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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Strategic censorship - How to respond?

4 replies

SanctimoniousMorph · 11/08/2018 11:35

Something I've increasingly noticed on other social media platforms when, say, an article is published about trans issues or a trans person, is that very abusive, transphobic comments (pretty much always from men) are allowed to stand. These are specifically posts that don't convey any information (eg on the proposed changes to the GRA or the percentage of transwomen who retain male genitalia) or any meaningful viewpoint/argument on transgenderism or transactivism - Just abusive insults. On the other hand, lots of posts from women which are raising specific concerns or putting forward an argument or sharing information (without any of the abuse characterising the first type of post) are removed.

I've also recently had an experience where I commented on an article on Facebook very politely, no "misgendering" etc merely stating what the proposed changes to the GRA were. My comments didn't seem to get deleted and were there when I checked. However, I mentioned to a friend that I had already posted in the comments about the proposed changes to the GRA and she said she couldn't see my comment. To cut a long story short, two of my friends went into Facebook under the own IDs, searched the comments, ordered them by date (as there were about 100 comments on there) and basically scoured through them for mine - and it wasn't there - even though it appeared to me on my log in that I had managed to comment on this thread.

So one way or another, the general public reading any articles and related comments on trans issues just see two groups of people - 'anti trans' people who just hate trans people and spew abuse at them and 'enlightened' liberals who make bland TWAW statements. Leaving in/not reporting the abuse while deleting posts from women which share information and provide a counter-argument is definitely a strategy but is there a way to counter this? Or is it just a sign that we need to spend less time on social media and more time out in the real world raising the issue?

OP posts:
SanctimoniousMorph · 11/08/2018 11:37

Is what happened to me on Facebook a variation of the shadow banning on Twitter? I'm not sure how that works but I believe it means that feminists think they are posting but hardly anyone can actually see what they are posting??

OP posts:
WhereDoWeBeginToCovetClarice · 11/08/2018 16:33

Sounds about right. Twitter are open about their algorithms to display certain comments to certain people - FB probably use something similar.

Ereshkigal · 11/08/2018 16:41

Or is it just a sign that we need to spend less time on social media and more time out in the real world raising the issue?

I think we will have to. Anti woman activists of all stripes hold all the cards online.

thebewilderness · 11/08/2018 22:39

IIRC on FB the person who posts can remove comments.
You might try a test with friends.

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