After discussing this with the people most often using the mutual aid community and feedback here we will be making a single change.
Meta posts will no longer be permitted in !mutual_aid@hexbear.net critical meta posts must not be about specific users and posted in !feedback@hexbear.net at risk of removal.
We will change the mutual aid sidebar to remove the clause permitting meta posts, we will also ask that users post once a day so that everyone’s post’s can be seen but this is not a hard rule as it is pretty clear that removing posts is a last resort in that community. This joins the other community recommendations that users include currency, how much is needed, updating when a user has received funds, or updating/locking the post when the need has been met.
This will be unfeatured in about 12 hours
~~Hello users of hexbear:
Due to recent meta posts in our mutual aid community we wanted to open up discussion about the community !mutual_aid@hexbear.net
We will never require explanation or justification from a user asking for aid in the community, and the mod and admin team continue to commit to not featuring an individual’s mutual aid request to prevent unfair exposure.
In addition, we will maintain a strict “No critical comments or meta comments” on a mutual aid post.
This post is to discuss the mutual aid community’s rule of allowing meta posts: mutual aid as a community, those making posts in it and those commenting on posts.
We are considering removing the exception allowing meta posts but wanted to involve the userbase before committing to a change.
Please comment with any thoughts, feelings, or suggestions regarding this change.
Thank you~~
Okay let me try again:
Regardless of what you call it, ranking people in mutual aid is going to result in worse outcomes for people who need mutual aid.
Guess what? People are going to disengage from the comm, Hexbear cannot solve homelessness, there are plenty of people here who are simply upset about having to see poverty in a digital space. And guess what? It’s gonna get worse! It’s going to reflect the fact that this is a space that is a durable source of survival resources and the fact that more and more people need those resources to survive as the economy gets worse. These are facts of life and a comm is not going to change them. Visible poverty is a natural collective punishment for living in an unjust society.
What’s important is that people who need help do not disengage from the comm because of witch hunts and moralizing. Attempting to drive engagement of donators by catering to them is going to create worse outcomes for people who need money and for people who donate money.
We have no way of enforcing anything. It’s very easy to scam people who think they’re getting exactly what they want. That’s why it’s called a confidence trick.
All you’re doing is giving people reasons to lie and inviting the community to air out all their vile thoughts about those who suffer poverty.
You should read thru this whole thread and see that there are comrades who, based on how everyone’s shitty little thoughts have played out, do not feel comfortable even asking for help anymore. That is the harm here.
We can block comms now. We don’t actually have to see poverty. That should instruct you on the limitations of webzones to both provide a safe harbor for the vulnerable and to punish the unjust.