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  • ALL of this was clearly shortsighted and a mistake. All behind the scenes communications (between mods, admins, and with other instances), trying to implement changes without the community even being aware (let alone being behind them), and finally mods and admins stepping down. I mean seriously, take a step back and tell me this doesn’t absolutely reek of wrecker shit.

    Do we seriously think that the squeaky wheel for moving the site further from “white cishet male vibes” would be adding a barrier to posting unless you engage in debatebro dialectics? I mean that’s comically white cishet male vibes.

    Let’s be so real right now. Undo everything. Start over. That includes admins unilaterally unadminning. Theyve done their self crit and it seemed as genuine as it could be, now they should ask the community for forgiveness and I’m almost certain theyll get it. If they don’t, then that’s that and they bow out gracefully, but at this point (unless they resigned for mental health issues) I feel as though they owe it to the community to have a say. The community deserves this whole situation to be approached from the very beginning. This includes deciding whether a debate even needs to be held regarding the old or new comms. No poweruser bullshit about trying to change site culture or making it more serious without community input.

    I am a mod on /agitprop. If people like the idea, I’m more than happy to have a weekly Megathread running parallel to the standing news Megathread that is limited strictly to serious discussion, close readings, and actual counter propaganda about current events and other cultural zeitgeist issues. We have plenty of great users ready to put great effort into their posts if they’ll get noticed. If you need any evidence, look at the current pinned thread on /agitprop which has had (knock on wood) NO modding to it thus far and been completely on topic and FILLED with high effort posting. Stopping people from being unserious and having fun will not make them be serious, it will just end their engagement. Plenty of people come here to do both things, myself included. If you like your shitposting, you can keep it.

    Have faith that the community is good as if you are a part of it, and I promise you’ll have a much more fruitful experience than trying to change it from the top down.

  • I do not desire @CARCOSA@hexbear.net's resignation or the removal of anti-dunk moderators from the site. I am very angry, I am very upset, but my anger is born not from hatred but from the knowledge that my comrades are knowledgeable, skilled, and capable of great things. I am angry because this seems like a sharp departure from their character.

    A brittle sword breaks on the enemy’s armor. A well tempered sword bends and returns to true. If we are to be effective we must be like a tempered sword - Capable of sustaining great impacts without breaking. Part of this is the traditional Marxist practice of self criticism, but another part of this is love.

    Having had a chance to sleep on the matter I can see that some of our comrades oppose the dunk tank and the concept of dunking out of a firm belief that it is harmful to their fellows. If I am understanding their position they view abandoning the practice of dunking as a means of protecting their comrades from further harm. They are seeking to act out of a place of compassion.

    Others of our comrades have put forward good faith statements expressing that they experience the dunk tank as a safe space in which they can build up their identity and their conviction that the world of liberal capitalism is not inevitable, nor is it natural, nor is it neutral. The group practice of highlighting the absurdity, hypocrisy, and cruelty of liberal behavior shines a bright light that cuts through the fog of capitalist realism. For some of these users that light is the beacon that keeps them off of the rocks of despair and doomerism.

    Many of us are extremely isolated due to identity, illness, or simply having no comrades nearby that they can spend time with. For these comrades and others Hexbear is a critical social third space that provides a desperately needed shelter. There is much discussion now of the “Male Loneliness Crisis”. We recognize here that crisis was manufactured by fascists to exploit boys who have been left horribly alienated and isolated by decaying capitalism. Many youth have no strong role models or venues for participating in community. Without these things they are unable to form a strong identity from which they can emerge to critically engage with the world. The identity is the fortress to which they can return to examine what they have learned, choose what to keep and what to discard.

    For teenage children that fortress of identity has never been solid. They have always been thrown too and fro by the causal violence and repression of a liberal society largely hostile to their need for safety, comfort, instruction, compassion, and play. Enormous violence has been done to children, and enormous violence has been inflicted by those children, now adults, who were formed in to cruel and violent people.

    Thus the fascist constructed the alt-right and the alt-right pipeline using social media as a weapon to direct boys in to hideous misogynistic spaces that swallow them up and barrage them with hatred, fear, and lies as they grow in to men. The result, as we all know, is a dangerous subculture of fascist footsoldiers ready for mobilization.

    Why have I discussed this matter? Because it is Hexbear’s equal opposite. Hexbear was born out of state repression of marxist spaces, ordered by the hegemonic demands of capital, carried out by willing collaborators at Reddit. A small but important space for unapologetic Marxists and Anarchists to gather and participate in a venue where there views were not socially ostracized was temporarily created. This space was crushed by the forces of Capital. The great drama of leftist repression carried out in miniature, wiping out one of the few accessible leftist spaces in the Anglosphere.

    Hexbear, as silly as this may sound, was the seed of hope carried from that place. We were initially called together by the Chapo Trap House Podcast, who in turn gained fame as surrogates for Bernie Sanders. Chapo Traphouse were the main characters of the “Dirtbag Left”. This social movement arose among young people who recognized that Capitalism had failed utterly, but also that no good faith discussion of leftist theory and praxis would be allowed in Liberal spaces or discourse. Our answer was to go on the attack – Recognizing that we would never be treated with good faith we chose to spurn good faith and tear down the walls of civility behind which the violence of Liberal Democracy is hidden. In embracing vulgarity, mockery, and cruelty we sought to show that Liberal civility was a lie concealing unbelievable inhuman violence. Our vulgar defense of strong humanistic convictions to counter their false politeness and piety. It was, in a fashion, the story of the Emperor’s New Clothes. The Dirtbag Left transgressed against social norms by directly and aggressively mocking the hypocrisy of the empire.

    If you’ll pardon me for invoking a favorite of sealioning debate bros, this is a description of the Cynics of old from Christian Agustus Brandius writing in the 18th century

    There are four reasons why the Cynics are so named. First because of the indifference of their way of life, for they make a cult of indifference and, like dogs, eat and make love in public, go barefoot, and sleep in tubs and at crossroads. The second reason is that the dog is a shameless animal, and they make a cult of shamelessness, not as being beneath modesty, but as superior to it. The third reason is that the dog is a good guard, and they guard the tenets of their philosophy. The fourth reason is that the dog is a discriminating animal which can distinguish between its friends and enemies. So do they recognize as friends those who are suited to philosophy, and receive them kindly, while those unfitted they drive away, like dogs, by barking at them.

    I see in this statement much of the core of Hexbear’s beliefs and methods. First, that this is a group of stoic people who recognize the horrors of the world and do not shy from them. We do not retreat from our terror at the violence we face each day. We do not deny the violence the empire inflicts on people around the world so we can pretend that violence does not exist. We accept this violence, we accept our terror, and we continue to live in spite of it.

    Second, that we will not be shamed for knowing what is true. If the Cynics can be called a cult of shamelessness then so can Hexbear. No excuses are made here for racism, transphobia or bigotry. There are no cries of “Free Speech” here. We do not pretend that there is any reason to listen to the hatred of bigots and reactionaries, we do not make apologies for our beliefs, and we do not allow the lies and propaganda of Capitalism to discourage us. This is a place were gender theory, anti-racism, anti-imperialism, intersectional feminism, and anti-capitalism are painted proudly on the banners we carry before us. We will not be shamed for knowing the truth and taking action to defend the truth.

    Third, if a dog is a good guard, then so Hexbear is a good… erm.. bear… guard. Idk the metaphor isn’t good. None-the-less, this is a place where shitposting and silliness are strongly interwoven with critical analysis, discussion, investigation, and self-criticism. To participate in Hexbear is to be constantly learning. We have members from many parts of the globe and all walks of life. People with very different life experiences can come together to share what they know, remove false beliefs, and grow together. In this manner we guard our theory, our praxis, our comrades, and ourselves.

    Fourth; We know who our enemies are! There are no questions here about what forces create and sustain the cruelty and oppression faced by the people of earth! Alone out of all modern ideological frameworks The Left is able to recognize, name, and explain our enemies and their motivations! This gives us enormous power that our enemies lack. The truth is not a perfect weapon but it is a powerful one, and we can wield it as a sword that will remain sharp no matter how outnumbered we are. Our foes are many and mighty, but still they can be cut!

    And why have I said all of this?

    Hexbear is a community of people who share beliefs, knowledge, and principles. I have not met anyone on Hexbear who is not resolute in their beliefs. And people with strong beliefs often come in to conflict! We have all of us encountered hardship and won knowledge at personal cost, suffering trauma, humiliation, and pain! Knowledge gained at such great cost is very precious and should not be relinquished easily. Moreover, we are all of us surrounded by enemies who exert hegemonic control over the knowledge, beliefs, and values of society. In our day to day lives we constantly encounter enemies who, if they have the power, will harm us. This causes us to adopt an entirely justified vigilance with which we seek to protect ourselves from distortions, propaganda, self-doubt, and even physical violence. This is a very important tool for surviving hellworld!

    However, what happens when we at last arrive in a harbor which, if not entirely safe, is at least shielded from the brutality of the storm? We remain warriors, armed and vigilant. We are quick to draw our swords and unleash our battlecries because this is necessary in many other spaces in our lives! When we have lived so long among enemies it is not easy to trust, nor is it safe to trust easily.

    So, we often come to blows. These struggle sessions have been a defining feature of the site changing it’s shape and membership numerous times. We have cut away and chased off many people who were not comrades or could not tolerate this community. The community today is smaller, but also focused with a stronger understanding of itself.

    When we come to blows we are, generally, not acting in bad faith or for a love of violence. We are people of very strong convictions and when we make a decision we will stick doggedly to that decisio

  • For the record, here is the view I shared in the mod chat:

    It makes sense to rename the dunk tank, but I don't see the need to fundamentally restructure it and the dredge tank. Living in the west means that lib/chud shit is the background radiation of my life, very rarely can I call it out without alienating everyone around me, and it's enormously cathartic to drag it through the dirt like it deserves with like-minded people.

    To slightly expand on that: I didn't like the addition of rule 8 to the dunk tank. It was supposedly only meant to filter out absolute nobodies, but I would see posts with thousands or tens of thousands of likes get removed under rule 8. It seemed as though there was no "safe" threshold to post anything there. It made it feel pointless to post or comment on anything there because so many things just got arbitrarily wiped.

    I like the dredge tank. It's a place to get together and laugh at the emperor parading naked, a respite from the politicians and media and people in my life demanding I praise his fine new clothes.

  • I kinda expected everything to blow over, I didn't think anyone would step down. It makes more sense for things to go back to where they were (with fixed comm names of course), and the mods and admins stepping down due to mental health issues can safely exit, but the remaining ones who stepped down as an apology should stay (assuming the toxic ones are dealt with or selfcrit properly).

    What needs to happen, more than anything, is an open discussion on how sitewide changes should be proposed and voted on that includes more transparency, that's what it seems like everyone wants.

    I see no reason for @CARCOSA@hexbear.net to step down, as the messenger of controversial news.

    Those are just my 2 cents! I know everyone has put a lot into this, and has strong opinions. My only strong opinion on the matter is that there needs to be more open discussion and transparency, major sitewide changes can be held with a more open system. That's it!

    I love having a space with everyone here where we can all have fun and be ourselves, and I really think this is a minor struggle session unworthy of requiring anyone to step down that is doing so to atone.

    Anyways, I'm gonna

    and
    for a while. The people more invested in this drama can keep hashing it out, I'll return in a few days when this has hopefully blown over.

  • This sounds fine. What was decided before was also fine, to me. Please get @carcosa back I really am of the opinion this was a minor struggle session at worst and this isn't a capital offense it was just a slightly badly implemented solution to a real issue.

  • I also really DO NOT want Carcosa to resign 😬😬😬😬😬

    Repeating other sentiments about Carcosa being level headed

    I think self crit at most rather than resignation or stepping back from decision making over 1 "bad" decision. Seems very impulsive considering how many good/correct decisions were made over the last 4 years which easily could have been inflection points to losing the balance of intersectional Marxist interests and degrading the community into a state of decline.

    Based on the last 4 years believe Carcosa should stay an admin and stay in decision making.

  • I like Carcosa. I have to give all due respect the folks who put so much effort into keeping this place in shape, despite what disagreements I might have with some changes in policy. That takes some serious diligence and fortitude, traits that I always admire in others. They should stay on.

  • the Great Interregnum (Holy Hexbear Empire)

    In the Holy Hexbear Empire, the Great Interregnum (so-called to distinguish it from the longer period between Reddit Exile and the Chapo Chat Foundation ) was a period of time, following the throne dispute of Carcosa I. where the succession of the Holy Hexbear Empire was contested and fought over between pro- and anti-Universal Mandate Factions. The long-lasting effects of the Interregnum were primarily the end of centralization of the imperial Administery and the fragmentation of power towards the shitposters and Shitposter-electors

  • People are asking for some transparency on how this decision was made, so here's my perspective.

    Due to the racist origin of the term "The Dunk Tank," the decision was made that the community absolutely needs to be replaced by something which doesn't trace back to a carnival game titled "Hit the Coon."

    Since we were re-naming / replacing the community, It was also considered a good time to reconsider the purpose of it. It served as an outlet for catharsis, but also has a misanthropic element to it, which, unchecked, leads to a smug self-satisfied "everyone is stupid but me" mindset.

    The arguments seemed reasonable to me. I didn't make much input. I didn't find much to object to. I was under the understanding that c/gossip would be more-or-less the replacement, but that would focus more on significant public figures instead of the absolute bottom feeders of Twitter and Reddit. This was more or less the consensus among people in the discussion, so I don't think it is fair to lay everything at the feet of CARCOSA

    So this was basically me:

    I still think the changes were reasonably justified. I think they probably could have been communicated better. I also think we would be in a better place if the discussion thread remained constructive, rather than spiraling into a tornado of accusations and innuendo. That discussion was a fiasco. Decisions at the administration / moderation level could have been more transparent, but instead of discussing that we went straight to assuming everyone had an ulterior motive.

  • Happy CARCOSA is staying on board. I didn't feel strongly about the changes either way so I never imagined it would blow up like this.

  • carcosa please don't feel like you need to step down unless you feel you need to for other reasons. if so I'm sure we would all understand but you have always been a great admin and even through this strugglesesh everyone still sees that

380 comments