Moderators of Black People Twitter, an online forum, asked participants to submit a photo to prove they were not white. Many black users came to believe that white users were pretending to be black to give their unpopular opinions more credibility. https://t.co/vQTf23FGyj— The New York Times (@nytimes) October 8, 2019
Here's the subreddit in question, BlackPeopleTwitter. From the NYT article:
Many black users came to believe that white users were pretending to be black to give their unpopular opinions more credibility. Some of the posts casually dropped racial slurs. Others repeated anti-black stereotypes about crime, parenting and intelligence. Beyoncé was disparaged.
“These people are white,” said Tony Hinderman, 23, a black actor in Chicago. “Black people love Beyoncé. There is nothing to not love about her.”...
Like all Reddit moderators, [BlackPeopleTwitter moderators] perform tasks like approving posts and banning users; they work without pay, in exchange for mostly free rein to run their subreddit....
The moderators... decided... [t]he most heated comment threads... would give priority to nonwhite participants. Anyone who wished to participate would need to send the moderators a photograph of their forearm, proving they were not white.... The forearm photos, according to the controversial new guidelines, had to include commenters’ user names written out by hand, as well as time stamps to make clear they were recent....
Under the new rules, comments are initially open to all. But nonwhite participants are allowed to continue contentious discussions after they are closed to white users. Those threads are labeled “Country Club,” a term the moderators said they chose in reference to a place where black people in America have historically found themselves excluded, and often still do.
When participants who have been verified as black post a comment on any thread, a check mark now appears next to their username. Hispanic, Asian and other nonwhite people can also be added to a list of approved users, though they do not get a check mark.
There is one way that white people can get on the list as well: Those with a history of thoughtful participation in the subreddit can write to the moderators about what white privilege means to them.
“We wanted to find a way to allow actual black people to be heard without being drowned out,” said a black moderator whose Reddit user name is MGLLN. “We had no idea it would blow up this site.”....
Posts
71 comments:
As a black man, I can most unequivocally say that not all black people love Beyoncé.
Am I right fellow negroes?
MLK hardest hit.
Black people are given a checkmark, and -once validated- Jews are given a Star of David
"MGLLN"
My favorite explorer!
√ Justin Trudeau
I have Cantu for one of my daughters who has very curly hair and I'm probably darker than that lady's arm. Just saying.
As for black people talking up stereotypes? Have they ever listened to Chris Rock?
That naughty Justin!
The smarter it is, the less likely it is to be written by a black, so you need check marks to prove the unlikely has happened.
Beyoncé was disparaged.
That's the last straw! Lol.
In other words, conservative black people aren't real black people.
Those threads are labeled “Country Club,” a term the moderators said they chose in reference to a place where black people in America have historically found themselves excluded, and often still do.
Of course, none of the black people on reddit. And by none of the white people on reddit.
Amazing the casual racism people can get away with when they’re not white.
Meanwhile, Prof. Althouse has been visiting the White River. Did the Park Service ask for confirmation that you belonged there? ;-)
Um, lemme see. I gots to write my name on my arm but I can't read none of the Sharpie colors once I done that.
"Show us your papers!"
But what if they self-identify as black?
Could you imagine the cries of outrage if someone did the same thing with the races switched? I'm starting to get pretty fucking tired of anti-White racism.
Our society is going to be juuust fine.
Reddit.
The last vestiges of humor. I'm glad no-one takes it seriously. We'd have a race war on our hands!
No true black man thinks....
I don’t know, really, but it would be sad to think that the most creative culture, in terms of modern musical mass media anyway, in the world was that conformist.
Others repeated anti-black stereotypes about crime, parenting and intelligence.
"Stereotypes" = NYT/MSM term for statistics that they don't like.
Beyoncé was disparaged.
Gasp! Beyonce is even more sacred than other blacks!
"Black people love Beyoncé."
That sounds like a line from Chappelle's "racial draft" skit.
If gender is fluid, so is race. "Therefore, I b black if today I identify as black."
1950's racism = All Blacks look alike.
2019 wokeness: All Blacks think alike or they are not really Black.
“Beyoncé was disparaged.”
That was in the NYT? Given how dryly funny it is, I actually felt a twinge of affection for the old girl.
Wait, wait...I don't know if I agree/disagree or like/dislike this statement until I know what race the person who said it was...
Something tells me that submitting a photo of a black person isn’t exactly foolproof.
Tey could go one step further and apply the paper-bag test.
“Beyonce was disparaged” is better than the alternative: “Beyonce was denigrated.”
If you're black, you'd better speak with a 'black voice', no? Identity-hugging blacks can't [or won't] comprehend a black conservative voice.
Can I send in a picture of my dick?
Your embrace of Reddit tickles me, Professor. Had you ever been to that subreddit prior to the article?
The Country Club and verification rules started a while ago--it's funny that it took this long to prompt a NYTimes article.
Pictures of black people now getting higher prices on the "black market". (Did I say that? Dannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng.
Would Megan Markle qualify?
Stereotypes are bad except when good people use them to identify other good people, in which case they're not only good but essential.
Nice centrist people will defend that bullshit and loudly declare any disagreement with it "ugly." Priority one is making sure no one can ever accuse them of racism--everything else (logic, consistency, fairness) can be sacrificed.
Hardin wins this thread: ✔️Justin Trudeau
Now we need to know what race a person is before their opinions can be evaluated. Got it.
What a clown show this country is turning into... this is regressive. Probably won’t end well.
no buddy noze da trubble ay seen...
Althouse sends out the Crack Signal
Many black users came to believe that white users were pretending to be black to give their unpopular opinions more credibility.
Because black users would all have the same monolithic opinions about everything and something must be wrong if a black person holds an unpopular opinion?
Next question: What happens if the holder of unpopular opinion is authentically black? Will there be a black version of the Nuremberg Laws to make sure such people can't call them selves black?
This should work fine, now that Google Photos can finally tell a black person from a gorilla.
I don't mean to disparage black people, but this is really dumb.
Btw, "disparage" means...
How black does your forearm have to be? What about very light blacks? Won't Hispanics and East Indians be able to fake it?
The only way to do this right is with genetic screening!
"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. "
Sorry Dr. King. Not today. At least not on reddit.
No true Scotsman would believe such rhetoric!
“it's funny that it took this long to prompt a NYTimes article.“
Well, the 1619 project just got off the ground. They were focused on RUSSIA COLLUSION before that.
Good one MayBee.
I wonder if these Reddit people know what idiots they are?
Diversity breeds adversity.
“We had no idea it would blow up this site.”....
Of course not. Racism is so ingrained in their subculture it never occurred to them people might object to it.
“We wanted to find a way to allow actual black people to be heard without being drowned out,” said a black moderator whose Reddit user name is MGLLN. “We had no idea it would blow up this site.”....
Shorter MGLLN: segregation now, segregation forever!
US society continues to become less white but not more black. But these folks keep looking for what was where it used to be.
So now it's about the character of their content.
“These people are white,” said Tony Hinderman, 23, a black actor in Chicago. “Black people love Beyoncé. There is nothing to not love about her.”
Saturday Night Live took this issue up some time ago with white people...
The Beygency
It won't matter- if your comments aren't poltically left, you will be banned regardless of what your arm looks like. All the moderators are doing here is trying to make it look like some sort of objective rule.
Do the moderators prove they're black, or are they given a pass?
Does it count if someone eats his watermelon between two slices of buckwheat cake & even puts ham hocks in his Cheerios?
Askin' for a friend. You know, my uhhhhmmmmm, black friend.
Gives fresh and accurate meaning to the old phrase: "On the arm."
Couldn't they just ask you to say how much you like Beyonce? Surely that would confirm your sub-saharan genetic heritage.
If I'm too pale and pasty for that subreddit, maybe I'll qualify for r/ScottishPeopleTwitter/.
In my drunk and stupid college days my buddies and I called one of those black chat lines and pretended to be black. We were pretty obnoxious, and I can understand how they want to filter out jackasses like me. But it sounds like they also are filtering out opinions that they don't want to hear.
What a clown show this country is turning into... this is regressive. Probably won’t end well.
This is progressive (i.e. monotonic change). What is known as, ostensibly, "Noble Cause", corruption. Not a wicked solution per se, but diversity (i.e. color judgment) is a prejudicial progression, including race, sex, gender, and other low information attributes.
How is it that if I say I am a Woman it is a crime in some places to say I am not.
By the same logic that makes me a woman if I say I am, I get to decide I am lack. Nobody else. If I says it, I is it.
Can anyone cite a legal definition of "black" under any federal or state law.
Federal law used to be solely self identification. Has that changed?
John Henry
I can't judge the content of your character until I know the color of your skin.
I knew this thread wouldn't let me down.
Everybody seems to have thought of the same Canadian when they read this Althouse post.
Separate but equal.
I have hot sauce in my purse and I'm Rachel Dolezal's sister
Shaun King and Rachel Dolezal could not be reached for comment. Did you hear the one about: "I'd like to see the return of slavery, just so Shaun King would admit that he is white."
In Tom Wolfe’s “Back to Blood “ I learned that there is intra-black racism. Light skinned blacks look down on blacker blacks. Allegedly.
I thought I had them fooled. Then someone sent a video of me dancing.
Dammit.
Allegedly, the original actress who played Aunt Viv on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air quit because Will Smith kept cracking jokes about her dark skin.
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