this post was submitted on 26 Aug 2023
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The few conversations I've had there have been unproductive and inflammatory. While even in other instances when I've said something someone disagreed with they would at least support their statement. Also no one would tell me why the "Confused Unga Bunga" meme is racist but they keep accusing me of it. I'm all for open discussions but even the comments there are so angry and toxic.

Edit: I'm reading every comment and taking everything people said and considering all sides. My stance on the phrase has changed but I am still hesitant about giving hexbear a chance. I'll sleep on it though.

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[โ€“] [email protected] 68 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Unga Bunga is racist because of this shit.

The phrase has a long history as a racist dogwhistle, and is deeply tied with "Race Science" horseshit.

[โ€“] [email protected] 19 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (3 children)

Yeah I saw that but only after I added terms like racist and offensive to my search result, meaning if I just type that phrase by itself into Google nothing. I also don't watch any of that shit because it's like you said, horseshit.

I will not use the phrase in the future though.

[โ€“] [email protected] 51 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Yeah I saw that but only after I added terms like racist and offensive to my search result, meaning if I just type that phrase by itself into Google nothing.

That's the point of a dogwhistle. If they didnt want to whistle, they'd just yell a slur. The whole point of its racist usage being able to signal racist ideology to those in the know, while hiding behind people like yourself who insist on it being fine.

The preferred response to learning of a dogwhistle for the first time is to go "Oh shit, my bad, i wont use it again." It costs you nothing and removes camo for actual detestable people.

When you argue to the effect "It not that racist", you provide screening for racists, and are doing their work. Normalizing crypto racist shit attracts racists. For this reason, you will be dunked by bears.

[โ€“] [email protected] 28 points 10 months ago (2 children)

I'll chock this up to ignorance then. I will be adding that to my list of things not to say.

[โ€“] [email protected] 35 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

rat-salute

It happens to all of us at one time or another. We all live in societies scarred by hundreds of years of brainworms; Grew up with them, internalized them. It takes effort to just see the scope of these brainworms, much less change them.

Most of Hexbear is hyper-vigilant against this sort of thing because we've spent a lot of time deprogramming ourselves and others of these particular ideological blinders. We can get pretty defensive when our fash-detectors ping. I'm sorry if we've hit you with undeserved ire.

[โ€“] [email protected] 23 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Hey mate, I'm glad that we can agree that it's racist. Whether it's dated (replaced by other slurs) or not is a moot point, since its current usage as a term meaning 'backwards' calls upon the same racist tropes of barbarism and tribalism amongst black people.

If you've been able to avoid seeing the term used explicitly in this way til now, consider yourself fortunate, and now you are aware of its racist origins and current usage, please reconsider your advocacy of the word.

[โ€“] [email protected] 9 points 10 months ago (2 children)

You're right and I understand that now but maybe because I compartmentalized it differently in my head as different from "ooga booga" which is highly racist. Thanks for actually explaining it to me. Language is weird.

[โ€“] [email protected] 16 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Also I have to say, I'm not the only one 'actually' explaining it to you. My comrades in this thread appear to have taken pains to unpack what's wrong with your attitude and word choice multiple times before me. I just rephrased what they have by and large already said, so they deserve credit too.

[โ€“] [email protected] 8 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Gimme 10 minutes, and yeah you put things in terms I could understand.

[โ€“] [email protected] 19 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

No worries. I'm glad we could resolve this. Please try to engage with the other comments in this thread with the same approach you afforded me. I assure you that each and every other poster in this thread is motivated first and foremost to dismantle harmful tropes.

We usually resort to ridicule and close ranks after people show no intent to engage with any one of us sincerely, like for example when posters ignore one person's effortful response, only to take issue with another's elsewhere in the thread.

[โ€“] [email protected] 10 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I thought I was in a hexbear thread but I kept getting buzzwords thrown at me. It's awfully jarring and did not help with me understanding the situation. I know it's not an excuse but sometimes my autism makes it hard for me to see the proper path through the conversation.

[โ€“] [email protected] 17 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

All g. We probably wouldn't call them buzzwords, since that implies that they're ephemeral or faddish.

More often than not we're using terminology that is specific to the left, or defined differently in leftist academia and discourse to the common usage (see, liberal, imperialism, etc.).

If you're unsure about the meaning of a given word, it's worth searching online first, then asking further in your replies if it still doesn't make sense. Citing your sources is invaluable so you and your interlocutor can interrogate the same info and talk from the same page. We have a (relatively inactive) comm for these types of questions too, and a space for neurodiverse members too.

I don't have autism so feel wary giving specific advice on how to navigate. However I do find that signalling -why- you are asking a certain question (as you have done elsewhere in this thread), and providing further context, can help people understand your thinking behind a given comment or post, and may help against them assuming the worst and responding with a knee jerk reaction. We get many people trying to cause trouble ('wreckers') and some people consider it better to shoot first and ask questions later, since it saves time if the person turns out to be malicious.

I was fortunate to have lurked for a very long time, way back to r/srs and the r/srs rehab equivalent comm. It's been a long journey but I'm glad you're asking the same question I had around then, as it shows self awareness.

Have a good one.

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

Hi there! Looks like you linked to a Lemmy community using a URL instead of its name, which doesn't work well for people on different instances. Try fixing it like this: [email protected], [email protected]

[โ€“] [email protected] 8 points 10 months ago

Tomato tomato, alternatively, if it walks like a slur, talks like a slur etc. etc.

[โ€“] [email protected] 11 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Still waiting for you to block this instance.

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[โ€“] [email protected] 12 points 10 months ago

Good.

Go away. kirby-wave

[โ€“] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago

What the actual FUCK? Iโ€™ve never seen that shit before, and never want to see that shit again. Offensive.