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Why I’m sitting at home crying on a Saturday afternoon

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Re: Why I’m sitting at home crying on a Saturday afternoon

#61
post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The birth certificate was not the only form of ID that person sent. Facebook outed the past name of a transgender person -- that's never ok, and it's a problem taken very seriously in the transgender community. And yes, if you want, you could say that, well, trans people just shouldn't use Facebook, but given the position Facebook occupies in our society in practice, that's quite a statement. Just as important, in ca…

> Facebook outed the past name of a transgender person -- that's never ok, and it's a problem taken very seriously in the transgender community. Why is that not okay? I mean, if people want to change their names for whatever reason then that's fine, but that doesn't mean that everybody is obliged to pretend that your old name never existed. If I were Hitler, living under an assumed name in Argentina, and somebody out…

Did GP really have to say "the past name of a non-criminal transgender person" to carry their point?

This is a company we're talking about. And the person in question doesn't seem to be a criminal. The name certainly wasn't outed because that person was a criminal.

I'm shocked by the atrocious quality of the comments in this thread. There's plenty to say about real name policies, yet all that people are coming up with are ridiculous strawmen. Disturbing.

Edit: Scratch that last paragraph, I didn't realize most of the nasty comments in the thread are in fact coming from you. You seem like a very unpleasant person to deal with.

Re: Why I’m sitting at home crying on a Saturday afternoon

#62
post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> And then jumped through every possible hoop in order to keep using their website! I don't think you read the entire article. Her goal at this point is to delete her account[1], which she cannot do until she regains control of the account. She's at a stalemate right now. [1] "But now I just want out. I want my account deleted. I want the bullshit, inaccurate pages Facebook creates about me without my consent gone, t…

I tried reading the entire article, I really did. But it kept jumping around and losing focus from one thing to another that she was upset about. Eventually I figured out the answer to the question I came here for. It turns out that the reason the author is sitting at home crying on a Saturday night is because he/she/it is an emotionally unstable wreck who can't deal with life's minor inconveniences and enjoys creati…

Facebook's mistreatment of LGBT folks is a real, documented thing that has existed for many years, and one of their pain points for that group is forcing a person to provide government ID and a "real name", which can then be used to ban the account for "misrepresenting" their sexual orientation as well as expose them to harassment from hate groups. The author is an outspoken advocate for LGBT rights, so I can see where she is coming from with this.

> It turns out that the reason the author is sitting at home crying on a Saturday night is because he/she/it is an emotionally unstable wreck...

"he/she/it", really? The author clearly identifies as female, and you just outed your own bias against the very class of people she is fighting for.

Re: Why I’m sitting at home crying on a Saturday afternoon

#63
post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> And then jumped through every possible hoop in order to keep using their website! I don't think you read the entire article. Her goal at this point is to delete her account[1], which she cannot do until she regains control of the account. She's at a stalemate right now. [1] "But now I just want out. I want my account deleted. I want the bullshit, inaccurate pages Facebook creates about me without my consent gone, t…

I tried reading the entire article, I really did. But it kept jumping around and losing focus from one thing to another that she was upset about. Eventually I figured out the answer to the question I came here for. It turns out that the reason the author is sitting at home crying on a Saturday night is because he/she/it is an emotionally unstable wreck who can't deal with life's minor inconveniences and enjoys creati…

The article's not great, neither is your reply.

Copy-pasting what I said below, it applies to you more than anybody else:

Quick reality check for a moment: for some people, "using facebook" is not a choice. I mean, it is ultimately a choice, just like wearing clean clothes is a choice or paying your rent is a choice. For some people, Facebook is the only channel of communication with some people they don't want to be separated from. For some, it's how they manage their social life, or there is some form of social pressure to use it and they're not in a position to say no easily.

And I'm sure if I don't add this little disclaimer, some pompous jerk will come correct me, tell me everything about how they were pressured to use Facebook but chose not to: Yes, you can do it, everybody can do it, but you're not in a position to tell other people how to live their lives when you are the person who knows the least about their lives. And funny that, THIS is the exact same problem GP quoted.

Facebook has a lot of power and that power is not being used responsibly. Defending that is appalling.

> he/she/it

That's very unnecessary. What's wrong with 'she'?

Re: Why I’m sitting at home crying on a Saturday afternoon

#64
post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The birth certificate was not the only form of ID that person sent. Facebook outed the past name of a transgender person -- that's never ok, and it's a problem taken very seriously in the transgender community. And yes, if you want, you could say that, well, trans people just shouldn't use Facebook, but given the position Facebook occupies in our society in practice, that's quite a statement. Just as important, in ca…

> Facebook outed the past name of a transgender person -- that's never ok, and it's a problem taken very seriously in the transgender community. Why is that not okay? I mean, if people want to change their names for whatever reason then that's fine, but that doesn't mean that everybody is obliged to pretend that your old name never existed. If I were Hitler, living under an assumed name in Argentina, and somebody out…

Really? Trans people are criminals or even Hitler now? Ouch, that's pretty cold.

I have a lot of trans friends. Just hearing someone use their deadname (a common term in the community) can cause serious emotional pain. Having it broadcast to all their Facebook friends would absolutely be traumatic.

Look, if you don't like trans people or you think it's unreasonable to do them the "special favor" of calling them by their actual name, it's a free country and you are just as entitled to that point of view as you are to hold racist views.

I'm pretty sure that Facebook, on the other hand, would not consider it a positive to be widely known as transphobic. So if they are operating in a way that is hostile to trans people, the obvious options are for them to fix it or for trans people and trans allies to keep publicizing it until it completely blows up in Facebook's face. They would be smarter to just try to fix the problem.

Re: Why I’m sitting at home crying on a Saturday afternoon

#65
post #21

She's hardly the model of anti censorship: In July 2008, Blue sought restraining orders against online critics David Burch (aka Ben Burch) and Nina Alter to prohibit them from e-mailing her, editing her Wikipedia page, or writing unkindly about her online. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violet_Blue

That's pretty shitty but how does it relate?

Part of the article was railing against Facebook for censorship.

Re: Why I’m sitting at home crying on a Saturday afternoon

#66

I'm sorry to hear you don't agree with the Facbeook's policies. I agree with most of what you wrote, including the right to privacy. The Facebook is an advertising channel, and they make money by targeting ads. So, it's not surprising they want to know more about you. Solution: Don't use the Facebook.

It hasn't been called "The Facebook" in ten years.

No. It still is. Just look at the comment you responded to.

Re: Why I’m sitting at home crying on a Saturday afternoon

#67
I'm sitting on my couch shaking my head because I fell for the bait and wasted five minutes of my life reading a few paragraphs of attention seeking nonsense.

Know what would help this person with whatever problem that they are having? Getting to the point.

Re: Why I’m sitting at home crying on a Saturday afternoon

#68
post #25

"This is reality. This is not theory. This is not assertions on Hacker News about how you must have something to hide if you want to keep something private. This is not about a man in a position of power and influence, who has industry privilege and respect for his wealth and status, at Google or Facebook saying that anonymity, or multiple online identities, demotes a 'lack of credibility’. We don’t care of you belie…

It's a very odd style of communication - extremely passive aggressive coupled with feigned incredulity.

Has anybody on HN ever brought up Eric Schmidt's quote to do anything other than bash it? Like "hey this guy is a real thought leader, we should listen to him."

Re: Why I’m sitting at home crying on a Saturday afternoon

#69
post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> And then jumped through every possible hoop in order to keep using their website! I don't think you read the entire article. Her goal at this point is to delete her account[1], which she cannot do until she regains control of the account. She's at a stalemate right now. [1] "But now I just want out. I want my account deleted. I want the bullshit, inaccurate pages Facebook creates about me without my consent gone, t…

I tried reading the entire article, I really did. But it kept jumping around and losing focus from one thing to another that she was upset about. Eventually I figured out the answer to the question I came here for. It turns out that the reason the author is sitting at home crying on a Saturday night is because he/she/it is an emotionally unstable wreck who can't deal with life's minor inconveniences and enjoys creati…

I don't lean super social-justicey, and your point has merit, but I downvoted you for the gratuitous "he/she/it" slur. Why be mean for no reason?

Re: Why I’m sitting at home crying on a Saturday afternoon

#70
Whether you sympathize with her plight or think she's ridiculous, one important issue remains for all Facebook users. Even if you quit using Facebook, there's no assurance that Facebook will stop collecting data on you, and there's no assurance that Facebook will purge data pertaining to you from their database and website. In fact, it appears that your absence does nothing to curtail their data collection, nor their fictional representation of you. That is extremely problematic. Ideally ending one's account would end the data collection and the data profile. Failing that, at a minimum, one's personal data should no longer be displayed. Unfortunately Facebook's "security" policy seems indifferent to the real-life well-being and personal security of their current and former users.
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