Posted on 06/26/2019 6:14:51 AM PDT by Kaslin
Fun fact: I've been crocheting since I was 10, when my Tita Lisa taught me the magic of granny squares. Fellow yarn nerds will understand the heavenly bliss of spending hours at Hobby Lobby or Walmart immersed in a sea of alpaca, mohair, angora, super bulky and super saver skeins for blankets, baby clothes, hats, headbands, scarves, bookmarks and potholders. (Yes, I've made them all!) I passed on the tradition to my artsy teenage daughter; teaming up on a Christmas afghan for my dad last year was one of my favorite ever projects.
Are you surprised? You shouldn't be. Creativity and crafting transcend political ideology -- or so you might think.
This week, Ravelry.com, one of the internet's most popular gathering sites for crocheters and with a reported 8.5 million users, publicly smeared and ejected conservative members who support President Donald Trump -- all in the name of protecting their preciously "inclusive" safe space. Excluding to include. Welcome to opposite world. On Sunday (there's no rest for vengeful social justice warriors), Ravelry's founders announced:
"We are banning support of Donald Trump and his administration on Ravelry. This includes support in the form of forum posts, projects, patterns, profiles, and all other content."
The progressive operators at Ravelry declared that every right-winger on the fiber arts forum who supports our commander in chief is really just a KKK domestic terrorist wielding sharp needles instead of flaming crosses and nooses. It doesn't matter whether you support the White House because you are pro-borders, pro-life, pro-entrepreneur, pro-limited government, anti-collectivist or anti-socialist.
"We cannot provide a space that is inclusive of all and also allow support for open white supremacy," Ravelry management declared.
In case you weren't clear on Ravelry equating all Trump support with virulent racism, the defamers decried: "Support of the Trump administration is undeniably support for white supremacy."
So watch out, America. Knitted MAGA beanies are the new MAGA baseball caps of hate. "TRUMP 2020" tea cosies are the new white hoods. Red, white and blue twisted cable ear warmers are subversive tools of racist oppression.
But here's the thing I know from being in contact with conservative knitters and crocheters over the past decade: Ravelry's ideological bigotry is not just about Trump. They simply cannot countenance anyone in their community who disagrees with them on any political matter. During the 2008 presidential election season and into 2009, I heard from Republican hobbyists whose lively discussion boards were shutdown on Ravelry.
Janna S. wrote to warn that "while this may not be making waves in the headlines, there is an upswing in conservative censorship that has hit cyberspace." A group on Ravelry called "The Bunker," which had more than 200 members who discussed GOP politics and knitting patterns, was singled out and shut down after liberal, pro-Obama members complained about its presence. Ravelry accused the conservative crafters of a "culture of anger and "us versus them" stance.
One of the Bunker's active members, Melissa, reported to me that Ravelry co-founder Casey Forbes had replied to right-leaning users asking how peacefully expressing their opinions violated their terms of service by "making excuses for the fact that he just doesn't like conservative people on his website. ... Many of our members are mothers or grandmothers and are completely harmless. We've all been discriminated against because we think and believe differently."
Meanwhile, rabid leftists who promoted misogynist sweaters slamming Sarah Palin as "c---y" went unpunished. A forum titled "What Would You Do To Sarah Palin" inviting liberal members to post physical threats was allowed to thrive. "The problem here is not that the site owners decided that they didn't want an active, vocal conservative group on their site. That is certainly their right as site owners," Melissa noted. "The issue is the double standard and the denigration of the reputations of all members of The Bunker and the injury and/or destruction of some members' businesses. The far-left is not only tolerated on Ravelry, they are nurtured and encouraged. Their bad behavior goes unchallenged."
This was more than 10 years ago, mind you, long before the latest wave of suppression, shadow-banning, algorithm-rigging, de-platformings, and defamation of right-minded people by Twitter, Facebook and Google/YouTube.
The speech-squelching imperative of the far left is a thread that traces back to the 1960s, when radical philosopher Herbert Marcuse popularized the "repressive tolerance" theory of modern progressives. "Liberating tolerance would mean intolerance against movements from the right and toleration of movements from the left," Marcuse taught. "Certain things cannot be said, certain ideas cannot be expressed, certain policies cannot be proposed."
In advance of the 2020 election, no space in the internet square is safe from "inclusive" exclusion. Silicon Valley's overlords, like Ravelry's petty tyrants, have no interest in promoting diversity, discussion and community. They are bent on decimating debate and dissent while wrapped in thick, woolly blankets of hypocrisy and sanctimony.
My 78 year old mother is a life long sewer/knitter/crafts person. We were talking about recent events, or trying to, she has some onset of dementia, when I told her about the recent knitting site issue.
She looked at me as if confused, then said “knitwits”.
I struggle with her dementia, but that literally brought a tear to my eye and a smile, to see that spark still there. The Mom I’ve always known.
______________________
Marcuse's "Critical Thinking" has always been on life support.
None the less, it has done immense harm.
“In advance of the 2020 election, no space in the internet square is safe from “inclusive” exclusion.”
Losing the 2016 election that they were supposed to win made libs crazy. Losing the coup that was the Mueller investigation turned them rabid. On track (in my opinion) to lose the 2020 is making them so absurd it’s like watching Monty Python.
There will never be enough popcorn for this.
When the talkies (talk shows) pound away with “hate Trump” placing emphasis on personality which unfortunately is becoming tiresome they miss the real reason which is removing the corruption he is attempting to remove and reform which rips apart the little fiefdoms they have created that as a major businessman he’s experienced.
Every Democrat is a violent totalitarian thug.
This really is Clown World.
Honk honk.
I think the problem goes back a few more decades to “Critical Theory”.
I’m a life long knitter/crocheter/weaver/quilter/you name it person and I’ve had an account on Ravelry for years, though I rarely have to visit the site.
I was going to purchase a pattern from another member for a sweeter and romper for my newer granddaughter arriving at the end of the summer, but I’m afraid that now I will tell the member selling this pattern that they have lost a sale due to Ravelry’s censorship.
Then I’m deleting my account.
Good for you. I think it is important to tell them WHY you will not purchase there.
Thanks
The site is not just about knitting. The folks on the antique spinning wheels group collaborated and created the defining research on spinning wheels in this country and in Canada, for instance. The backstrap weaving site is also a tremendous resource - created by contributors. There are forums for people who love Outander and even a Conservative forum (or was). Ravelry was built on the work of people like me and my friends as well as those who are not Trump fans. When Ravelry was all about pink hats we just rolled our eyes and went on with our lives and contributions to the site. But now we are welcome as long as we keep our opinions on politics to ourselves. Way to screw those who made you great, Ravelry!
The site is not just about knitting. The folks on the antique spinning wheels group collaborated and created the defining research on spinning wheels in this country and in Canada, for instance. The backstrap weaving site is also a tremendous resource - created by contributors. There are forums for people who love Outander and even a Conservative forum (or was). Ravelry was built on the work of people like me and my friends as well as those who are not Trump fans. When Ravelry was all about pink hats we just rolled our eyes and went on with our lives and contributions to the site. But now we are welcome as long as we keep our opinions on politics to ourselves. Way to screw those who made you great, Ravelry!
The site is not just about knitting. The folks on the antique spinning wheels group collaborated and created the defining research on spinning wheels in this country and in Canada, for instance. The backstrap weaving site is also a tremendous resource - created by contributors. There are forums for people who love Outander and even a Conservative forum (or was). Ravelry was built on the work of people like me and my friends as well as those who are not Trump fans. When Ravelry was all about pink hats we just rolled our eyes and went on with our lives and contributions to the site. But now we are welcome as long as we keep our opinions on politics to ourselves. Way to screw those who made you great, Ravelry!
I contacted all the independent designers I do business with and informed them I will no longer purchase from their Ravelry stores asking instead if their were other places to purchase from them. I then deleted my account on Ravelry. Sad state of affairs when one can’t even knit without being accused of white supremacy!!!! The Left in this country are the most hate filled, intolerant, angry people out there. And our President sure knows how to get under their thin skins.
I was never really good at crocheting, but crocheted some pot holders that turned out well. I taught myself how to cut out a pattern and sew with a sewing machine after my husband bought me a Singer Machine.
Now I can't do none of those things anymore
I am not a knitter, but I quilt.
My biggest demand is for baby quilts which rely upon the proliferation of...you guessed it...BABIES!
I am thinking that knitting and crochet forums have lots of BABY projects as well.
Booties, bonnets, little warm hats for newborns, afghans, baby blankets, onesies, sweaters, baby carriers, diaper bags, etc.
It is illogical to be a member of a group that adheres to a policy that recommends murdering your customers before they are even born.
I did drag out my sewing machine last week for a special request from son #3. He and his wife are expecting their first child, a girl, at the end of the summer and I had to recover his security blanket which he named "Puffy." Puffy was actually my security blanket that my mother had put a new cover on when my kids were born. Twenty-five year ago I convinced my son to I've up Puffy by telling him when he grew up an his own little boy or girl, I would recover Puffy for his child.
He did not forget my promise and lucky for me he know right were Puffy was stored because I really didn't know where it hd ended up. I believe he might have visited Puffy once or twice over the years.
This was no easy task, because Puffy was in very bad shape as you can. Puffy is the yellow mass sandwich between the new fabric covers.
But my son did love the new and improved Puffy which I made him open at the baby shower this past weekend.
I deleted mine over the weekend.
Saddest part of this is that Ravelry’s TDS is likely to cause a lot of collateral damage to designers and local yarn shops.
Ravelry didn’t have the brains to realize it, or just didn’t give a damn.
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