Someway, Somehow, Somewhere Over the Rainbow

So it's 6 am and I'm wide awake and it hits me that I have this random journal just waiting for me to use. But you can use it differently than tumblr. I'm drawn to it - this old way of blogging. Maybe it never really went away but I forgot about it. I don't know if artists will be able to post here a lot - so my usual standby of reblogging artwork will have to go by the wayside if I want to use this journal. I'll have to return to actual writing again, which means it probably won't be so fandom specific. Which again, I sort of find intriguing.

At the moment I'm aware I'm horribly boring, And, that's ok. I have one follower -HI! No one really cares what I'm writing here. So, I guess I'm just going to go for it. If anyone cares to join in, the more the merrier.

What disturbs me most about tumblr is the Big Brother vibe of it all. Who are they to say what is acceptable? It's a slippery slope to go from sex acts and female nudes to discussions about topics that might make some uncomfortable. Erotica, erotic fiction and frank discussion about sex and sexual identity are a big part of the site, at least from what I have seen. They aren't why I'm there but they don't disturb me and in many cases have educated me and made me consider topics I normally never would. Yet, already these posts are getting flagged, causing an undue amount of stress for the users. And, that's the other thing I find disturbing, opening it up to anyone to flag a post. They've spread the ability to police the site to anyone with an ax to grind.

Another thing I find fascinating is they clearly say in their community guidelines they are against hate speech and even go so far as to give is a long, detailed definition. But, they seem to be ignoring the hate speech blogs. If you're going to try to make your platform safe and you've gone to the effort to describe hate speech in such detail, then you need to actually follow through and enforce your rules. Instead, it appears that they are focusing on just one segment of their user population. They are focusing on the sex stuff because that is what upsets their shareholders.

We're such a puritanical society and seems to be getting worse as time goes by. That nudes are more upsetting to some people is something I can try to understand. But why aren't they just as upset about the hate speech? That is disconcerting to me. I am much more disturbed by hate and I'm a fairly conservative - read that as old and the expectation is the sex stuff should bother me. But, I like to think I have an open mind.

I'm willing to look at something and see the effort the artist took, appreciate the colors and lines, even if I don't necessarily agree with the content. Who am I to tell the artist what they drew is offensive? It may be offensive to some, but maybe what they've drawn speaks to them. I find the actual sex sites annoying and occasionally disturbing but it's a simple matter of blocking them when they follow you. It takes but a moment. The frank discussions and erotic fiction I can scroll past if I'm not up for furthering my education or offering an opinion.

I can police who and what I see myself. I don't need big brother doing it for me.