r/magicTCG has really become a toxic environment if you have an unpopular opinion - Magic General - Magic Fundamentals - MTG Salvation Forums (2024)

Reddit doesn't even feel like a Message Board Forum when it's really just a platform for people with short attention spans who don't have time to read walls of text much like the rest of Social Media that reward that kind of bad behavior such as Facebook and Tik Tok for example. YouTube on the other hand has at least made an honest effort for constructive criticism since content creators can convey what they say more in a video than posting in the comment section. That's more than I can say about Twitch which is really for a niche group of content creators that would get shutdown by YouTube on the spot.

I feel as though this thread has less to do about MTG and more about how Cancel Culture is steering society in the wrong direction especially after what happened at the Oscars with Will Smith and Chris Rock recently. I do however believe that the MTG community as a whole has been divided for some time now yet at the same time not as much with more players putting aside their differences and enjoy playing MTG which is what we should be doing. What I'm tired of are MTG players who easily get ensnared into scandals due to mistakes they've made in the past where their Internet history is used against them.

Moderation that turns into massive censorship is all so common now a days.

For some thats the "solution" , if a topic is even remotely controversial, dont discuss it, dont allow to discuss it, and dont allow to discuss it even in a context to the game the very forum/website is made for.

Its quite sad, and if people get in "power" (any form of moderation really), it can turn ugly very quickly, and it really becomes extremely unwelcoming.

If people dont value to share their thoughts, its either their way or the highway ... and thats the death of any communication culture.

People feel "Offended" by things that are not offensive at all, just to not have to talk about it, or in their view "win" the argument, by simply not having the discussion and quite literally "cancel" the other from having a discussion.

If you get rational people together and talk, thats great, you get more viewpoints, you get insight you wouldnt get on your own.

With some mild exceptions, MTGSalvation at least NOW managed to basically only moderate the absolute necessary, and that works out quite well.
If its too extreme on either side, moderation fosters a echo chamber and people have to self-censor, or get censored.

Theres gab.com and Twitter alternative social media platform and people are outright "shocked" if they see proper free speech for the first time, thoughts like "Oh god, he is allowed to say that?" , yes, they are.

Today, there are a bunch of topics that you simply are not allowed to talk about at social media, its simply forbidden and punished if you dare to.

Frankly, its OK if a website makes very clear cuts to stay "on topic" for a specific context, like this is for Magic, so it should be related to Magic and if it gets too wild, theres other places to continue (might be just PMs or outright other platforms that allow open debates, which are rare today, as most platforms have a very censor heavy approach).

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At this point a lot of communities split into multiple different groups and as long as each is happy, so be it.

That open discussion is kinda seen as "bad" is very frustrating and really leads to all kinds of issues we have in real life too, as people get used to simply ignoring their issues, ban anybody they dont agree with and see their view as the only option, anybody else must be "evil".

Its much more healthy to at least try to get an idea what the others viewpoint is, but that requires that you get to say what your viewpoint is, without punishment to do so.

----

A meme-heavy mostly unmoderated subreddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/freemagic/

Works quite well for the most part to get some laughs.

About the Will Smith Slap at the Oscars, If Chris Rock had known that Jada had Alopecia then he wouldn't had made the joke in the first place but If he had already known before making the joke then that changes the argument altogether and frames Chris in a more negative light. Though unfortunately this is sort of a synopsis of a much bigger problem in our society. That much like the culture of Social Media, Hollywood has become a breeding ground for people who are completely self absorbed with ego where their fame, power, money, and influence has made them think that they're above the rules that apply to everyone else where in the context of Social Media it's more about how many followers, likes, and subscribers you have or what's trending the most. That's setting a bad example of class warfare that separates the have's from the have not's and it isn't healthy.

Sadly our politicians and lawmakers aren't any different either where they're paid by lobbyists to think a certain way rather than serve the people in which they're supposed to govern. What does this kind of message say to our adversaries overseas? These kinds of things allow our enemies to take advantage of us by striking the iron while it's hot. Within the context of MTG Content Creators on YouTube I'm also seeing similar problems in terms of class warfare creeping up mostly because they're being directly paid and sponsored by Wizards of the Coast / Hasbro. The more money gets funneled into these Content Creators' YouTube channels the less power they have to connect with other people where money isn't influencing them more often. Corporate shareholders have a similar problem where they're stuck in their own bubble of this class warfare going on in our society.

You do realize that social media platforms, any online platform for that matter, are not the open public arena. Online communities are privately owned and controlled, and as such are not beholden to allow anyone “free speech”.
You are free to start your own community space with whatever rules you wish. You are free to start your own platforms and online spaces.
Opinions, everyone has the right to them but you cannot expect anyone to care or listen.
Privately held spaces have no legal requirement to allow free speech, you get that in the actual public arena. And if you all think “cancel culture” is some new thing then you all must be new to the universe because people have been trying to silence others since the dawn of time. It’s just easier when everyone does it online.

I don’t understand why the OP would want to rejoin any community where they’re not welcome. Just go find a group of like minded people to interact with. Or, here me out, don’t discuss non-MTG topics on a MTG platform. Ain’t nothing you have to say that’s going to change anyone’s life or that matters in any meaningful way. Besides most people’s opinions are formulated from a piss poor epistemology, instead of opinions try using verifiable facts.
An to prove my point, watch my post get “censored” for some nonsensical reason. I’m surprised the OP didn’t catch flak for using the pejorative “SJW”. This forum in notorious for condemning anyone from even mentioning it. Maybe since they’ve lost half their readership to Nexus they’ve lightened up, LOL.

Quote from Perodequeso »

Maybe since they’ve lost half their readership to Nexus they’ve lightened up, LOL.

That's one of the main reasons why the MTG community is so divided right now. If you decide to post on Nexus then prepare to get crucified.

Quote from KickinChicken »

So some have heard about the Michael Lynch/IHYD situation (NOT HERE TO DICUSS THIS).

I chimed in on the discussion about it that Buzzfeed is run by a bunch of SJW's and that many have left Buzzfeed for it's toxic environment. So by either calling out Buzzfeed and calling them SJW's (why is that now a bad-word acronym???) or by linking a video compilation of prior employees of Buzzfeed explaining why they left. It was relevant, in a way, because it's not the first time Buzzfeed brought out of the woodwork an old article to slander another's name just for the clicks. I had also called out in my response how cancel culture is moving society in the wrong, dark direction that is getting worse and worse.

So what happened? I was given the boot from the subreddit. Did a mod talk w/ me first? No. Did a mod tell me I'm on subreddit probation? No. Did I get a 1 day/week/month temp ban? No. Just a straight up "GTFO!"

Well, I'll just have to make another avatar and start from scratch in the subreddit. But really, what's going on there? Is it like the cancel culture of the rest of the world? Cancel the norm-breaker? Censor thought? Are we heading into an era where the "Thought Police" will control what we say & type?

Man, dystopia sucks...

Firstly, let me say this: this isn't really the place to go to complain about what happened on another platform. This isn't really a Magic discussion so much as it is a rant about how platforms are run. I won't speak to that specific subreddit, as it is not my responsibility; but in general, using incendiary words or touching on controversial topics will likely have negative consequences in some form—that's basically the internet. As for the term `SJW`, it's a volatile word in most public discussions, as I'm sure you know. The issue is, whether your mean it negatively or not, it can be taken negatively by a large number of people, and as moderators we are tasked with keeping discussions on topic and under control. Incendiary words do the opposite.

Quote from Card Slinger J »

Reddit doesn't even feel like a Message Board Forum when it's really just a platform for people with short attention spans who don't have time to read walls of text much like the rest of Social Media that reward that kind of bad behavior such as Facebook and Tik Tok for example. YouTube on the other hand has at least made an honest effort for constructive criticism since content creators can convey what they say more in a video than posting in the comment section. That's more than I can say about Twitch which is really for a niche group of content creators that would get shutdown by YouTube on the spot.

I feel as though this thread has less to do about MTG and more about how Cancel Culture is steering society in the wrong direction especially after what happened at the Oscars with Will Smith and Chris Rock recently. I do however believe that the MTG community as a whole has been divided for some time now yet at the same time not as much with more players putting aside their differences and enjoy playing MTG which is what we should be doing. What I'm tired of are MTG players who easily get ensnared into scandals due to mistakes they've made in the past where their Internet history is used against them.

This thread definitely has little to actually do with MTG. Unfortunately the nature of the internet is that anything you type is forever recorded in the public record. Hopefully, it's a lesson people will eventually learn. We can't do anything about people accepting or not accepting someone's apology.

Quote from TheOnlyOne652089 »

Moderation that turns into massive censorship is all so common now a days.

For some thats the "solution" , if a topic is even remotely controversial, dont discuss it, dont allow to discuss it, and dont allow to discuss it even in a context to the game the very forum/website is made for.

Its quite sad, and if people get in "power" (any form of moderation really), it can turn ugly very quickly, and it really becomes extremely unwelcoming.

If people dont value to share their thoughts, its either their way or the highway ... and thats the death of any communication culture.

People feel "Offended" by things that are not offensive at all, just to not have to talk about it, or in their view "win" the argument, by simply not having the discussion and quite literally "cancel" the other from having a discussion.

If you get rational people together and talk, thats great, you get more viewpoints, you get insight you wouldnt get on your own.

With some mild exceptions, MTGSalvation at least NOW managed to basically only moderate the absolute necessary, and that works out quite well.
If its too extreme on either side, moderation fosters a echo chamber and people have to self-censor, or get censored.

Theres gab.com and Twitter alternative social media platform and people are outright "shocked" if they see proper free speech for the first time, thoughts like "Oh god, he is allowed to say that?" , yes, they are.

Today, there are a bunch of topics that you simply are not allowed to talk about at social media, its simply forbidden and punished if you dare to.

Frankly, its OK if a website makes very clear cuts to stay "on topic" for a specific context, like this is for Magic, so it should be related to Magic and if it gets too wild, theres other places to continue (might be just PMs or outright other platforms that allow open debates, which are rare today, as most platforms have a very censor heavy approach).

----

At this point a lot of communities split into multiple different groups and as long as each is happy, so be it.

That open discussion is kinda seen as "bad" is very frustrating and really leads to all kinds of issues we have in real life too, as people get used to simply ignoring their issues, ban anybody they dont agree with and see their view as the only option, anybody else must be "evil".

Its much more healthy to at least try to get an idea what the others viewpoint is, but that requires that you get to say what your viewpoint is, without punishment to do so.

----

A meme-heavy mostly unmoderated subreddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/freemagic/

Works quite well for the most part to get some laughs.

Again, I can't speak for people in other forums or platforms; but I think something people don't take into consideration is that we have a job as moderators-to keep things civil and on-topic. When I log on, and I see 5 reports for the same post because at least 5 people got offended by something, or its off-topic, or the thread quickly devolved into ad hominem attacks, it has to be moderated to return the forum to a neutral state. This isn't a political site; and it shouldn't be used as such. This should be a place for people excited about Magic to come discuss the game.

Quote from Perodequeso »

You do realize that social media platforms, any online platform for that matter, are not the open public arena. Online communities are privately owned and controlled, and as such are not beholden to allow anyone “free speech”.
You are free to start your own community space with whatever rules you wish. You are free to start your own platforms and online spaces.
Opinions, everyone has the right to them but you cannot expect anyone to care or listen.
Privately held spaces have no legal requirement to allow free speech, you get that in the actual public arena. And if you all think “cancel culture” is some new thing then you all must be new to the universe because people have been trying to silence others since the dawn of time. It’s just easier when everyone does it online.

I don’t understand why the OP would want to rejoin any community where they’re not welcome. Just go find a group of like minded people to interact with. Or, here me out, don’t discuss non-MTG topics on a MTG platform. Ain’t nothing you have to say that’s going to change anyone’s life or that matters in any meaningful way. Besides most people’s opinions are formulated from a piss poor epistemology, instead of opinions try using verifiable facts.
An to prove my point, watch my post get “censored” for some nonsensical reason. I’m surprised the OP didn’t catch flak for using the pejorative “SJW”. This forum in notorious for condemning anyone from even mentioning it. Maybe since they’ve lost half their readership to Nexus they’ve lightened up, LOL.

You were doing so well, but then you had to throw in the `challenge` not to censor you. Comments like that aren't helpful to anyone. Just keep your post on topic and act in good faith, and there won't be any need to censor anyone.

This thread is getting locked because it's not a discussion that should be had here. This is not a place to come and rant about being banned from another platform. In general, if everyone follows the rules, plays nice, and stops peppering in terms known to be volatile there shouldn't be any issues. When you intentionally break rules or try to skirt the rules to prove a point, that's when moderation has to take place.