Our Shared Shelf discussion

I have been reading OSS for some time and i noticed that the discussion here even if it some times heated it mostly stays moderate and civilised. Why do you think it's this way? Can OSS teach us something about safe spaces?

Well, i think if you have a place that is knoen to talk about feminism a lot, then the people who gather there will have some common ground regarding the topic. That makes it different from e.g. Facebook or Twitter, where the crowd is more diverse. So i think it's easier here for moderators to keep the peace. But in the end i think that's what's important, if there are moderators to keep the peace and enforce the netiquette. That makes a place safe for discussion, because whenever there is a risky situation, they will step in and try to solve it.

George wrote: "Michaela wrote: "Well, i think if you have a place that is knoen to talk about feminism a lot, then the people who gather there will have some common ground regarding the topic. That makes it diffe..."

A safe space normally means that you don't have to fear that your opinion is invalidated, that you are being listened to, that you can feel safe when articulating something and not have to fear being attacked. It doesn't mean everyone agrees with you, but that there is a respectful way of interacting with one another... not attacking one another or dismissing and neglecting another one's view. At least that is what a safe space is for me...

OSS is, in many ways like this... why? That is a different question and will need more thought to answer.

MeerderWörter wrote: "George wrote: "Michaela wrote: "Well, i think if you have a place that is knoen to talk about feminism a lot, then the people who gather there will have some common ground regarding the topic. That..."
Thank you for the explanation. I asked about OSS because it seems to me the most stable of such safe spaces that i have encountered. It is because it is inclusive? I don't know. I am not sure, you must be right that more thought is needed.

Michaela wrote: "But in the end i think that's what's important, if there are moderators to keep the peace and enforce the netiquette. That makes a place safe for discussion, because whenever there is a risky situation, they will step in and try to solve it."

Yeah, to me the main thing that makes OSS such a safe space is the strong involvement of the mods and members to keep a healthy atmosphere in debates. Thanks to our vigilantes, you make OSS a great place to be :-)