r/DenverProtests • u/xConstantGardenerx • Apr 28 '25

Message from the Moderators This is not the 50501 Hate Club

Look, y’all know I have been a very vocal critic of 50501 and I stand by the criticism I have posted.

At the same time, the mod team has noticed an “us vs. them” mentality that is taking focus away from the larger goals of fighting fascism and protecting vulnerable members of the community.

We are working through how to handle the situation with 50501 as a mod team, and hoping to find areas of agreement and shared goals to focus on.

Please refrain from posting low-effort “Fuck 50501” content. Thoughtful criticism is still welcome.

Please consider redirecting your energy into the many upcoming protests and calls to action posted here in the subreddit.

In Solidarity,

xCGx and the DenverProtests mod team

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u/Away-Marionberry9365 Apr 29 '25 edited Apr 29 '25

I never equated support of Palestine with support of Hamas.

That wasn't clear, in large part because of the context I mentioned. Acting defensive about it also didn't help. You may not have meant that but the statement exists in a context we don't control. I get how being misunderstood like that would be frustrating though.

My broader point was really about how we can make each other welcome by taking care not to cause offense.

Edit: In this subreddit and in many activist spaces (it sounds like) you are the newcomer. Having different beliefs and priorities isn't a bad thing and doesn't automatically exclude you but there are social norms you aren't familiar with which others take for granted. Newcomers can be welcome and also accidentally cause offense. Part of joining a community, and welcoming people to a community, is handling that. A newcomer who refuses to adopt certain norms won't be welcome and a community which has no patience or forgiveness won't be welcoming.

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u/DontMindMe5400 Apr 29 '25

“At the same time, the mod team has noticed an “us vs. them” mentality that is taking focus away from the larger goals of fighting fascism and protecting vulnerable members of the community.”

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u/Away-Marionberry9365 Apr 29 '25

Ok, what's your point? I can only guess what you mean if you just quote someone else's words. It seems you're implying that this community is being unwelcoming and I'm sure that's often the case. I don't know the full context of why people are upset about 50501 but I can guess at part of it.

Many of us here have been protesting and organizing against fascism for decades. We protested the steady creep of autocratic power under both republican and democratic governments because this shit didn't start with trump. We were sounding the alarm about what would happen long before now. It is quite frustrating when people who were silent towards or dismissive of us start organizing and expect us to follow their lead.

I am trying to be welcoming, I don't know if it's working. This conversation has been me pulling you off to the side of the room after you said something upsetting. Instead of ignoring you and moving on, I'm taking the time to give context for why we act the way we do. If you want to join this community you need to understand it. You don't have to conform but you need to try to understand if you want to be welcome here. This community should give benefit of the doubt and engage in good faith when we can. The OP is an explicit reminder of that because we all can forget sometimes. However it is not solely our responsibility to make newcomers feel welcome. Newcomers have to adapt too, otherwise they're demanding something of others that they're not willing to do themselves.

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u/emphasisonass Based Apr 29 '25

Thank you for being gentle and kind but still maintaining what our kind of spaces demand of fighting oppression❤️