Note from the Editrix
by Latoya Peterson
I’m a little busy. I got some book submissions due, some articles due, some speeches to prep, some conference calls to host, and some other events to schedule and do in addition to my day job and my regular duties here.
I’ve also got an apprentice comment moderator in training.
So imagine my surprise when I look up and see that some people are taking some serious liberties with the comment section. This started with the original Push thread but its been rolling a bit since the IFC Media Project discussion. So now, instead of working on what I need to be working on (like the Cultural Appropriation Series, or the Tricia Rose transcription, or the Roundtable on “The End of White America”) I’m back in the comment section.
With an iron fist. The velvet glove is over on my dresser somewhere.
First and foremost, everyone take a moment to read the blog title and tagline. We are “Racialicious – The intersection of race and pop culture.”
If you think people are “overreacting” to racism, you shouldn’t be here.
If you think that we should be talking about “more important things” you shouldn’t be here.
The key words are RACE and POP CULTURE. We occassionally cover other stuff, but that’s at our discretion. Don’t like what I’m doing? Read another blog. There are millions.
Now, take a minute to read the comment moderation policy.
Particularly these:
2. Don’t address people using racial slurs. And yes, that includes anti-white racial slurs or even belittling/condescending remarks like “white boy.”
“Whitey” counts here, people. I know the lines get murky sometimes when we talk about white America or white supremacy, but take care not to demonize whites as a whole. There are a lot of white readers on this site who may not comment, but who are carefully watching, reading, learning, and trying to understand. I’ll take care of those who aren’t here to engage openly and honestly.
3. Don’t make personal attacks. If you’re not smart enough to win an argument without resorting to calling someone fat, stupid, crazy, or whatever, maybe you should work on your rhetorical skills.
Calling people paranoid counts. Calling people delusional counts. Don’t act like a douchebag. Make your argument and be done with it, no need to make it personal.
5. In general, let’s stay away from long, drawn-out arguments and fights. Once a thread descends into point-by-point refutations and denials, it has (not always, but a lot of the time) turned to crap.
We touch on a lot of really messy, emotional things here that are couched in the guise of pop culture. But seriously y’all, use your heads. Debate and be done with it. I hate having to close a thread, so if I do so, it means something is rotten in Denmark.
8. Don’t respond to a post or comment by saying “why don’t you focus on some real issues like the war/starving children in Africa/police brutality/etc.” Newsflash: this is a blog about race and pop culture. If you’re not interested in discussing the intersection of those two things, please go elsewhere.
We try to cover as much as we can about race and pop culture. We try to cover other things of importance too. That being said, we are not a news organization, we are not funded, we do not have a budget, we do not have writers on salary. Racialicious is largely a labor of love. If you want to see something on here, write it. Send it in. Make sure it fits with the general theme of the blog. Point me to a blogger that’s doing great work I may not know about. All suggestions will be considered.
But I should also mention that all demands will be ridiculed and may get you banned.
9. Don’t respond to critiques about racism by telling the person making the critique that they’re just too sensitive, or they need to “get a life,” or that they need to stop playing the “race card.” We welcome disagreements here on Racialicious, but make an intelligent case for your point of view. Don’t just dismiss others’ views.
Some long time commenters are about to get banned, off the no bullshit. I keep some of you around because I like a dissenting opinion and I like people to have to examine exactly why they came to a position. But that said, some of you seem to think it’s ok to continually show up here and question why something is racist without adding to any other conversations, or generally wreak havoc with generalizations in a thread. Not happening. A mod note is a warning, not an invitation to push the subject.
Special reminder here:
Ditto for comments complaining about the comments – if you take offense to an assumption in a comment, address the speaker directly and respectfully.
If your comment is deleted, please do not post a comment complaining that someone else just said the exact same thing and they got through. Someone putting together a well reasoned comment about how the legacy of slavery has influenced the perceptions of minorities in America is not the same as saying “white people suck.”
And for expediency, I am going add one more note to the comment mod policy – “All comments approved at the discretion of the moderator.”
Commenting here is a privilege, not a right. And if you’re being a jerk or not adding to the conversation, we are not obligated to deal with you. That’s all it is. We have too many smart, informed, engaged, and respectful commenters here to drown them out with people who just want to be belligerent.
And, quite frankly, it drives me insane every time I have to make this kind of announcement. Respect this space, especially if you are not the one contributing to its creation. Respect the other people here. If you do that, everything is fine, and I can get back to working on content and not policing the comments section.
Carmen Van Kerckhove is co-founder and president of
gr8ful1997 wrote:
Already! I appreciate the direct tone of your article and agree, completely. I come to this blog because I benefit from the perspective on social equality that is shared, here. I’m not a big fan on ‘Pop’ culture, so I often cringe at some of the subject matter, but I keep these thoughts to myself because it’s not my blog! Please continue the good work and don’t let this get you down!
Posted 06 Feb 2009 at 11:01 am ¶
EH wrote:
I was a moderator on a race based forum for years. Honestly it was just a draining experience. Everything you said is blatantly obvious to me but it can still be frustrating how many people just don’t get it.
Posted 06 Feb 2009 at 12:51 pm ¶
Kai wrote:
What kinda amazes me is the regularity with which you are forced to put up these announcement/reminders. *el sigh*
You’re doing a great job, Latoya.
Posted 06 Feb 2009 at 12:54 pm ¶
Monie wrote:
Latoya,
Racialicious is a very unique place. It’s so rare that discussions of race and culture take place in such safe environs. And it’s safe here because of you.
Thanks
Posted 06 Feb 2009 at 1:34 pm ¶
Lisa J wrote:
Thanks for the reminder Latoya! I love this site, it is so good to have a place to come to discuss these issues since I don’t always have the opportunity to discuss these things in the real world. So I appreciate all of the work you put in and I hope I don’t contribute to the problem.
Virtual hug to you Madame Moderator extraordinare.
Posted 06 Feb 2009 at 1:39 pm ¶
Beth wrote:
Latoya, thank you for this and for everything you do. Reading Racialicious makes me feel sane, and I can tell you that what you do here raises the bar for discussions in a lot of other areas, too. I hope you get some space to get back to the other things you need and want (just think about that!) to do.
Posted 06 Feb 2009 at 1:42 pm ¶
Winn wrote:
Latoya,
I’m sorry you had to return to this well, but I for one needed it, so thank you. I take responsibility for engaging with someone on a thread and allowing it to devolve into a tit-for-tat rebuttal, which is always an ultimately fruitless exercise. Sometimes our baser instincts take over, particularly if we are offended or feel attacked by someone’s comments, and we engage against our better judgment. I will take your words to heart and ask myself before I post, “Do I really need to say this? Is this contributing to the discussion or just prolonging an argument with another poster?” As much as you hate having to do it, we need the reminders sometimes. Racialicious is a special place, and we need to respect you and each other and keep it so.
Oh, and thanks
Posted 06 Feb 2009 at 2:47 pm ¶
golden star wrote:
Wow. I just visited today after neglecting racialicious for a month. Been missing this blog.
Some folks must have gotten unruly and it needs some fixin’.
Love this space so I’m wit’ ya.
Posted 06 Feb 2009 at 5:30 pm ¶
k wrote:
I just wanted to let you know I’m one of those who reads every day but doesn’t comment, but felt the need to comment here to let you know what an amazing job you do and how glad I am that Racialicious is around.
Thank you.
Posted 06 Feb 2009 at 6:59 pm ¶
Jessica wrote:
Ditto to all the thank you’s. There are entire blogs I can’t read because of the comments, and I appreciate coming here and knowing I’m in a safe space (not safe as in handle me with kid gloves, safe as in respectful while still being challenging, presenting nuanced and insightful arguments that make my brain and my heart work).
I realize it is work to keep posting about posting & commenting, but it is so much appreciated by at least this reader. It is one of the many things that reminds me, not infrequently, how new a medium we’re dealing with here. The internet as a whole, and blogs in-particular. We don’t really know how to navigate all of this technology yet, and I see your work here, Latoya, as truly guiding the discussion on how to use this amazing technology to further ourselves and our communities.
Posted 06 Feb 2009 at 7:24 pm ¶
Katie wrote:
You’re my moderation hero, Latoya!
Posted 06 Feb 2009 at 9:31 pm ¶
dirkdiggler wrote:
i wonder how many other sites understand that moderating the comments is a tremendously important thing to do. rather than crying about how our principles of free speech are somehow denigrated by refusing to permit every idiotic comment to be posted, careful moderation actually fosters important discussion and debate. certainly, it’s a fine line, but it’s a line that has to be drawn. and i’m glad that you have to courage to draw it.
Posted 06 Feb 2009 at 10:45 pm ¶
embarcadero13 wrote:
I just started coming to this blog, but I’m so glad that I found it.
People of color need a safe place to talk without devolving to that most fundamental level of having to defend ourselves, rather than express ourselves.
Posted 07 Feb 2009 at 6:38 am ¶
opal wrote:
I read this blog all the time. I never say anything, but I have learned a lot through reading the posts and comments and I always come away from reading with things to think about, ideas that challenge my preconceptions. Thank you for creating this space and filling it with such richness.
Posted 07 Feb 2009 at 9:43 am ¶
Senora Chin wrote:
Thanks for making it plain and keeping it simple!
Posted 07 Feb 2009 at 12:02 pm ¶
deb wrote:
Well everyone knows that if we just stopped talking about race, it would simply go away.
(The ignorant mofos who think this way really get my thongs in a bunch.)
Latoya, you’re one multi-taskin’ mama! I need to have some of what you’re having!
Posted 07 Feb 2009 at 1:19 pm ¶
Stephanie wrote:
I read this blog almost daily, but don’t comment much. I just wanted to say, like the others, thankyou for keeping this a safe space and making sure people stick to the rules. It’s disheartening to read comments that undermine the posters entry – it’s hard to have a free dialogue in everyday life where you aren’t told you are being ‘too senstive’ about an equality issue. Thanks for the moderating to keep this a space for discussion about race and pop culture, without having to go over the ‘basics’ (e.g. privilege, the ‘race card’)
Posted 07 Feb 2009 at 6:08 pm ¶
Gigi wrote:
I also read and rarely comment. Thank you, Latoya, for all you do and for the reminder (wish it wasn’t necessary). Just recently I have been dreaming of how nice it would be to live in a racialicious community. This blog is a refuge for me. Thank you!
Posted 07 Feb 2009 at 7:55 pm ¶
bluemorpho wrote:
I’m a trying-to-come-to-consciousness white reader who appreciates the language of Racialicious deeply. I often come here to find the words to communicate with other white people about racism and kyriarchy. The clear and precise way in which comments are moderated on this blog *really* help. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Posted 07 Feb 2009 at 9:33 pm ¶
embarcadero13 wrote:
I’m eager to learn more about this Cultural Appropriation Series.
Posted 08 Feb 2009 at 4:49 am ¶
Luis wrote:
Sometimes you just have to regulate.
Good luck with your projects. Once I graduate and I’m desperate for intellectual stimulation, you may be inundated with article submissions… fair warning…
Posted 08 Feb 2009 at 5:24 am ¶
Aris wrote:
A w e s o m e!
Posted 08 Feb 2009 at 10:12 am ¶
polerin wrote:
Echoing all the other thanks.
I do have to say I loved your comment on the “No Personal Attacks Rule” being summed up with “don’t be a douchebag.”
Loved it
Posted 09 Feb 2009 at 5:07 pm ¶
PatrickInBeijing wrote:
Dear Latoya,
Let me add my thanks, and say that one of the reasons that racialicious works is because of your moderation (though I am sorry it has become such a burden!!).
I generally feel that the “blogsphere” mostly degenerates into name calling, with little real discussion. But not here. So, thanks for your efforts, and I look forward to more content!! (smile).
Posted 11 Feb 2009 at 4:27 am ¶