MolotovMocktail
Subverting from within
Hi folks. I’m making this post to announce that I’ve decided to step down as a moderator and participant on Squat the Planet. Please know that this wasn’t an easy decision to make but I’m convinced it’s the right move for me.
There are a few reasons for this:
1) I’ve been on StP for six years and have been a mod for about five. I was still in high school when I joined and was super stoked on the idea of traveling. The site and its users helped me figure out a lot of things about being on the road and I would have been worse off without it when I was traveling. But in the past few years I’ve gotten less interested in the travel scene and have felt less and less connected to the StP community. I’ve put a lot of work into being a mod but it’s just not worth the energy for me anymore because I no longer feel any connection to the community.
2) The userbase also seems to have gotten significantly less interested in the things StP is supposed to be about. I rarely see interesting content on the forums anymore and I’ve gotten super tired of the teenage edgelords in the Discord making the community feel unwelcoming and pointless.
3) There is a seemingly pervasive belief among many users that Matt is capable of doing no wrong because he created StP and I don’t buy that at all. He has been really shitty to a couple of people I really care about. I don’t think Matt is as progressive and woke as he presents himself to be and I think people cut him a lot of slack on things he should be called out for just because he created StP.
4) Pokebert has made a series of really bad calls moderating the Discord, especially in their handling of Riot Gang moderation. They proposed letting “vetted allies” into the safe discussion space for queer and POC travelers then tried to institute a rule forbidding people from venting about oppressive dominant groups because they believed it to be just as bad as the oppression marginalized people are subjected to. This culminated in Pokebert comparing a joke about white people and mayonnaise to using N-word, which I thought demonstrated a severe lack of understanding and empathy for marginalized groups. I know that Pokebert apologized for this but I no longer trust their judgement as a staff member on StP.
On a related note: I know Matt doesn’t want to run the entire site himself but I’ve noticed that he tends to throw moderator duties on almost anyone who wants them. Mods and admins are in a position of power and are often presumed to be vetted as safe and knowledgeable and some of the folks that have come and gone as staff on StP have definitely not been. In fact, I know of at least one instance where a now former mod used their position of power to gain someone’s trust and engage in predatory behavior.
So for those reasons, I’m leaving. I hope for the community’s sake that things get better but it’s time for me to jump ship.
Take care and safe travels,
-MolotovMocktail
There are a few reasons for this:
1) I’ve been on StP for six years and have been a mod for about five. I was still in high school when I joined and was super stoked on the idea of traveling. The site and its users helped me figure out a lot of things about being on the road and I would have been worse off without it when I was traveling. But in the past few years I’ve gotten less interested in the travel scene and have felt less and less connected to the StP community. I’ve put a lot of work into being a mod but it’s just not worth the energy for me anymore because I no longer feel any connection to the community.
2) The userbase also seems to have gotten significantly less interested in the things StP is supposed to be about. I rarely see interesting content on the forums anymore and I’ve gotten super tired of the teenage edgelords in the Discord making the community feel unwelcoming and pointless.
3) There is a seemingly pervasive belief among many users that Matt is capable of doing no wrong because he created StP and I don’t buy that at all. He has been really shitty to a couple of people I really care about. I don’t think Matt is as progressive and woke as he presents himself to be and I think people cut him a lot of slack on things he should be called out for just because he created StP.
4) Pokebert has made a series of really bad calls moderating the Discord, especially in their handling of Riot Gang moderation. They proposed letting “vetted allies” into the safe discussion space for queer and POC travelers then tried to institute a rule forbidding people from venting about oppressive dominant groups because they believed it to be just as bad as the oppression marginalized people are subjected to. This culminated in Pokebert comparing a joke about white people and mayonnaise to using N-word, which I thought demonstrated a severe lack of understanding and empathy for marginalized groups. I know that Pokebert apologized for this but I no longer trust their judgement as a staff member on StP.
On a related note: I know Matt doesn’t want to run the entire site himself but I’ve noticed that he tends to throw moderator duties on almost anyone who wants them. Mods and admins are in a position of power and are often presumed to be vetted as safe and knowledgeable and some of the folks that have come and gone as staff on StP have definitely not been. In fact, I know of at least one instance where a now former mod used their position of power to gain someone’s trust and engage in predatory behavior.
So for those reasons, I’m leaving. I hope for the community’s sake that things get better but it’s time for me to jump ship.
Take care and safe travels,
-MolotovMocktail