Reality Check
I really, really want to clarify something. Trump supporters being shut out of the Ravelry website is FALSE. It is also bad reporting by several news sources.
A quote from Ravelry's new policy: "You can still
participate if you do in fact support the administration, you just can’t talk
about it here."
They made it clear Trump supporters are not banned. It is
the display of support for Trump and his administration that is banned. There
is a very, very huge difference. Nor are they banning support of conservatives or
Republicans.
But because 95% of the news reporting states that people are
being outright banned, it is causing half of this problem, this outrage. I was
shocked by how many respected news outlets were either making things inflammatory
and getting this huge detail wrong - or flat out lying in an even more major way.
Truth is, they did not go off and ban a whole group of people. Though I am not
a Trump supporter, I am really getting sick and tired of both sides stating
that a whole group of people were banned from the website. Misinformation does
NO ONE any good. Especially the people who are negatively impacted by Trump's
support of white supremacy. When did we lose sight of that?
For those that cry foul about Ravelry's policy change
Ravelry is privately owned. They are not a government or publicly
owned website. There are a ton of other similar websites that are available
should you no longer want to have a free account on their website due to their
policy. That is YOUR choice. They do not owe you or I anything. They do not
have to host patterns of Trump's head or similar. That is THEIR right as a
private website.
Last Note
I'm posting the BEST article I have found which explains
this policy change.
Quote from the article - "It is also important to
recognize that textile arts have been intertwined with social issues for
centuries."
For those that state this was true in the past but not
today, I challenge you by asking are you black? Or someone who considers themselves
a member of the LGBTQ community? Because outside of yours and my white privilege,
this is still very much true today. Even if you do not see it in your world.
Therefore, Ravelry's policy change is relevant. And though some people in craft
groups are getting tired about even hearing about Pride month at this point,
knitting does include discussion about social issues at times. Or - at least
the acknowledgement of it.
Please take the time to read this article. Now or later. Sorry
for the long post but I feel everything I stated was worth it.
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