One of the things that perplexes me about the anti-AO3 crowd is that they have the gall to come to AO3 and demand moderation when AO3 was clearly and explicitly established in response to censorship and fandom purges of more popular (at the time) fandom spaces. AO3 was created not because the original crew were huge fans of problematic (but legal) content but because they recognized that contentās right to exist regardless of any one personās particular taste. AO3 is popular precisely because they donāt moderate. I left fandom in like 2012-ish around the time of one of the big FFN purges. At the time, FFN was the big site and AO3 was a little nothing site with a fraction of what FFN had. I returned in 2017 when AO3 suddenly seemed the place to be for writers and readers of newer fandoms. Thereās a reason for that.
Itās likeā¦ okay, letās say thereās a dog park. The dog park is sprawling and super popular among owners of all dog breeds and sizes. There are separate spaces for terriers and large dogs with signs posted so you know what types of dogs are allowed where. All of the sudden, some small dog owners, the ones with teacup poodles and yorkies or whatnot, decide that the pit bulls all the way on the other side of the park are a PROBLEM because pits are dangerous. Doesnāt matter if they only play in the one area that is specifically designated for them, and there are warning signs indicating their presence.Ā Theyāre a breed that shouldnāt exist because what if a child tried to pet one?Ā
No matter that children arenāt allowed in the pitbull section; they might break in unaccompanied by an adult to pet some pitbulls. All pitbull owners are dangerous, irresponsible assholes who want nothing more than to train their pits to eat small dogs and attack kids. In fact, if you have ever owned a pit, not only are you a bad person, you are a literal murderer who trains your dog to attack children on sight.Ā
The anti-pitbull crowd is persistent, and pits are not very popular in general, and a lot of people donāt like them, so the dog park decides to ban pitbulls. But the purge also sweeps away German Shepherds (a popular but potentially dangerous breed also known as explicit slash) and Boxers and other large dogs. Maybe some of these dogs were dogs the anti-pitbull crowd even liked, but hey, all is done in the name of safety, right? Because:
Itās not that you canāt find pitbulls in the dog park anymore. Theyāre still there, except now they arenāt tagged and easily identified as pitbulls and arenāt confined to one area. Theyāre much easier to stumble across by accident. But hey, maybe 1 or 2 of them will be reported and kicked out for a spell until the owner sneaks them in again. Itās not like anyone is really checking every single dog at the door for pit ancestry. Itās too unwieldy; there are millions of dogs and not enough staff to do so, and they canāt quite agree on what a pitbull is anyway.
Anyways, a few of the dog owners think this is bullshit. Maybe some own pits but mostly they own like Golden Retrievers and Black Labs (that are technically still allowed in the park, for now, but hey, you never know what will happen). They decide theyāre going to build their own dog park where all dogs are welcome as long as they stay in their designated sections. Itās a small operation at first, but itās free and staffed with enthusiastic volunteers, and as more dogs are booted out of the first dog park, some entire segments of dog owners (including many that donāt own pits) gravitate to the new dog park. Itās friendlier there. They accept everyone, and wonāt randomly kick out the odd bulldog for looking pit-like. All their friends are starting to go to the new dog park.Ā
New dog park grows, gains a lot of traction over the old dog park, and becomes the place to be.
Only now, the anti-pitbull crowd is also there. They use it frequently and like its amenities, but thereās only one problem. They allow pitbulls here. Nevermind that theyāre tagged and in their designated area. What if a child tried to pet one?
So they start reporting pitbulls. The pitbulls are a danger to society; they should be taken out back and shot. Why TF would anyone allow pitbulls into their dog parks??? The staff looks at them, shrugs, and points out their policy, which has been there since the beginning, which is the reason for their popularity and what everyone agreed to when they entered the dog park, that says All Dogs Allowed.Ā
āBut thatās not right,ā the anti-pitbull crowd screeches.Ā
Other dog owners point out that old dog park still exists; they donāt have to frequent this one.
āBut this dog park is more popular! More people will play and interact with my dog here!ā they say, stomping their feet.Ā āYou should accommodate me and my preferences.ā
They throw themselves to the floor, thrashing their arms about, in full tantrum mode. āThen I rather this dog park not exist. It is a danger to children everywhere!.ā
Think of the Goddamn children!
And thatās basically the story of AO3. AO3ā²s lack of content moderation is not a flaw but a feature. And if you donāt like it, FFN still exists. Have fun trying to avoid untagged pitbulls there.
tangentwithtanner
yousharknotpass
titsay
germansingergirl
blakekathryn
pixelskylines
prguitarman
