to talk about the political interests of autistic people here. We need the freedom to advocate for autism, otherwise It will weaken us as a group against those who oppress us. I think being accused of bias is inevitable, at some point modding does involve some arbitrary decisions.

It might be worth thinking, how many flashpoints are there? Is conflict as common as it feels right now?

 

[Rodafina]

Selfishly, I admit that the omission of politics from the forum would make my life easier, but as I have read members' contributions to this thread, I can see that many find value in allowing political discussions to continue.

We come here to form a community. The integrity of the community with the designated purpose of helping and supporting each other is the most important thing to me. Support does not always have to be total agreement, but support does have to be respectful, thoughtful, and sincere.

While there is no expectation of perfection from any member, I think it is more than fair to have an expectation of accountability and a steadfast agreement to do our absolute best to do no harm on this forum. That includes all staff members, too - we are simply members here who have signed up to preserve the harmony as guided by the rules as best we can.

I believe that having a politics section would be a good indicator of a thriving community that is able to discuss tough issues and wildly diverse opinions while still respecting each other, the rules, and the well-being of the community here. I want that for all of us.

For the most part, it seems like we can trust each other to conduct ourselves in a manner that does no harm to others. This occurs on the forum every single day. Understandably, there may be occurrences when this does not happen, but I see now that it is not fair to let those few and far between instances change the entire dynamic of the forum. People who are here to engage in productive and respectful conversation about even the most divisive issues should not be punished and lose their space to do that.

We all come here as individuals, but in so doing, we become a group where no one voice is more or less important than another. My best hope is that this conversation alone can help us repair trust in the staff and move on from this with an improved sense of community.

 

[Judge]

If anything, if we are to continue a valid discussion of politics relative to the existence of autistic people, I see certain issues that must be addressed without the fear of intimidation, petty insults and above all, censorship.

Personal insults and sustained animosity based only on political differences can be resolved with maturity, particularly given that the vast majority of us are adults. However what I find considerably more problematic is the process of editing or deleting posts or entire threads, when they are parsed as going beyond "undefined boundaries".

In the academic school of thought I was exposed to, virtually all relationships between human beings are inherently political ones. That there's simply no getting around this fact. Making it nearly impossible to discuss something that is bound to involve polarized opinions and ideologies at some point.

I find it particularly discouraging when I cannot simply quote laws that have existed for years. Not to support any viewpoint, but to just explain how things work in our particular legal system. Laws already on the books- not laws merely being proposed and up for debate.

I'm just asking for a little leeway in terms of being able to discuss certain issues in the most politically neutral fashion I can muster. While still understanding a community need "to keep the peace", but without having to feel as if I'm always under a cloud of being censored, insulted or bullied.

 

[Nitro]

If anything, if we are to continue a valid discussion of politics relative to the existence of autistic people, I see certain issues that must be addressed without the fear of intimidation, petty insults and above all, censorship.

Personal insults and sustained animosity based only on political differences can be resolved with maturity, particularly given that the vast majority of us are adults. However what I find considerably more problematic is the process of editing or deleting posts or entire threads, when they are parsed as going beyond "undefined boundaries".

In the academic school of thought I was exposed to, virtually all relationships between human beings are inherently political ones. That there's simply no getting around this fact. Making it nearly impossible to discuss something that is bound to involve polarized opinions and ideologies at some point.

I find it particularly discouraging when I cannot simply quote laws that have existed for years. Not to support any viewpoint, but to just explain how things work in our particular legal system. Laws already on the books- not laws merely being proposed and up for debate.

I'm just asking for a little leeway in terms of being able to discuss certain issues in the most politically neutral fashion I can muster. While still understanding a community need "to keep the peace", but without having to feel as if I'm always under a cloud of being censored, insulted or bullied.

No worries, I have taken it upon myself to resign and never subject anyone to my thoughts again

 

[Ken]

I'm not sure if this fits this thread, but it seems to for me.

I absolutely believe in Freedom of Speech.
Everyone should be able to freely express themselves.
Freedom of speech is very beneficial and constructive.

However, I do not believe in Freedom of Lies.
Lies are destructive, deceptive and are to hurt.
Everything “Human” is dependent on words.
Everything from bedtime stories to engines to medical miracles are all devised and brought into being by information; by words.
Words are the construct of our world - all that we know. It is information. It is communication. It is our lives.
Every building, every man made structure, every computer, everything is created by information.
Only true information is constructive. False information – lies - are destructive.
Differences in opinion or viewpoints are not lying. Misinformation are lies.
You would not want to cross a bridge or fly in an aircraft engineered or constructed with misinformation.
Being consciously loose with facts is lying.
Being mistaken is not a lie, its an error.
The act of intended concealment, distortion and misinterpretation is a lie.
Hearing a rumor then passing it along to others makes you an agent of fraud. A liar.
Lies breed conflict, murder, mass murder and war. War is state sanctioned mass murder. All created out of false accusations, willful ignorance, hatred and bigotry fueled by selfish greed.

I do not believe in Freedom of Harm, including freedom to insult, freedom to disrespect, freedom to humiliate, etc. Each of these are destructive. It is not at all beneficial. It is easy to accurately express yourself without having to harm anyone else.

This is, by far, the best autism forum I have witnessed and I believe that is because of it moderators. I am deeply grateful to their efforts and I feel they do a very good job. As such, I believe moderation is required to prevent a few from ruining the whole.

With that, if this post is in any way inappropriate, please delete it as opposed to editing it. Editing is effectively putting words in my mouth.