Hello, everyone. You might’ve noticed earlier tonight that the pet that recently won pet spotlight was in bad taste. I’ve deleted that post and will be working with staff on how we are going to handle the pet spotlight win tomorrow due to the fact it’s the middle of the night for most of us on Staff!
We appreciate everyone messaging us on our social media platforms and comments here about how inappropriate this pet win is.
the difference is that the alt-right aren't throwing slurs at people in the Netherlands about mink.
When time has passed and the pandemic is finally under control, then there will be room to calmly point out facts about bats and Asian meat markets. Right now it's only ever brought up in a racist manner, intentionally or otherwise. If it's true that the Netherlands got over their racism quickly, that's great, but it's not the case in a lot of other places, including elsewhere in Europe.
: "So in all of this, maybe we should consider that this is a European view, not an American, which can explain why some things that have been heavily politicized in the US (like mask wearing and 'bat soup eaters') aren't such a big deal in Europe. We did have a short bout of people refusing to go to Chinese restaurants and racism, but that died down in a month or two. The bat soup thing here is just a (false) believed cause of the human-animal transmission." I thought I did with this. I don't think it's racist to state that the transmission came from the wet markets they have in China and their consumption of 'unorthodox' (to Westerners) meat. Just like I wouldn't think it was racist if someone pointed out how the 'Q fever' was caused by keeping goats too tightly packed here in the Netherlands. Or how mad cow disease was cause by feeding cows cows. These things happen and if we pretend they didn't because it's racist to say that, it means we won't learn and change. The backlash against how wet markets function as a festering grounds for inter animal transmission is correct. Just as the backlash against how minxes are being kept here in the Netherlands as a festering grounds for covid mutations is correct. Just because 'a different race' is doing it, that doesn't mean we can't speak out against it.
I admitted it was in poor taste to let it win Pet Spotlight. And I think whoever approved it should be reprimanded. But that's not the user's fault. How can you attack a story you haven't read yourself? Here am I quoting it and adding arguments when you've not read it... I suggest you do that first and form an opinion then.
hehe sleepy taco go zzzzz
*addendum: I have been informed that the pet in question still has its profile up, which unfortunately means there are two covid related pets that are lasirus. Yikes.
Why are people saying the pet story has been edited? It's exactly the same as it was when it was announced for Spotlight.
anyway, thank you for taking care of this so promptly, and thank you to all the people who spoke up!
I think people are really missing the point here.
The story itself was clearly only part of the issue. I didn't get the chance to read it, the profile has already been scrubbed clean. The pet species and TC people have pointed out are what really concern me here. Maybe the story was also peppered with inappropriate details, but it's hard to overlook the underlying racism in the choice of species and items that were in the TC.
i will also add, in response to the post before mine, unless you are affected by these stereotypes you do not get a say in whether they are racist or not. you don't deal with the consequences of it so it's easy to shrug it off, but as i mentioned before these are things that harm real people and create a stigma. it is not fair to invalidate the people who endure not having that privlege. their pain is real, learn and do better
How did you see all those points brought up and not respond to the overtly racist elements people have pointed out?
Honestly, without skimming through this whole comment section, is one of the only people I've seen who has responded appropriately. Pity/sympathy and coddling will not facilitate growth. Please stop making excuses for this person and instead do your best to educate yourselves and others as to why this was in such poor taste(which I feel is an understatement) and has initiated such a strong reaction from so many users.
i didn't read the pet profile earlier when i saw the spotlight post, and like others have said, apologies if the story's been changed since then. i just read it, and i really don't see anything wrong with it at all except for the fact that yeah, most people probably don't want to encounter anything to do with covid on a site like this where they're just trying to have fun. it just seemed like a fairly optimistic retelling of what's happened so far and is still happening, and yes, they do seem to have confused some of the BLM stuff with the covid stuff. maybe there's some racism with the pet choice and that one TC item, maybe not, i don't know. i feel like a lot of people got really worked up over it when they didn't need to, assuming the story is the same as it was when the spotlight post happened.
Wow. The number of people defending this is more than a little uncomfortable.
i understand people may be feeling pity for the person who wrote the story, but let's unpack this for a second. when something is so racially charged you need to step back, be an adult, and own up to your mistakes. this might "just be a pet site" but a very real person wrote this story. these are the stereotypes that affect very real people every day. we should be educating each other on why this is wrong, and how we can do better. it's okay if you don't understand, what's not okay is if you choose to not understand. everyone can learn, everyone can grow. but in this case pity doesn't make us grow, it doesn't allow us to learn from our mistakes. if anything it encourages us to take the same cycle. i sincerely hope that people take what i'm saying to heart, we can do better. this isn't something you approach coming out for blood, but rather with a fierce compassion in understanding what was said and why it's harmful. they shouldn't be attacked, but educated, that way this doesn't happen again.
Okay.. So... I read the story. And if it's been edited in the meantime, I take back everything I'm about to say. But.
People are saying the story claims to say it's over now when it's clearly not. But "At this typing, the season is changing from winter to spring like it always does." is at the beginning of the story. But it does say 'Back in February' and mentions months of time passing. So I can only assume this is supposed to be set in the future, aka, start of spring 2021. And if all goes well with the vaccines, we should be in a much better and more hopeful position by that time. It's not saying we're doing better now, but that we probably will by that time. People are saying the story claims to say covid isn't that bad, like a flu, but 'thought to be just another variant of the flu virus that usually comes around this time of year, was actually found to be more lethal than normal.' Right away saying it's worse than the flu. It goes on to say that unlike the flu, covid can cause serious problems in people who have no underlying conditions. ('But... this new strain wound up afflicting those who were quite healthy.') I also don't see how saying people who die from the flu had underlying conditions is ableist. It's true, isn't it? People are saying the story is anti mask and anti lockdown, which I don't think it is. It's saying that in some places, things got a bit out of hand, which you have to admit is true. In countries like Spain and Italy you needed a signed piece of paper to go outside and here in the Netherlands, people were fined around 400 euros for sitting on a bench with their parents. There were excesses. As shown with 'But this was not the views of leader from all countries, just a very few, and the rest of the world's leaders began talks to ease these troubling issues.' As for riots due to anti covid protests, that did happen. Maybe they were overshadowed in the US due to BLM movements, but here in Europe, we had some pretty serious riots and issues with those protests. And this line 'at a loss to find even the simplest of items, such as soap or tea!' makes me think the person is British. So in all of this, maybe we should consider that this is a European view, not an American, which can explain why some things that have been heavily politicized in the US (like mask wearing and 'bat soup eaters') aren't such a big deal in Europe. We did have a short bout of people refusing to go to Chinese restaurants and racism, but that died down in a month or two. The bat soup thing here is just a (false) believed cause of the human-animal transmission. And, honestly, from a British point of view, it is dying down. They're already vaccinating there. Things are slowly coming around. So I think a lot of the issues with this pet come from looking at things through the wrong glasses. I mean, if this was an American who wrote it, there might be a few more issues, but I don't think it is.
Should this have been pet spotlight? No. It's really not the time and too confronting for people who are still in the thick of it. Is it a horrible anti mask, anti precautions, 'it's just the flu', racist, ableist tirade? I don't think so. As I see this through European eyes, it's actually a little bit wholesome. We are going to get through this.
Please don't send me hatemail for this, I'm just trying to take the sting out of this whole pet issue with my own viewpoint. After reading the whole profile, even with the TC items, all I see is a pet that should not have won Pet Spotlight given the circumstances, but not a horrible person. Feel free to point out any flaws in my reasoning though, politely. I'm always willing to listen to other points of view.
My last post got cut off. I’m genuinely sad for this person. Imagine winning the Spotlight, having the announcement redacted, and then waking up to all this backlash. I’m not saying people shouldn’t voice their feelings, but please have some empathy. I’d be absolutely mortified if I had to apologize for the cringe stories I’ve written.
that isn't the hot take you think it is
Well, some people do eat bat soup, and the virus did start in a certain country. What is racist about stating the facts? Anyway, let us just be happy that a vaccine has been manufactured and hopefully one more disease will be eradicated from humanity.
I hope people aren't harrasing the owner
Ok, defiantly missed the Drama. Can someone comment me with a link to the pet? I get the gest from the comments but I'd like to read it myself and they deleted it from the line-up.
Um, why the witch hunt? I implore people not to send this person any hate over something this petty. Are people really this sensitive? I did think the choice was tacky, but I didn’t think this was enough to pick fights over.
Um, why the witch hunt? I implore people not to send this person any hate over something this petty. Are people really this sensitive? I did think the choice was tacky, but I didn’t think this was enough to pick fights over.
meant the word "their" was spelled incorrectly regardless of its correct usage.
Optimism and hope are fine. I think people are finding the ending trite because the writing is tone deaf and because there are places, like America, where leadership has repeatedly used optimism and hope without actually acting on the current state of COVID19, as if to gaslight people with "everything is fine" when the data tells a different story. This is a highly charged current events issue which will stir up a lot of opinions and emotions in people. It needed better writing and awareness of these issues.
They're pointing out that it was spelled thier instead of their, not that it was the wrong usage c:
I'm not sure if you missed the part where the pet is a lasirus (bat), and the "mystery soup" in the TC... whether the owner of the pet intended it to be racist or not, it definitely is.
Anyway, thank you Amber for removing the news post. Sucks that the pet won in the first place, but I hope we can all learn from this.
Ah okay, I see, my apologizes for being mistaken.
- Oh yeah I totally agree, but was just clearing up the confusion before the rumor mill really started churning on that one.
- not to defend any of this thing, but that IS the correct usage of 'their' Their = belonging to them (Their homes, their elected officials, their risky behavior) They're = They Are (They're taking risks, They're staying home, They're listening to the CDC) There = A location (There is somewhere to sit, There is someone taking risks, There is someone staying home)
While I agree that the story, certain TC items and sections of the pet's story are tone deaf, I do think we need to remember that COVID-19 is not the same everywhere. I am someone who lived through 3 months of extreme lockdown (restricted to 1km of my home, marriages banned, all non-essential stores and businesses shut down, mandatary masks, etc.), and I can confidently say that for my country the sentiment is absolutely, "it's gonna be okay." We haven't had a new COVID-19 case in over three weeks, restrictions are rapidly easing, and the general population has put its hands up in celebration. I am certain that most of us do not know where this user lives. Perhaps they do live in a country where COVID-19 is getting better. Does that make the story less tone deaf? No. But it does remind is that we should not assume we know someone's intention or breadth of global knowledge. If you asked me how bad COVID-19 is in the U.S. or Canada or the U.K. or any country that isn't mine, I couldn't tell you. I have a general idea that yes, things are still very bad in some of these countries (mostly because I have several friends who live in NA), but if I were someone who actively avoided the news, which many people do, I would have no idea.
In short, yes, the pet had distinct tonal problems and came across as tastleless given that COVID-19 is a global pandemic with which many countries are still fighting a terrible battle. But to assume that the user is racist, ableist, etc. without knowing knowing their intention, the context, their history, their home, etc., isn't fair, particularly given that Subeta fosters a community of understanding. In the very least, let us educate instead of vilify before knowing someone's truth.
I'm pretty sure the phrase was never there. It was the implications that were the problem.
There are even typos in the text, not even regarding the disgusting theme. ('Folks were now being ordered by thier country's leading officials to not leave their homes unless strictly necessary.' THIER. Seriously?!) Is nobody proof-reading what pets are sent in?
ALSO I forgot somehow! "Bat soup eaters" is a VERY alt right thing to say and well, a lot of alt right stuff is racist to be honest sigh.
I was reading what people said here but you might be right in that it was not edited. However. I urge you to read what user Marine said down there, please.
They said it much better than I did.
"The combination of the racist details and references, the whole demonizing of social distancing in the story ("people getting aggressive when they weren't at all before" etc), the ableism/"it can kill healthy people too, that's why it's bad!!!" bit... just the overall super hopeful/saccharine tone towards a very serious, awful event that's ongoing, too. All that together is why."
I'm asking that you guys try to understand a little. And what I said aside from the whole they edited thing (guess they did not edit!) stays though.
Intent...
I understand how upsetting it can be; however, I hope people don't lash out at the user. Age, country, education, etc. all affect perspective. The person's account is over 12 years old... I honestly don't think the person wanted to put that at risk.
In my opinion, the issue was more that the person was chosen for spotlight. It's a sensitive subject that can easily rub people the wrong way... add to that references that can be derogatory (I'm sure the person didn't mean it that way, but it can still hurt nonetheless), it wasn't a good idea to choose it.
Did staff mean to offence, definitely not and it was taken down. Keep in mind they're a skeleton crew.
I think the best thing is to take a deep breath and get some sleep. It won't do any good to lash out at the person... I'm sure she's feeling pretty bad already. It's Lumi... a time for forgiveness and to show love to others. 2020 hasn't been what anyone expected and it's been darn tough for many. Let's find the strength to rise above and focus on what's good... because there are times that it feels like there's so little good that it's tough to find but in the darkest moments even a small light can shine brightly, given the opportunity.
it looked edited to me, phrases such as "Bat soup eaters" is not there anymore and it looked like they edited the part of people dying of influenza as it no longer mentions people with disabilities. but I could be wrong. Either way, it was a bad pet (and that's an understatement) and never should have won spotlight.
I saw nothing wrong with it at all. And it was not racist. Just factual.
- I don’t think the user edited the pet page. I saw the whole profile right after it went up and I don’t see anything noticeably different now.
Ive been refraining from saying anything here, but Ive been reading and seen 2 people now say the profile has been edited, can someone tell me what has changed because I dont see anything different than when I looked at it when it was in the pet spotlight news?
Oh ok no worries, I did not realize, but understand now.
Also to add to my last comment, I don't know what the USER of this pet intended. It could just be ignorance but don't say that the original spotlight submission is "fine" because now they know better because it was in really poor taste
Oh wow, that...I am glad it was taken down. Hopefully it will also be able to be removed from being seen on the main page when not signed in as well. /sigh
' "Bat soup eaters" is racist rhetoric used by the alt-right to shame China - it's right here with China Virus. ' What said god I, I just... the fact that some people don't understand they're being racist out of ignorance or just straight up racist baffles me?? Why do you think YOU are right and everyone else different (not your race) is not good??? I swear some people just wanna throw stuff around to hurt other human beings
Also don't forget that this user EDITED the pet to seem innocent lmao please don't forget and say, "it doesn't seem that bad" 😂
No, the government wants you to social distance because it's still at large and very contagious (and causing deaths), they are not taking away your rights
I did, actually. I was referring to previous comments on this thread. Apologies if that wasn't apparent; I've just woken up and am a bit foggy!
I read the story myself and agree that it definitely is not appropriate to be showcased on the site. The tone is off, and the TC items are questionable. That said, I do hope people are not being needlessly cruel to the person in question. After reading it, I do agree that it isn't appropriate. That said, I didn't get the feeling that it was written to be malicious in any way. It's just very tone-deaf and misinformed. The owner isn't a bad person from what I can tell, just made poor judgment. Letting the pet win in the first place was also poor judgment. It happens. I hope that the owner learns from this and that people aren't too harsh.
bro did u read I said covid protests did not reach BLM levels. I didn't say they didn't happen xD
But I'll clarify: covid protests existed, but they weren't cracked down on as bad as blm ones. Extreme responses mentioned in the story also didn't really start to pick up until the BLM protests. Why? Because they wanted to wrangle minorities, not annoyed white people sad they have to wear a mask.
The person literally continued on to say that this effect healthy people as well. So you didn't read the entire story then...
Wow. Yikes.
I was in ICU for 2 weeks on a ventilator in May, and my family were told I probably wouldn't come home. I was fit and healthy, so, really, there's the 'only sick people die' narrative out the window. Didn't expect to log into subeta and see that spotlight win. I feel like this could have been done in a sensitive, informative and educational way - even if it was a more personalized perspective. As it stands, it just felt like it wasn't something that should have been highlighted here at all. Thanks for addressing it. .
I can only speak on the US but there were absolutely many protests regarding masks "violating ones freedom". Also, I didn't see the issues with the influenza comment because they did not make light of that issue either.
If you view subeta's front page without being logged in, it should still be there in the Pet Spotlight spot. Alternatively, the pet's name is Covid19, just edit it into a pet profile URL and you should find it easily.
Also, one of the people here who /did/ read the whole story; while a lot of it isn't really... anything special, it's the whole presentation and the small details that condemn it. The combination of the racist details and references, the whole demonizing of social distancing in the story ("people getting aggressive when they weren't at all before" etc), the ableism/"it can kill healthy people too, that's why it's bad!!!" bit... just the overall super hopeful/saccharine tone towards a very serious, awful event that's ongoing, too. All that together is why. It's tone-deaf at absolute best and distressing at worst, both with the realization that a staff member okay'd it and that it won spotlight and is thus made for everyone to look at.
I would like to read the full story. Is there a link to the pet profile?
So I read the story and it wasn't /as bad/ as I imagined. With the bat choice I Can't blame people for being suspicious with something that blatantly horrible. The influenza part is also terrible.
A part that bothers me is that they seemed to have gotten the BLM protests and covid mixed up? They mention government abuses and protests in this story about covid, when it was people protesting police brutality towards minorities that got the brunt of it. I can't recall any covid protest reaching that level, and lord knows the USA gov just shrugged it's shoulders and 'strongly urged' people to stay in doors for the most part. Local government had to pick up the slack. Maybe they don't live in the US though...?
Regardless, defenitely a tone deaf pet. Would like it gone across the board but I'm not sure if it's reached that level site rules wise.
what in the fuck