The few conversations I’ve had there have been unproductive and inflammatory. While even in other instances when I’ve said something someone disagreed with they would at least support their statement. Also no one would tell me why the “Confused Unga Bunga” meme is racist but they keep accusing me of it. I’m all for open discussions but even the comments there are so angry and toxic.

Edit: I’m reading every comment and taking everything people said and considering all sides. My stance on the phrase has changed but I am still hesitant about giving hexbear a chance. I’ll sleep on it though.

  • Zoift [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
    779·
    1 year ago

    Unga Bunga is racist because of this shit.

    The phrase has a long history as a racist dogwhistle, and is deeply tied with “Race Science” horseshit.

    • DrPop@lemmy.oneOP
      233·
      1 year ago

      Yeah I saw that but only after I added terms like racist and offensive to my search result, meaning if I just type that phrase by itself into Google nothing. I also don’t watch any of that shit because it’s like you said, horseshit.

      I will not use the phrase in the future though.

      • Zoift [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
        577·
        1 year ago

        Yeah I saw that but only after I added terms like racist and offensive to my search result, meaning if I just type that phrase by itself into Google nothing.

        That’s the point of a dogwhistle. If they didnt want to whistle, they’d just yell a slur. The whole point of its racist usage being able to signal racist ideology to those in the know, while hiding behind people like yourself who insist on it being fine.

        The preferred response to learning of a dogwhistle for the first time is to go “Oh shit, my bad, i wont use it again.” It costs you nothing and removes camo for actual detestable people.

        When you argue to the effect “It not that racist”, you provide screening for racists, and are doing their work. Normalizing crypto racist shit attracts racists. For this reason, you will be dunked by bears.

        • DrPop@lemmy.oneOP
          30·
          1 year ago

          I’ll chock this up to ignorance then. I will be adding that to my list of things not to say.

          • Zoift [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
            393·
            1 year ago

            rat-salute

            It happens to all of us at one time or another. We all live in societies scarred by hundreds of years of brainworms; Grew up with them, internalized them. It takes effort to just see the scope of these brainworms, much less change them.

            Most of Hexbear is hyper-vigilant against this sort of thing because we’ve spent a lot of time deprogramming ourselves and others of these particular ideological blinders. We can get pretty defensive when our fash-detectors ping. I’m sorry if we’ve hit you with undeserved ire.

        • DrPop@lemmy.oneOP
          101·
          1 year ago

          You’re right and I understand that now but maybe because I compartmentalized it differently in my head as different from “ooga booga” which is highly racist. Thanks for actually explaining it to me. Language is weird.

    • itsyourmom@artemis.camp
      5·
      1 year ago

      What the actual FUCK? I’ve never seen that shit before, and never want to see that shit again. Offensive.

  • xapr [he/him]@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
    383·
    1 year ago

    Interesting, I haven’t personally had any run ins with Hexbears, but everything I’ve read from them in non-Hexbear communities has generally looked fine to me. Sure, they argue hard and in detail when it comes to anything political and they can also be a little edgy, but I haven’t seen any of them be assholes, abusive, argue in bad faith, etc. So far I have appreciated their contributions. It probably helps that I generally agree with (many of?) them politically as far as I can tell, but despite that, if I saw them being assholes I would make notice because I don’t believe in defending the people in your team even when they’re doing wrong. I would be more likely to call them for taking the wrong approach instead. Do you have any example threads that demonstrate what you’re describing?

  • ikiru@lemmy.ml
    4418·
    1 year ago

    I don’t understand all the hate. They’re just fucking funny. I have a great time there.

    Maybe if you’re not a Leftist then there’s no appeal.

      • PM_ME_YOUR_FOUCAULTS [he/him, they/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
        253·
        1 year ago

        Edit: removed the snark because you do appear to be taking criticism, which is something someone with terminal reactionary brainworms does not do. Self criticism helps us grow and get better opinions, and I hope you’ll reevaluate Hexbear differently now that you see where we’re coming from

      • UlyssesT [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
        154·
        1 year ago

        It has more lasting relevance than your “my wholesome freeze-gamer buddies totally were just talking about a caveman video game from the 90s that never actually says Unga Bunga in it” claims.

        EDIT: Seems a 90s video game may have had a racist dogwhistle in it. Which absolves all uses of a racist utterance forever and ever!

            • DrPop@lemmy.oneOP
              51·
              1 year ago

              I can’t with my app on mobile(unless it’s a recent)☠️ I’ve just been manually blocking each community as I see them. Being wrong is not the same as lying.

                • DrPop@lemmy.oneOP
                  5·
                  1 year ago

                  I showed you where in the game he said it, and didn’t change anything I said though, not counting editing my original comment. I’m willing to no longer use the phrase I just couldn’t stand you jumping on me with buzzwords and accusations. I do try to be a decent human, but I’m just some internet stranger to you. I was genuinely confused wanted help understanding it and you just dogpiled me.

      • fiat_lux@kbin.social
        3·
        1 year ago

        Historical usage informs modern usage. There are still people very negatively affected by outdated concepts that have carried through into modern language.

        Like women being associated with the word “hysterical” based on the idea that “hysteria” was a “wandering uterus” and caused behavioural problems. That idea is first found four thousand years ago in ancient Egyptian documents - yet still has influence on our language and thinking today.

        Time is not always enough to make poison innocuous.

      • all-knight-party@kbin.cafe
        2·
        1 year ago

        You could probably argue something like that, but perpetuating something so deeply rooted in racism isn’t worth it when the payoff is… Meme funnies.

  • Ranvier@sopuli.xyz
    264·
    1 year ago

    Not really. Since we don’t have the ability to instance block ourselves yet I changed instances to one not federating with them to avoid them and similar authoritarian instances like lemmygrad and exploding heads. I swing pretty far left on the political spectrum myself, but there’s a difference between that and simping for dictators, genocide denial, and other problematic things. I don’t even get it, China and Russia can hardly be described as leftist by any definition but they’ll bend over backwards to defend anything they do, and try to change the subject to another country instead if they can’t.

    • Astroturfed@lemmy.world
      154·
      1 year ago

      I really don’t understand the defense of Russia. Like if you are claiming to be communist, it’s arguably the worst example of exploitative capitalism going right now. Or they claim it’s because of colonialism while ignoring Russia’s history of conquering and controlling any nation near them.

        • AngrilyEatingMuffins@kbin.social
          63·
          1 year ago

          People invariably point to the Uyghurs and apologisms about China in general. I’m sure that stuff exists, just as it does in any leftist space, but I’ve never interacted with it so I highly doubt it’s some great cause people pick up torches for. Then again maybe it is and I’ve just never seen it.

  • Gormadt@lemmy.blahaj.zone
    162·
    1 year ago

    In my experience? No.

    There’s nothing productive from over there

    Literally during the time they were federated with Blahaj I ended up blocking almost 4 dozen of them for their absolute toxic behavior including being dismissive of genocide, simping for dictators, and who could forget their stance on Ukraine. Their stance basically boils down to letting Russia steam roll them.

    There’s nothing productive from being federated with them.

  • HSL@wayfarershaven.euEnglish
    174·
    1 year ago

    The question itself is inflammatory but there has generally been a good discussion. Locking instead of removing.

  • aebletrae [she/her]@hexbear.netEnglish
    2210·
    1 year ago

    Uh, the XiBucks, obviously.

    Look, I get it. Hexbear is a demanding place to be. It expects you to not be a complete asshole almost all the time. You’re regularly tested on knowledge of an emoji system so complex, it’s been known to make London cab drivers cry. If you unthinkingly parrot talking points, you’ll be pounced on with annoying facts and aggressive reasonable concern for the value of other people. And if you emit the slightest Hitler particle, you’ll be outright banned. How authoritarian! Honesty, sometimes I wonder why I signed up, never mind stay around.

    But then I remember that the folks there are a deeply caring lot, who see the problems in the world and actually want to do something about it—even though the goal often seems barely possible—and, in spite of everything, retain a sense of humour and try to make improvements for each other, even if, for now at least, it can only be a :meow-hug:.

    Oh, and the XiBucks, of course. Some of us even get roubles, too!