Second Is Here To Stay!

Hi all, this is Second, nonbinary (zie/zir) Italo-Brasilian Kemetic Sj Ranger (focused enemy: fascists and capitalism) and devotee of Seth, Anat, Ash, nebt-Het, Asherah and Ra. I am also a biomedical scientist with a PhD and a total nerd who likes to write fanfic and hopepunk/solarpunk specfic.

Like many new adherents of the Fediverse, I came here to find a new home after the start of the Tumblr purge. While I didn't post NSFW myself, I don't feel at home in a place that discriminates sex workers and prioritises "purity" above their safety, that de-platform artists and that in the process wipes tags such as "chronic pain" or "chronic illness". The last straw was when I realised that my posts tagged as "antifascismo", "no nazi zone" and "refugee crisis" had disappeared, even though there was no trace of a "female-identified nipple" [sic] to be found in them.

Maybe the idea that a corporation intended to maximise profit from selling ads and minimg data would be a permanent home for antifascists, queer people and disability advocates was disingenuous, and, like for the facebook data misuse scandal which prompted me to delete my account two years ago, it was just a matter of time.

Be as it may, while I mourn the loss of the community we had created, and worry how I am going to do to keep in touch with all the people who have been with me during this journey, I am also grateful for the opportunity to re-examine my assumptions and behaviours, and find alternatives that tie in more closely with my values.

The Fediverse seems to be this alternative: a distribuited, federated network of instances that live in the abundance economy, working on the base of donations, contributions, part-time developers and admins, cooperatives and collectives, where no one has control over the whole net and communities are free to grow and develop their own interests. Also, where most people insta-block fascists and their ilk as well as TERFS and related scum and where real people go after harmful content instead of blanket banning any reference to sex.

It's messy? Yes It has a steeper learning curve? Of course, because it's basically souped-up DIY.

But it's a beautiful, glorious erosion of capitalism, and I love it.