So much this thread; my links/emph; quote:

After continuing to noodle on it, I had an epiphany earlier today. You’re not gonna like it. I realized that maybe I have been misunderstanding the actual conversation about social norms. Maybe the reason people wanna have the moral argument is because they’re hoping that will convince other people to take responsibility for protecting them.

I think they’re yelling at the bridge guy precisely because they know he’s one of the few people who will listen. They want him to take responsibility for protecting them. They want anybody who understands this world to do something because they know the bad actors don’t care. I think part of this is how people ask for the structures that they need in order to feel safe. It’s just unfortunate that it takes the form of yelling and assuming bad faith.

This fits perfectly with the other things that we see in the mastodon ecosystem. Many stories of instance admins flaming out from trying to meet the demands of their users. So many people looking around like “who do I have to yell at to get work done on my behalf so I don’t have to think about it?”

I think my biggest blind spot was I kind of assumed mastodon had a core community who understood these issues and was at least attempting to help people. But that’s not how it works. There are those people who feel accountable, but only for their immediate circles. The responsibility and accountability is decentralized just like everything else.

All this being said, I’m left with the same conclusion I already had. Just with more fidelity and a greater understanding of the real issues. A decentralized social web might be what people want/need in the long run. But there is a lot of work still to be done to make it viable and sustainable. And unfortunately there is going to be a lot of pain and harm done as people learn lessons the hard way.

https://social.polotek.net/@polotek/111931949454339116