<ModeratorHat> Since there’s a lot more people subscribed here now than two months ago, and by extension this magazine is getting a lot more visibility across instances, I’ve noticed a couple of cases of “gatekeeping resistance.” It makes sense to address this now instead of waiting until it becomes an argument.

What I mean by “gatekeeping resistance” is commentary along the lines of “that suggestion is useless, you have to do what I think you should do,” or “that just makes you feel better, it has no effect.”

Why we’re not going to do that here is because resistance is better with all efforts, great and small, from all kinds of people. While any individual bit of small resistance is unlikely to have a great impact all by itself, the cumulative effects of many over time can. Those effects are about gumming up the cogs of fascism in action, but they’re also about giving some hope to the quiet bystanders who need to keep their heads down right now.

As always, we’re in this for the long haul. Nothing is going to “get back to normal” any time soon, and even when it does, that “normal” isn’t going to look anything like what we’re accustomed to. We’re all finding our way, and if that means doing very small things today to get into a new mindset, so be it. And of course, if you’ve done something “large,” you shouldn’t be talking about it here anyway. If it gets into the news, then get someone to post an article about it. Maybe that will mean this place appears a bit milquetoast on the surface. Fine. Let it be the tip of the iceberg.

Last note - I have not “strongly moderated” here, and I have no plans to. When I have something to say “as a moderator,” I put on the “ModeratorHat”. I’ll continue to do so. Whether that hat is on or off, disagreement is welcome and encouraged, and disagreement is never a “punishable offense.” “Being a dick about it” might be, but not the disagreement itself.

Have fun storming the castle!

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