In recent weeks we have seen attempts at censorship and bans by many websites like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Ravelry. Facebook banned InfoWars’ Alex Jones and NOI leader Louis Farrakhan, YouTube has banned white supremacist videos, and Twitter banned “dehumanizing language.”
But I was taken aback by the decision made by Ravelry, a popular knitting and crochet website, to ban all content supporting Trump.
“This includes support in the form of forum posts, projects, patterns, profiles, and all other content… We cannot provide a space that is inclusive of all and also allow support for open white supremacy,” the site said in a statement explaining the decision. “Support of the Trump administration is undeniably support for white supremacy.”
While it is well known that I don’t like Trump, I don’t think this was a good move for Ravelry. I would have just banned all political speech, regardless if it is liberal, conservative or anywhere else on the political spectrum, and I bet most people would have supported that. Besides, it’s a crafting website; people should be able to go there and learn about a new project, not get into political mudslinging.
Sure, all of these privately owned businesses and websites have a right to ban or censor whoever they want. But this can turn into a slippery slope because, quite frankly, all of these websites can ban or censor anyone for any reason. I still find it fascinating that so many people invest so much time, resources and content on these websites that they use for free, and not really understanding that all their investment could go away in a blink of an eye because the website said so.
Clearly, these companies don’t really care about protecting your content either. Ravelry would have been better off focusing their energy on dealing with copyright infringement and piracy on its website. They don’t seem to ban users who steal patterns or project images on their website and present them as their own on other sites. But, I guess fighting Trump is a bigger priority for a crafting website?!
One of the reasons I became a web designer was because I wanted to own my online content. I like using social media, but I use it to redirect to my content on my website that I built and paid a server for. I am even learning how to build my own server so one day if I need to have total online freedom, I will know what do it. I guess you can call me a digital survivalist.
When you build and own a website you have power and currency. When you are just using someone else’s website, you have no power.
I had only heard of Linda Taylor a couple of times in my life. Her many scandals predate me! I knew that she was the real-life welfare queen Reagan made famous, but I didn’t know her backstory. Many people didn’t even know the “welfare queen” trope was based on a real person. This is why I was fascinated when I got Josh Levin’s new book, The Queen: The Forgotten Life Behind an American Myth. (For transparency, I got an advance review copy from the publisher.)
I also listened to the Slate podcast Levin did on this. It is so interesting how the actions of one person could affect generations that come after them in a very negative way. In this case, Taylor’s scheming has cemented this negative stereotype about poor people and especially poor people of color on government assistance as being lazy “takers.”
But it is not just her fault, politicians on both sides of the aisle have used this welfare trope to demonize poor people. Yes, Reagan used Linda Taylor to win elections and stir up subtle racism, but it was Bill Clinton who pushed for welfare reform to stir up middle-class resentment.
I also found her upbringing quite interesting. She was born to a white mother and a black father in the Jim Crow South, and the mother’s family rejected her biracial daughter. Linda ran away at an early age and went onto to live a bizarre life of crime. While her early life doesn’t make any excuses for her crimes of fraud, theft, kidnapping and possibly murder, it was clear that this woman had mental health issues along with going through an identity crisis.
This book is not just about race, both it’s also about class and how the politics of dog whistles can leave a lasting impression.
Book: Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption Author: Bryan Stevenson Times Read: 2
I reread this book for a book group at my local library recently. Stevenson is an amazing writer who helped to humanize the complex topic of the death penalty. Americans have been programmed to assume that if someone is on death row, they are automatically the worst person ever and deserve to die. In many cases, death row inmates deserve to die, but, as this book points out, it isn’t that simple.
I’m against the death penalty in most cases not because it is cruel and unusual, but because it is unfairly administered. Most people executed are people of color and/or poor people who can’t afford decent counsel. Also, it costs less to keep someone in jail for life than on death row, and a lot of Americans are starting to think this same way.
Maybe when rich white men start to get executed, I might change my mind.
Luckily, for now, HBO is putting out a new documentary about the Equal Justice Initiative and a feature film about the book that is being developed now starring Michael B. Jordan.
Last month I traveled to New York City on business and went to two museums during my spare time. I visited the Camp: Notes on Fashion and Play It Loud exhibits at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Cycling in the City, In the Dugout with Jackie Robinson, City of Workers-City of Struggle, Pride, and (my favorite) The Voice of the Village exhibits at the Museum of the City of New York. It was raining heavily both days I was in town, so museum-hopping was the way to go!
