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Last night I made a very obviously satirical post calling for the “forced transition” of cis men – using their actual scare-logic about Trans women but backed up by actual statistics about men. It was very funny if I do, ahem, toot my own horn and, without notification, someone/thing on mastodon.social silently deleted my post.

I know, “just migrate.” But this does not inspire confidence to me. I feel violated as a Trans person.

I don’t even know who to address my issue with. I’m just silenced
This entry was edited (3 weeks ago)

Jonathan Lamothe reshared this.

Ryan 🧜
When will this complaint get taken down? Am I allowed to complain?
Ian Thistlethwaite
I boosted you so it'll be slightly harder to silence?...but I don't know if that'll work...guess you'll find out soon enough? Who knows? Not me
⚠️☢️⚛️ÅtømïçĆōwbėłł⚛️☢️⚠️
I’m -pretty sure- I boosted it? My mind is feeble & squishy from years of abuse though. Also old. But onto the topic @ hand. I think it’s a symptom of federation, right? Each instance is a fiefdom unto itself, linked to (most) others. It’s just people running each one & each poster is beholden to their whims.
Ryan 🧜
@AtomicCowbell Yeah and people should know this kind of decision was made at such a large instance so they know what they’re getting imo
@⚠️☢️⚛️ÅtømïçĆōwbėłł⚛️☢️⚠️
Ivo Escobar
I'm starting to think this was all a scam, honestly.
Ryan 🧜
@ivo Truly my American adulthood has been discovering that everything is 😓
@Ivo Escobar
Ivo Escobar
don't be so negative, burritos are still burritos
wb x64
@ivo Masto Social is known to have pretty crap moderation and is defederated by plenty of respectable instances. It's shitty but I do believe there's plenty of better instances out there 🖤
@Ivo Escobar
wb x64
I look forward to following you at your new more empowering home ✊
wb x64
@Gargron please do better, masto social's reputation is pretty dang low.
@Eugen Rochko
Jemal Cole Loves Each Of You
what the fuck? That was a solid post! I faved!
Ryan 🧜
@jemal Thank you! I really thought I finally cooked a good one!
@Jemal Cole Loves Each Of You
Elyse M Grasso
@jemal I thought is was very clever when I saw it
@Jemal Cole Loves Each Of You
Ryan 🧜
Gang, we won. My one true good post is back https://mastodon.social/@ryanhoulihan/109999969562073903#.
paprikapink
Hallelujah! I am seriously happy to see this outcome 👏👏👏
Ryan 🧜
@paprikapink Me too! I didn’t think I could write it again as sharply
@paprikapink
AT-AT Assault :verifiedtrans:
Hmmm, Universeodon.com refuses to open that post under universeodon, which means I can't interact with it. It seems some instances other than your home have blocked the post itself. Shame, since it's very poignant satire.
paprikapink
Interesting 🤔. When I click the link, it doesn't open in my app (Tusky). When I click Sign In on the wbpage that opens, nothing happens. And when on Tusky I scroll through your posts to find it restored in your timeline, it's not there. Since I can't get to it to boost it, I screenshot it. La voilà
Jonathan Lamothe
@paprikapink @Ryan Houlihan 🐙 I can't boost it either, probably because when it was originally removed, mastodon.social instructed my instance to also delete it as well (because federation) and it doesn't know how to undelete.

I am not an ActivityPub expert, though. This is purely an educated guess on my part.
@paprikapink @Ryan 🧜
paprikapink
@me It sounds plausible to me 🤷‍♀️
On one hand, it's awesome that full-crcle moderation tools like this exist. On the other hand, it's infuriating how often they are used against marginalized and vulnerable groups rather than in support of them 😡
@Jonathan Lamothe
Ryan 🧜
Also! While this first experience with moderation was strange, they *did* email me a notification (it was a Gmail issue)
n3wjack
what was the reason for the takedown?
Someone reported it, and a moderator missed the irony?
Ryan 🧜
@n3wjack I was told it expressed transphobia or something similar and violence
@n3wjack
Leonardo Ferreira Fontenelle
@n3wjack

Without having read the notification (obviously), I suspect the reason for the takedown was Poe's Law:

"Poe's law is an adage of Internet culture saying that, without a clear indicator of the author's intent, any parody of extreme views can be mistaken by some readers for a sincere expression of the views being parodied."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poe%27s_law?wprov=sfla1
@n3wjack
Ms. Penny 🐝 Oaken
it’s not truly satire until an overworked, underpaid clerk has to read it through to reverse the safety decision of a volunteer clerk.

Badge of Valour, wear it with pride.
Benny Ray (he/him/his)
Every single time I've ever been the victim of a hate crime, it's always been at the hands of a cishet guy.

I rarely am at ease and quite guarded around them. But also aware of exits possible and who potential allies might be (if I need the help).
Ryan 🧜
@SCBenny2k Me too. I work hard on it but the reflexive fear response is hard to shake
@Benny Ray (he/him/his)
Benny Ray (he/him/his)
I think of it as a coping mechanism to keep myself safe.
Christopher Wood
This part about how people on non-mastodon.social instances can't see your post seems like a bug. Do you mind if somebody files one?
Russ
I'm somewhat annoyed that I can't see an obvious way to boost this post. It doesn't seem to show up on mstdn.social.
Ryan 🧜
@theruss The real consequence of “false” strikes
@Russ
Ali
glad to see it’s back up. The best satire has a bit of bite
Eeeee Woooo
I boosted your post. It was excellent snark. I’m sorry it was removed but so you know it was already absorbed by people. It didn’t stop existing.
Remco van Bree
the problem with Mastodon is that it's largely a collection of tinpot dictators (but there also are cooperatives, so at least there's some degree of choice on that front)
Ryan 🧜
@blikkie Yeah. Still an improvement but if I didn’t fully understand the appeal this would really send me spinning.
@Remco van Bree
Pellitory
Contact your admin and ask wtf?

Maybe recreate the toot? Put it out again and see if it gets taken down again?
GJ Groothedde 🇪🇺
This is really quite shocking.
Pussista_Aorta-Fascista
Wish I had seen it. Anyway, this is unacceptable. Even if it's against the rules, you should've been notified!
Ryan 🧜
@pussista Tell me what I did! Provide a receipt!
@Pussista_Aorta-Fascista
Chris
it was such a reasonable proposal and everything! That’s really disappointing
Chris
oh my god I can’t believe I screwed up my own pun 🤦🏻‍♂️.
Ryan 🧜
@mcspiff shhhh you were just kindly setting me up!
@Chris
Martijn van Dijk
mind sharing what you wrote directly with me? Kinda curious to see what you had to say.
Martijn van Dijk
heh that’s gold. Although I can also see how it could be interpreted the wrong way. Context and nuance are important, moderation is a tough cookie. Kudos to @Gargron et al for reconsidering and hearing you out.
@Eugen Rochko
Southern Liberal
@martijn_vdijk @Gargron
Yep. Even I (I hate myself for this) felt a bit concerned when reading the post.

Satire requires explicit indication or it's going to be thrown to the hateful, Nazified masses.
@Eugen Rochko @Martijn van Dijk
contraption
it was a good post, and in my capacity to speak for all cis men I can vouch that it was neither offensive nor threatening.
Bill Hooker
@stux What is going on here? I just signed up on patreon but I won't stand for this. I need an explanation.
@sтυx⚡
Eugen Rochko
Hi, I'm looking into the case. From first glance I can tell you that according to the logs, you did get notified about the post removal, and you have the option to appeal it. There are no other limitations on your account.
Ryan 🧜
@Gargron I don’t and didn’t see anything to that effect but I guess appeal it is
@Eugen Rochko
Eugen Rochko
Please check your e-mail inbox for the notification. You can also see all moderation actions taken against your account in the past from the Account area of your settings.
Pat
@Gargron

Yes, you have a right to know the case to be met. You had a right to respond before any action was taken & not be blind sided, as it appears you were not afforded that basic right . If that is the case it is arguably enough to throw the decision out ,based on procedural/systemic unfairness, before merits are ever reviewed. You also have the right to to an impartial ,informed, moderator, but I do not know how that is assured.
@Eugen Rochko
Eugen Rochko
Appeal accepted, post restored. Apologies for the trouble caused.
Ryan 🧜
@Gargron You’re good. Apologies if my feathers were pre-ruffled on this one
@Eugen Rochko
Pat
@Gargron

I'm an old white fella that grew up in prejudice, loves my kids &cares not their sexuality or whom they love or lust after. None of my business .Their lives, their bodies, their choices.I don't have to be an expert on anything to know we are all human, all feel, none of us like rejection, public harassment or being ostracized simply for being ourselves and no harm to others .It hurts to be hurt for no reason. It happened to me at age 3 as my parents were mixed religion
@Eugen Rochko
Tormod Halvorsen
@Gargron

Wait, what? You got into actual trouble for that?

The nubers don't lie, even if they may sting.
@Eugen Rochko
Bill Hooker
@stux
De nada. If it turns out to have been a mistake, well, they happen. If it was policy, I migrate.
@sтυx⚡
sтυx⚡
@sennoma uhh, wait what? 😮

Was that on mstdn.social? Because i do not run mastodon.online or mastodon.social :ablobwink:
@Bill Hooker
sтυx⚡
@sennoma I think you have the wrong admin here :catblush:

@Gargron is the admin for both mastodon.social and .online :cat_hug_triangle:
@Eugen Rochko @Bill Hooker
Woke in PDX Fella
Satire often balances on a very thin tightrope, and you're taking a risk when you make satirical statements.

In a SM environment where your post is exposed to people from many different backgrounds the risk multiplies.

Suggest using a content warning like "satire".

On your instance, I think the admin is @Gargron, and you could perhaps contact them.

According to this https://docs.joinmastodon.org/admin/moderation/#:~:text=Moderation%20in%20Mastodon%20is%20always,the%20affected%20user%20by%20email. you're supposed to get email for moderation activity on your account as whole.

Moderation actions

Actions that can be taken against unwanted users or domains.
docs.joinmastodon.org
@Eugen Rochko
justin ferguson
That is ... not OK.
Cookiefiend
I read it and thought it was funny.
Its disappearance doesn't inspire me with confidence either.
Imogen
Mastodon.social has been known to treat posts from marginalized people as "reverse sexism or racism." The decision to silence them usually gets resolved, but the moderators do not seem to understand the difference between actual bigotry versus commentary about bigots 🤷‍♀️
Jens Finkhäuser 🌻
@imgn Adjacent topic (still bothers me some years later), fosstodon.org mods can't distinguish between hate speech (calling someone a nazi as an insult), and calling court-verified German fascist Björn Höcke a nazi. After trying to clear up the context, the reply was "I don't care", in a nutshell.

If you think of migrating, that's an instance I'd avoid.
@Imogen
Michael Bernth
It was pitch perfect and I’m glad it’s back up!
Si Dawson
Wow. That is quite stunningly shit. And yeah, unacceptable of the admins.
Freeman Williams
Hey, I boosted that Toot. That pisses me off!
Susan Kraemer@newsie.social
I for one thought is was funny, and irrefutably correct too
Vayl Larkin (they/them)
One of my posts was recently flagged for something and removed, after I Accidentally hurt someone's feelings, (no insults, no hateful language, just a disagreement), and they autoblocked me before I could apologize. Somehow I feel these are not being vetted thoroughly.
oemb1905
That won’t happen here! 👍🏼

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