There's a seeming conflict between
-it's important to speak out against bigotry and intolerance
AND
-bigots are not going to change when they are confronted with their bigotry

This conflict goes away once you stop giving a fuck about saving the soul of bigots #thread 1/

I don't particularly care whether I'm excluding Reddit trolls from my community. I've given up trying to persuade people without empathy that they need to care about others. 2/

Debates like that are exhausting and pointless. I prefer not to subject myself to that.

Conversely, speaking out against bigotry is really important. You are not doing it for the benefit of the person being hateful, but for the people experiencing hate. 3/

By voicing dissent against bigotry as a group, we are hopefully establishing the community as a welcome place for people to be. I want people to feel welcome, don't you?

That being said, if people still don't feel welcome, that's my fault, not theirs. 4/

I, as a white woman who has never experienced genuine racism in my life as the target, am not allowed to say whether what I'm doing is "enough." It's very likely that it isn't, and I'm not upset that people think it isn't. I'm just here to keep trying. 5/

It's important to actively exclude bigots from the community, call out their bullshit, refuse to consume their content, do not include them in community events. They can not be allowed to benefit from a community that they are actively making worse. 6/

Additionally, it's important that other potential allies see me being anti-racist, because that's how they get the idea to speak out about it themselves.

I care less but I am glad if it is preventing people from being outwardly racist because they see the consequences. 7/

I hope this makes it clear that active involvement in making the community a welcoming place is necessary. I hope this helps you prioritize your energy. 8/

I'd much rather make my community welcoming for traditionally marginalized people than spend my time trying to reform the people who are hurting them. They don't deserve my time and energy. /End