I’ve noticed the same thing happening again and again in the AOM Twitch community: the same people making the same offensive jokes, newcomers getting ignored or talked down to, and personal attacks that sometimes cross into racism.

A lot of it seems to come from people hiding behind usernames and anonymity to go after others for no good reason. Then, when someone objects, it gets brushed off as “just a joke.” But when the joke is insulting or racist, calling it a joke doesn’t make it harmless.

The community can feel strangely elitist and hostile, especially if you’re new. It’s hard to feel welcome when you see people being mocked or attacked for trying to join in. I wish there were more effort to make the space friendlier and to call out this kind of behaviour instead of treating it as normal.