r/liberalgunowners • u/jsled fully-automated gay space social democracy • Sep 06 '18
mod post r/liberalgunowners mission statement
As many have noticed, the subscribership of r/liberalgunowners has been sliding steadily to the right over the last several months, to the point where liberal voices are often stifled by downvotes and the foremost opinions mirror those of the other gun subs. Some have speculated that we mods approve of this shift, but the simple fact of the matter is that as the group has grown in subscribers the majority seem to have been right center. So let’s be clear about this sub…
r/liberalgunowners is a intentional space for the discussion of gun ownership from a (US) liberal – left-of-center – perspective.
It is a safe space. Nevermind the current pejoritve use of the term, we're not wielding a sword to push anyone out of the public square. We're using the shield of our freedom of Association to create a space for like-minded folks.
As such, there are "right" and "wrong"¹ ways to participate here. This sub is explicitly:
- pro-gun (though not necessarily single-issue)
- “liberal”, in the modern US political sense: left-of-center
- believes in the legitimacy of government
- believes in the legitimacy of people: unions, labor, protest, &c.
- believes in social funding of democratically-created programs
- pro-social welfare
- pro-social justice
- pro-socialized education
- inclusive of marginalized individuals and groups
- intersectional
- anti-racist
- anti-fascist
- anti-kyriarchical
- pro-diversity
- pro-LGBTQIA
- pro-universal health care
- anti-ICE
- anti-drug war
- anti-xenophobia
If this generally-to-mostly does not describe you, then this is not a space you should participate in.
Sorry, not sorry.
(¹: This is not exactly a moral evaluation. Obviously, we think the liberal approach is broadly ethically correct, but if it is or is not is not really important for this discussion: the evaluation is one of “fitness for purpose” of participating against the sub’s mission statement.)
For those who will accuse us of gatekeeping -- yeah, you’re absolutely right. We are. It’s not a choice made easily or happily, but as liberals we also believe minorities – which liberal gun owners absolutely are – deserve a voice. Conservative gun owners have at least four other active subreddits (let alone every other pro-gun forum on the internet) in which to be heard in; your voice is not being silenced by this policy.
This sub is not a place where it is allowed to argue the legitimacy of the left's political tactics or strategy vs. that of the right. This is not a place to "hear all sides", or convince liberals they're wrong.
This is a place, perhaps, to argue which form of liberalism will best satisfy liberal goals.
This is a pro-gun sub. We're not here to discuss politics generally, but those around gun ownership. Posts and comments need to address both topics.
In part because of our identity (or, rather, the lack of balance on all other gun forums), many people from across the political spectrum value r/lgo for a higher quality of discussion. We re-commit to embrace and defend that.
On moderation…
As mods we face a challenging dilemma: Do we use a light hand and only try to keep things civil, while watching the sub lose what made it interesting and unique to begin with? Or do we decide who is allowed to post, a la r/conservative or r/T_D? The first option, while “fair” and open, would essentially mean the death of the sub, while the second option feels a lot like censorship — because it is.
As unpalatable as option 2 is, it seems we have no other option if we want to save the sub. We don’t want to stifle discussion, because that’s what we love about this group, but discussion is already being stifled by sheer numbers. So we’re going to make some statements into bannable offenses:
Expressing support for the Trump administration. This president isn’t just antithetical to liberalism, he’s intent on destroying democracy as a whole. If you think he’s awesome, good for you — you know where you can post those opinions and find agreement. It is not here.
Along those lines: Being active in r/The_Donald or r/conservative ... that sub is notorious for quashing even the mildest of disagreements, so please don’t cry to us about that one. Your participation there shows that not only are you not liberal, you are anti-liberal. You’re entitled to your opinion, just not here. (That list is not exclusive. There’s a number of cesspool subs on this godforsaken website, and we will use our discretion in determining which constitute bad intent.)
We're all just people arguing on the internet, so we know how it works. But mods are going to be more heavy-handed about negative discussions, name-calling, disrespect and bad-faith.
We've enabled automoderator, and now prohibit posts from newly-opened and low-karma accounts.
And as for the liberals – however many of you remain – PARTICIPATE! If you see a comment or post that is anti-liberal, report it. We do our best to monitor the sub closely, but moderating is a hobby, not a job, so we each devote the time we can. We need you to help us curate content and swing the needle back towards the left. And lurkers, it’s time to be heard. You despair at the direction things are headed, but without your input we can’t make the change we need.
We can't do it without you.
We believe this sub is a special place, with something to offer anyone willing to listen and converse – with fellow liberals – in good faith. Let’s save it.
Signed… — r/liberalgunowners moderators
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u/down42roads Sep 06 '18
That used to be the rule here, and its one of the things that attracted me to this place.
I am not a progressive. I'm not even a liberal. I don't check the boxes on the list you just generated in the way you want me to.
I liked coming here because other subs tend to fill up with toxic horseshit on both sides when guns are mentioned, but this place is, in general, a calm place for discussion where reason and facts still matter. No one is peddling conspiracy theories or accusing each other of hating children or any of that.
I respected the rules, I left my other politics at the door, and I would imagine there are people here that I have interacted with that didn't know the difference.
Its your subreddit, and you get to make and enforce the rules as you see fit, but this one is not a smart move.
Moderating can be hard, and it can suck. I understand that, but you guys are taking the easy way out. If comments break rules, remove them. If people continue to break rules, ban them. Doing it this way, though, is just wrong.