THANK YOU FOR SAYING THIS! Before I quit tiktok after their sycophantic acquiescence to Trump, I made several videos lamenting the use of nonsensical euphemisms for serious topics like sexual assault,
which never made sense to me because anyone who is pro-sexual assault isn't going to call their own content "rape culture." the only ones getting censored are those speaking OUT about these terrible things.
The direction that mainstream social media chooses to enforce censorship is very telling. Almost like they're happy to make a profit off enabling (if not encouraging) hate speech, misogynistic "pick up" manosphere culture, disinformation, etc
Every time this subject gets brought up I'm brought back to hearing anthony fantano, who is a 30 or 40 year old grown man, repeatedly say "pdf file" in reference to the kendrick-drake beef and i gotta pace around my apartment for a little bit
If this algorithmic censorship had been around in the 90s we'd have gotten erotic thrillers with titles like Spicey Unaliver and Le Dollar Bean Chop Slicer.
I HATE when people censor words by replacing them with another- like “unaliving” is much weaker than “killing” or “murdering” - it sounds so much less vile and evil to say “he graped someone” than to say “he raped someone” and that only makes the story easier to digest which should NOT be the case
I love how all these mainstream platforms spend their energy sophisticating their AI censorship algorithms to match the ever-evolving world of euphemisms for serious topics instead of, I don't know, clamping down on hate speech and disinformation.
I wasn't clear enough, I mean on sites where you absolutely do not have to use such euphemisms. This was prompted by a book review I read that was calling sex scenes "spicy scenes". There was no need for it. But it's something that spreads from use on other sites.
I do, too, but probably not for the same reasons. 😅 I think "we" only succeeded in collectively training these platforms that it's more than okay to censor us, we'll actually do it for them.
It's a terrible state of affairs but at least people are self-selecting out of conversations about anything more mature than acceptable chicken nuggets sauces. A few years ago I may have listened to them for more than ten minutes before realizing they're idiots.
I refuse to believe it's algorithms doing this, by the way. It probably started that way, and more as a boring urban legend than a fact (because no one actually knows how these algorithms work, that's not public knowledge) but at this point it's just an ingroup signifier for prissy little shits.
It's largely the U.S. TikTok moved onto special American servers & they very much flag you over it, then start auto flagging your entire account if you keep trying to fight it. I do think there's an issue of purity culture in Gen Z, but this has real roots that cost people $$/community.
I'm not a hardliner on this and I can definitely see reasonable people disagreeing, but if my job required me to talk like a baby and massively disrespect serious topics so racist robots won't tell advertisers stop giving money to my billionaire bosses, I might start looking for another job.
I really don't like how some people will justify their unethical or immoral jobs simply because the system it operates in is unethical or immoral. C'mon dog, you're literally complicit in the system by working for it. There are other jobs that don't require you to cast away your morals and ethics.
no ethical consumption under capitalism my ass. You can choose to work for the cops or you can choose to be a plumber. Plenty of people work ethical jobs every day.
You're on Bluesky, which was not created or developed by saints. I think your high horse might be imaginary and very cruel to people who have to promote work to live or can't do traditional work & need a side income through non traditional means. Social media is that for many.
But if you're someone who is reaching people about those serious issues, you just give up? Disabled people who've found income & community through that just go die? This is... I don't know. This feels very divorced from reality. Good for you if you don't have to make sacrifices.
I wouldn't assume I know nothing about being disabled and having to do distasteful things that haunt me to survive. And I'll fully admit I'm a bit touchy about this after getting bitched at at by teenagers for using the word "suicide" on the internet days after I found his body. We all have a story.
Especially when platforms let literal psychopaths, hardcore white supremacists and career rapists get away with anything they like as long as they generate cash, while making me do little humiliation rituals. I couldn't last a day in that environment and I do side-eye people who can.
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Just say sex you weirdo, the machine isn't going to put you in time out.
I refuse.