This is an admin post, intended for blahaj lemmy users. Top level posts from members of other instances will be removed.
==
Edit - Hexbear announced plans to deferedate from us.
==
After recent events, it feels to me that sentiment has shifted and more people are asking for defederation of hexbear than previously
I’ve been doing my best to try and mend bridges and keep us connected, as it’s my hope that we can maintain trans solidarity and work with them, despite the friction, however, ultimately, I feel that this is an issue for the blahaj lemmy community to decide, not the admins alone
So here’s what we’re going to do
We’re going to leave things as they are for a week. That will give time for things to calm down whilst we see if we can work together. After a week, I’ll put up a vote and get a feel for where the community is at in regards to our continued federation with hexbear. That poll will run for a week. If there is a strong will to defederate (a clear majority), then that’s what we will do
Hexbear is a bare-knuckle community that encourages group think and hair trigger mockery (“LIB!” and variations). In general, they bring that mentality wherever they go. It reminds me of the Goons from SomethingAwful in that way: you could spot a group of Goons regardless of the game, site, whatever.
Those communities can be fun (a supporters section at a football match, for example), but you have to go in ready to take a stray punch or two.
I have an account on another instance for when I want to be out in the world and suffer the slings and arrows and look at shitposts on !chapotraphouse. Sometimes I’m in the mood.
But I think part of the intended vibe of blahaj.zone is that it’s somewhere that as highly marginalized people we can come and not expect to have slurs thrown around, 0-100 name calling criticism, etc.
The culture of hexbear is the opposite of that; it’s not about not subscribing to !chapotraphouse, it’s about how the instance approaches the whole idea of online interaction.
The comparison to SomethingAwful is extremely on point, as that’s the exact way they behave. Frankly, I think that type of volatile internet space should be left behind, and that’s as a former goon. They’re just ultimately shallow people who argue for the sake of arguing and bring nothing but discomfort to others.