Where-in I finally talk about Strikethrough '07.

[logansrogue]

Some might have the idea that I don't take Strikethrough seriously. I have indeed joked about it in other people's journals and been genuinely flabberghasted by the comparisons to Nazi Germany. It's not like that - it's not that serious. In the end, all we lose is a journal. We can move on, start somewhere else. Though I do wish I could download all my entries in one easy step so I have them to look back on when I'm old and decrepit.

BUT - there's always a but! I'm not happy about it. And I think, not just for fandom but for everyone, there's cause for concern because we really have lost our wiggle room. I'm not a fan of rape, incest and paedophilia stories. I don't really know why anyone would really want to read about that sort of thing unless it were written about in a negative light. Loli? All that stuff? Over my head - I don't get it. So when I first read about this fuss, I wasn't all that bothered. Then I heard about all the other journals, like survivor journals and so forth, that got the shaft. And when I heard about the reasons for the mass deletion, I had to wonder why fandom was being targetted at all? It's fictional fluff.

This wasn't done to protect children. It is very clear by what Berkowitz said that this was done to clean up the site for investors. They are choosing how they want it to look to outsiders, and any journal that doesn't fall within their happy little venn diagram of puppies and unicorns gets the strikethrough. Sound alarmist? Don't take my word for it, take Barry's!

"We did a review of our policies related to how we review those sites,those journals, and came up with the fact that we actually did have a number of journals up that we didn't think met our policies and didn't think they were appropriate to have up."

I would really love to know what they consider 'appropriate'. For years there's never been a fuss as to what kind of crazy shit goes on on LJ behind a friends lock. Suddenly there is? With Berkowitz on the road for an IPO? The whole thing makes me leery.

So. There isn't much to do now. LJ have played their hand and all we can do is wait and see if they've actually learnt anything from this righteous fuck-up or if they're still interested in cleaning up shop for investors. I'm not in a panic, I'm not about to start singing pirate songs (I do that for the joy of it), but I'm not totally at ease. I'm keeping an eye on proceedings.

Comments

[asweetdownfall.livejournal.com]

There is LJ Archive if you do want to download your entries..

Hopefully LJ learned from their mistake.

[sparklinblossom.livejournal.com]

The comparisons to Nazis were a bit much, but I am wary as to the fact that with the IPO looming they may damage themselves in the eyes of those who have been faithful to LJ.
I may not read those stories always either, but the fact that it is fictional bothered me, if something should be targeted fandom and fiction is not it.
I was also rather upset that instead of being adult and organized about this and sorting things through, it was just a mass deletion with no warning and no communication for 2-3 days.
If they're going to change, they should at least give the users the courtesy of communicating with them.

[sakurakiss.livejournal.com]

Me too. I'm waiting it out, but I've already made accounts at GreatestJournal and at InsaneJournal just to reserve my username, though it was already taken at GJ. T-T

I'm pissed because the WFI take this as a victory for THEIR cause, when all they really did was give LJ an opportunity to "polish" themselves.

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

WFI thinks Jesus hates gay people. I don't think they're exactly balanced. LOL!

[sakurakiss.livejournal.com]

And horny people! Don't forget the horny people!

[originalnilson.livejournal.com]

I'm so *meh* about this whole thing. I feel sorry for the folks that had their journals suspended without good reason, but I think the reaction has been way over the top. Fandom is a squicky place, there's incest, paedophelia, etc. It's not exactly surprising that LJ aren't so keen to have their organisation represented that way. Not that I'm saying that LJ didn't fudge up.

I'm having a hard time finding sympathy for people who write trash.

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

It's not *what* they wrote, Tiney, it's how they went about dealing with the problem, and the fact that the entire thing is fuelled by greed.

I mean, they sent out letters telling survivors what their journals were suspended for, and up on websites were the deleted journals listed as 'paedophilia', 'incest' and 'rape' journals. Could you imagine how awful that is, having your safe space to talk about your horrible experience on the internet up there for all to see as a place that condones that sort of thing? It's trigger material, that!

And where's their compensation for such an awful thing? A sorry in news and that's it? That's piss. They should give those people permanent accounts. It's only '500' people and there are 13 million journal users. A drop in the ocean.

[originalnilson.livejournal.com]

Did you miss the part where I said I felt sorry for the people who were wronged? I'm just laughing at the idiots that write fucked up shit and complain when lj calls them out on it. Also I said LJ fucked up. So meh!

[originalnilson.livejournal.com]

Though I guess you could take what I said as me siding with LJ, I was pretty vague.

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's hard to communicate in just words. Plus I wasn't sure if what I was concerned about was clear, so I wasn't getting angry or lecturing, I was just going on my 'information overload' tangents I tend to go on when in discussion.

OI. When you coming over? You've been avoiding this house for days! :(

[originalnilson.livejournal.com]

Lol, avoiding? Nice way of putting it. I'm coming over soon. Even though you people are just so darn hard to be around. Lol.

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

I was KIDDING. I know you're not avoiding us - you were all upset on the phone that you couldn't come over on Friday. LOL.

I barely remember that conversation. I was so asleep.

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

I'm not arguing with you, just pointing out why I'm concerned.

What if they decided that writing about Harry and Hermione is 'fucked up shit'? Merely because HP are childrens books? Or having gay hook-up comms? I mean, they're not indicating anything like that at the moment but it's a possibility and I don't like it. It just makes me leery.

Also, something I was talking about with someone on a friend's LJ - that 'fucked up shit' is often a coping mechanism for people who've actually suffered either rape or abuse. It's healthy for them to write out such things in a controlled environment - a place where they have power. I don't dig it but some people do. It's a weird world and I'm not going to make judgements cause I'm sure lots of people would think I'm sick for liking people of the same gender.

[ser523.livejournal.com]

*sings pirate songs with you*

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

YOU are a PIRATE!

[soleta-nf.livejournal.com]

This wasn't done to protect children. It is very clear by what Berkowitz said that this was done to clean up the site for investors.

That's exactly what I talked about here (http://www.greatestjournal.com/users/soleta_nf/572.html). I am disgusted with 6A's action and current refusal to post another (much more substantial and evidential) update - it's been 5 days since they last updated.

I'm friending you, btw. I started reading a bunch of posts on the MJ figurine (I read them before, but tonight I'm reading comments and clicking away at links and such) and I've friended a few of you guys. Feminist, queer positive, gutsy, intelligent and provocative - just what I like in my LJ friends! :)

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

Cool! There's a lot of moaning about my health problems, and just stupid personal stuff, but I do have some more feminist comic artwork that's coming out, and I'm finishing off the first issue to my comic. So there is a few relevant posts! Cheers!