reddit's blackpeopletwitter country club hits the ny times

October 9, 2019 11:14 AM

"Discussing Blackness on Reddit? Photograph Your Forearm First" [nytimes]. The original r/blackpeopletwitter post discussing the policy
posted by internet fraud detective squad, station number 9 (11 comments total)

I think you have a link error - drop the right one in the thread and I can update the post.
posted by LobsterMitten at 11:20 AM on October 9, 2019

Here's the link to the post that I pulled from the NYT article.
posted by tobascodagama at 11:29 AM on October 9, 2019

Mod note: Ok, I've tentatively subbed that one in, but internet fraud detective squad, station number 9, let me know if you intended a different link for the subreddit post.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 11:33 AM on October 9, 2019

I predict that this NYT article will raise some very serious concerns about what if white people did that and doesn't this just show that both sides are intolerant.

...OK, reading TFA now.

...I could not have been more wrong! I'm pleasantly surprised. But still in disbelief that they thought it was a good idea to have a comment section on this article.
posted by J.K. Seazer at 11:49 AM on October 9, 2019 [1 favorite]

I feel like people reading this article who aren’t familiar with Reddit (for instance in the NYT comments) have a fundamental misunderstanding of how it works. Not being black/not being verified as black or an ally doesn’t mean you can’t post. It means that once a thread attracts a certain critical mass of the types of comments that would’ve had it locked in the past, it becomes a Country Club thread instead and the ability to post comments that people can see is limited to verified users. I’m unverified because I have mixed feelings about taking that step and it’s been only a minor inconvenience since April 1st.
posted by Selena777 at 11:52 AM on October 9, 2019 [14 favorites]

Mod note: Subbed that one in.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 11:57 AM on October 9, 2019 [1 favorite]

PR firm vetting new GOP candidate: Question 455, have you ever worn blackface?

Well, not blackface.
posted by BrotherCaine at 12:05 PM on October 9, 2019 [12 favorites]

This is excellent. I last visited BPT a few years ago and it was a haven for the sort of white bro that drove Chappelle away from his show. It was gross and racist and full of blackface. Really glad the moderators have taken control and the fragile white backlash is both predictable and hilarrible.
posted by Anonymous at 2:06 PM on October 9, 2019

Seconding schroedinger here; as /r/blackpeopletwitter is the only forum I have ever in my long internet time been banned from--for, I should note, racism against white people--it was a shock to learn that there was a late attempt to ensure the sub can actually serve as a space for, well, black people. I applaud this move (although from afar because, still: Reddit) and its resulting effects on allowing a particularly fun ever-lasting session of the dozens to flourish.
posted by youarenothere at 2:28 PM on October 9, 2019 [7 favorites]

>internet fraud detective squad, station number 9

Eponysterical!
posted by panhopticon at 4:48 PM on October 9, 2019 [1 favorite]

Twitter thread by the author of the story with some more background.
posted by zabuni at 12:56 PM on October 10, 2019 [1 favorite]