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“We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.” - Kurt Vonnegut Jr. I read comments like yours - "I'm not really a bad perso

“We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.” - Kurt Vonnegut Jr. I read comments like yours - "I'm not really a bad person, it was just a prank, Bro!" from time to time and I think it betrays a real lack of understanding on how human interaction works. It is one thing to make a joke about fat people in some private setting among friends who know you and will take your words ironically. But to make the same joke in a public sub that was explicitly set up to ridicule fat people conveys a very different meaning. It means that you condone the sentiment behind the sub and agree with those users (perhaps a minority perhaps everyone else on there except you, who knows?) that do harbor malice towards others. By joining in you give such people strength and encouragement. Reddit was right to ban those subs. You were wrong to participate. (This doesn't make you a bad person in general, we all make mistakes.)

hackinthebochs 9y ago
>But to make the same joke in a public sub that was explicitly set up to ridicule fat people conveys a very different meaning. How is a sub dedicated to ridiculing fat people more like a public space than a private setting?
- guildwriter 9y ago
  I think the argument is that it's a space that is accessible by everyone without any sort of gatekeeping, that makes it a public space. Whereas a forum such as somethingawful would be considered more private as there is a subscription fee for membership.
  - hackinthebochs 9y ago
    To me the issue isn't the lack of literal gatekeeping, its the intended audience. If I'm having a conversation in public with my friends, I still have a reasonable expectation that my conversation is "private" as long as I make an effort to keep it among those in my group. That someone could walk by, eavesdrop and overhear something objectionable doesn't meaningfully alter this dynamic. I see subreddits as similar to this. The fact that there is a specific URL that indicates its topic is enough gatekeeping to warrant the conversations as "private", in terms of who is the expected target of the conversation. In the case of fatpeoplehate, the insulation of the content of the sub makes it reasonable to expect that consumers of the content will be "in on the joke". Objecting to the content because its in a "public space" and therefore not appropriate for public consumption doesn't make sense.
- fixermark 9y ago
  It can be accessed by anyone and linked to directly via URL.
- AndrewStephens 9y ago
  Ummm, because the sub is a public forum. If you are chatting among friends in real life they can see your body language and hear your tone of voice. If someone takes offense you can immediately back-peddle. Submitting a comment to a webpage (either public or protected) is more like writing graffiti on a public wall. Nobody knows or cares what your intentions were.
  - hackinthebochs 9y ago
    I see it more like standing in a corner with your friends talking about whatever (in this case a specific topic). Sure, someone can walk by, overhear the conversation and be offended. But to call that making public comments in some form is missing the point of the distinction between public and private.

hackinthebochs 9y ago

>But to make the same joke in a public sub that was explicitly set up to ridicule fat people conveys a very different meaning. How is a sub dedicated to ridiculing fat people more like a public space than a private setting?

guildwriter 9y ago
I think the argument is that it's a space that is accessible by everyone without any sort of gatekeeping, that makes it a public space. Whereas a forum such as somethingawful would be considered more private as there is a subscription fee for membership.
- hackinthebochs 9y ago
  To me the issue isn't the lack of literal gatekeeping, its the intended audience. If I'm having a conversation in public with my friends, I still have a reasonable expectation that my conversation is "private" as long as I make an effort to keep it among those in my group. That someone could walk by, eavesdrop and overhear something objectionable doesn't meaningfully alter this dynamic. I see subreddits as similar to this. The fact that there is a specific URL that indicates its topic is enough gatekeeping to warrant the conversations as "private", in terms of who is the expected target of the conversation. In the case of fatpeoplehate, the insulation of the content of the sub makes it reasonable to expect that consumers of the content will be "in on the joke". Objecting to the content because its in a "public space" and therefore not appropriate for public consumption doesn't make sense.
fixermark 9y ago
It can be accessed by anyone and linked to directly via URL.
AndrewStephens 9y ago
Ummm, because the sub is a public forum. If you are chatting among friends in real life they can see your body language and hear your tone of voice. If someone takes offense you can immediately back-peddle. Submitting a comment to a webpage (either public or protected) is more like writing graffiti on a public wall. Nobody knows or cares what your intentions were.
- hackinthebochs 9y ago
  I see it more like standing in a corner with your friends talking about whatever (in this case a specific topic). Sure, someone can walk by, overhear the conversation and be offended. But to call that making public comments in some form is missing the point of the distinction between public and private.