I'm glad someone there finally said it. If you're a white dude, ERA isn't really
for you. That's not an intrinsically bad thing but I wouldn't feel comfortable being at a never ending meeting conducted by the NAACP for instance. It just says to me that ERA isn't really meant for people like me.
What a
fun place to get together and shoot shit about video games. No wonder such a large portion of their threads are literal suicidal pleas for help.
There's nothing wrong with the golden rule of,
"treat everyone the way you would like to be treated." Life really is that simple. Anyone who is an outright asshole to someone because of their race, gender, or sexual preference alone is a dickweed. Minority voices often go unheard within nerd communities because they're exactly that,
minority voices - meaning: less common. Era wants to serve as a community where those unspoken individuals can stand proudly on a shared pedestal and voice their opinions with a megaphone. That's fine and dandy, in fact - I actually applaud the effort. However, the second you start pulling this, "those who don't fall into specific subcategories are being entitled when they ask for others to better explain their outlooks based on personal experience - BE BETTER" bullcrap you've already lost the battle, and are automatically creating a divergence within your own community where one portion of it is viewed in a superior fashion to the rest. That's the exact mentality which they claim to be so boldly opposed to. What the hell kind of a discussion forum only warrants the opinion on certain topics by specific members, and anyone else who disagrees risks a ban? Even if they're not actually being an asshole? That's not a discussion, and shutting earnest members out in no way benefits your community as a whole.
For someone who admits that they aren't a white dude, this Nepenthe character sure seems to view herself as an expert on white dudes. Imagine trying to tell her that she can't comment on white dudes based upon her race or gender. Her argument is just as silly. She may not have the personal experience, but she's speaking from her own personal observations - and that's entirely okay. I may not develop video games, but I sure as hell run my mouth about the industry constantly. That's what Era, as a whole, is trying to do as well. How dare she have the audacity to label others as acting in bad faith when she trumpets such hypocrisy.
Ultimately, there's a lot of cool people on Era among the crowd of noodle heads. Mods like ColdSun, Morrigan, and Slayven have shown me nothing but kindness and respect - even when I've voiced an opinion dissenting from their own. I'm currently part of three Era Discord servers, and get along with everyone within them swimmingly. Even in the Discords, members often acknowledge just how silly Era is. You can see that by some of the screenshots that leak into this thread. I've loved the GAF community since 2012, and it's a shame that their forum of choice is bogged down with this garbage-tier lack of self-awareness. Current NeoGAF, on the other hand, has truly been a place where I spend all day just laughing at how amusing everyone is, and feel just as accepted here as I do in the few Discord servers I frequent. Such a nice breath of fresh air while WFH, even if I don't agree with everyone's opinions.
You can't produce a healthy community with Nepenthe's logic. I just don't see how.