an example for consideration; cw for sex and violence mention
@DashEquals@linuxrocks.online for example: would i be an asshole if i blocked somebody who...
-sent me an unsolicited dick pic
-commented on every status telling me about his desire to rape me in graphic detail
-kept his comments escalating into violence after an implied rejection, heading towards threatening my life?
i don't think it's an asshole move if i draw that boundary. i don't think he needs the last word.
do you?
@DashEquals@linuxrocks.online i could just mute this hypothetical person - but i know he would still be fixating on me.
and at that point, if all i have is a mute, i have to weigh the harassment versus him knowing more information about me, and him feeding his fixation on me.
it's much less effective - he's still there not changing his habits any, and focused entirely on me.
my only real choice is to close down my account and start fresh and *hope* that *he doesn't find me again*.
@DashEquals@linuxrocks.online it means they have one tool available to them right now.
instead of saying "you're an asshole if you try to protect yourself", you should shift out of the victim-blaming mindset and on to "hey, we need to give people tools that actually do what they think it does, so they can draw reasonable boundaries and enforce them". because that's an actually good point! and it has nothing to do with how anyone using blocks right now is a dick.
@DashEquals@linuxrocks.online minorities online have to play this game with great frequency.
in the absence of a block, the other only common option for drawing a firm boundary of not wanting someone to see our content is to just leave.
i think forcing people to give up their accounts if they aren't okay with harassers accessing their content is a bit more of a dick move.
you bring up a good point about how blocks need to be strengthened. but it does not mean someone using blocks is a dick.