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Yes: the questions they're forcing people to answer when they mention race in a post are not empty roadblocks that simply add friction to posting, but are also

Yes: the questions they're forcing people to answer when they mention race in a post are not empty roadblocks that simply add friction to posting, but are also meant to sharpen the poster's thinking process by forcing them to focus on aspects other than race. That seems like a much more reasonable and even-handed approach than just simply saying race should never be mentioned.

godshatter 10y ago
I think they should go one step further. Instead of requiring two or more of a given list of descriptors if race was mentioned, just require three or more of the given list in the example image (with the age, build, and race questions added) no matter what. Then everyone gets to think about what makes someone suspicious. There may be biases related to how people dress, or what hair style they have or what age they are or even what their build is that can also be reduced by this method. Singling out the race question as one that needs to be handled delicately is the wrong way to go, in my opinion.
- lostlogin 10y ago
  When race is mentioned maybe present a slightly grainy image of a random person of that race with a statement saying this person had been reported previously "Is this the same person? Yes/No". If confirmed announce that it was a random image "racism confirmed".
  - nikcheerla 10y ago
    Hopefully this is a joke, but in case this needs to be pointed out, racism != an inability to distinguish members of race X.
    - smallnamespace 10y ago
      Perhaps not, but it might be a significant component of it. Think about it from the point of view of someone who doesn't interact with black people very often: they probably can't tell whether a person is a gangbanger or dangerous or not. If you can't distinguish a potentially dangerous black individual, then everyone black person becomes suspect, especially if you have a negative view of the group to begin with. People's natural risk aversion and fear of unfamiliarity just heightens this affect. But presumably, that same person is more familiar with white people and can distinguish real threats, from, say, their neighbor or the kid down the block.
- eridius 10y ago
  This is misguided. Not every poster can provide a detailed description of the person they're posting about. Maybe they didn't get a good look at the person, maybe they have a bad visual memory, or various other reasons. Requiring multiple descriptors of the person for every post would cut out a bunch of legitimate reports, and for no good reason. Your suggestion seems to be predicated on the assumption that reducing the number of reports in general is a good thing, but there's no reason to be making that assumption. Reducing racial profiling is a good thing, but that does not imply that reducing other posts is good.

godshatter 10y ago

I think they should go one step further. Instead of requiring two or more of a given list of descriptors if race was mentioned, just require three or more of the given list in the example image (with the age, build, and race questions added) no matter what. Then everyone gets to think about what makes someone suspicious. There may be biases related to how people dress, or what hair style they have or what age they are or even what their build is that can also be reduced by this method. Singling out the race question as one that needs to be handled delicately is the wrong way to go, in my opinion.

lostlogin 10y ago
When race is mentioned maybe present a slightly grainy image of a random person of that race with a statement saying this person had been reported previously "Is this the same person? Yes/No". If confirmed announce that it was a random image "racism confirmed".
- nikcheerla 10y ago
  Hopefully this is a joke, but in case this needs to be pointed out, racism != an inability to distinguish members of race X.
  - smallnamespace 10y ago
    Perhaps not, but it might be a significant component of it. Think about it from the point of view of someone who doesn't interact with black people very often: they probably can't tell whether a person is a gangbanger or dangerous or not. If you can't distinguish a potentially dangerous black individual, then everyone black person becomes suspect, especially if you have a negative view of the group to begin with. People's natural risk aversion and fear of unfamiliarity just heightens this affect. But presumably, that same person is more familiar with white people and can distinguish real threats, from, say, their neighbor or the kid down the block.
eridius 10y ago
This is misguided. Not every poster can provide a detailed description of the person they're posting about. Maybe they didn't get a good look at the person, maybe they have a bad visual memory, or various other reasons. Requiring multiple descriptors of the person for every post would cut out a bunch of legitimate reports, and for no good reason. Your suggestion seems to be predicated on the assumption that reducing the number of reports in general is a good thing, but there's no reason to be making that assumption. Reducing racial profiling is a good thing, but that does not imply that reducing other posts is good.