LJ Strikethrough Part 2 (public)
LJ's response (FINALLY), posted this morning.
Here's what I see when I look at this: "Hi, yeah, we fucked up; now we're going to backpedal as much as we can! Watch! Backpedalbackpedalbackpedalbackpedal. Love ya! Please stay! Kthxbai!"
Perhaps I'm being harsh. But their title says it all: "we really screwed this one up." NO, REALLY. And while I generally believe that the LJ community will (...eventually) forgive them for this, I don't believe that a lot of people will forget. There's been a serious breach of trust here. Something as simple as a news post doesn't fix that automatically.
I'm glad to see, however, that they'll be reviewing the journals and communities they strikethrough'ed to reinstate the ones that were unjustly suspended. That, at least, is a step in the right direction.
...But friends, look at this paragraph:
"Another issue we needed to deal with was journals that used a thin veneer of fictional or academic interest in events and storylines that include child rape, pedophilia, and similar themes in order to actually promote these activities. While there are stories, essays, and discussions that include discussion of these issues in an effort to understand and prevent them, others use a pretext to promote these activities. It’s often very hard to tell the difference. As such, we intended to have suspend reported journals that do not clearly and substantially object to these a reasonable person would think supported these activities. while at the same time portraying them. "
Nope, I didn't add those strikeouts.
Actually, I think it's that paragraph that kills the entire apology for me. Bad move, Barak Berkowitz. Very bad. I know I'm not the only one who will take offense to those strikeout phrases. And I'm not even one of the writers who was affected. Can you imagine the reaction from writers at pornish_pixies and other similar communities? I'm sorry, perhaps I have too much faith in fandom, but I doubt seriously that pornish_pixies and such used a "thin veneer of fictional or academic interest" to cover up illegal activity. It was a literary community. And the majority of the writing there didn't even have to do with pedophelia, molestation, and rape.
Augh. I've got to go to school. I'll be anxious to read the LJ community's (and especially fandom's) response to this.
Here's what I see when I look at this: "Hi, yeah, we fucked up; now we're going to backpedal as much as we can! Watch! Backpedalbackpedalbackpedalbackpedal. Love ya! Please stay! Kthxbai!"
Perhaps I'm being harsh. But their title says it all: "we really screwed this one up." NO, REALLY. And while I generally believe that the LJ community will (...eventually) forgive them for this, I don't believe that a lot of people will forget. There's been a serious breach of trust here. Something as simple as a news post doesn't fix that automatically.
I'm glad to see, however, that they'll be reviewing the journals and communities they strikethrough'ed to reinstate the ones that were unjustly suspended. That, at least, is a step in the right direction.
...But friends, look at this paragraph:
"Another issue we needed to deal with was journals that used a thin veneer of fictional or academic interest in events and storylines that include child rape, pedophilia, and similar themes in order to actually promote these activities. While there are stories, essays, and discussions that include discussion of these issues in an effort to understand and prevent them, others use a pretext to promote these activities. It’s often very hard to tell the difference. As such, we intended to have suspend reported journals that do not clearly and substantially object to these a reasonable person would think supported these activities. while at the same time portraying them. "
Nope, I didn't add those strikeouts.
Actually, I think it's that paragraph that kills the entire apology for me. Bad move, Barak Berkowitz. Very bad. I know I'm not the only one who will take offense to those strikeout phrases. And I'm not even one of the writers who was affected. Can you imagine the reaction from writers at pornish_pixies and other similar communities? I'm sorry, perhaps I have too much faith in fandom, but I doubt seriously that pornish_pixies and such used a "thin veneer of fictional or academic interest" to cover up illegal activity. It was a literary community. And the majority of the writing there didn't even have to do with pedophelia, molestation, and rape.
Augh. I've got to go to school. I'll be anxious to read the LJ community's (and especially fandom's) response to this.