I've Given Up On Community (the buzzword)
Have I misused that word?
When I think of community, I think of people chipping in, where they can, to keep the main idea of a space going. It's rideshare and mutual aid and dropping off food. It's resolving conflicts in a constructive manner. Multiple. Plural. Collaborative.
That's different from what I ended up building, a "social space." Communities also have a code of conduct, but not a top down "this is what the moderators, admins, or Head Bitch in Charge says and it's the final word." These social spaces also don't have a way for any deep mediation or handle of any serious conflict (the criminal sort that could get legal involved).
The biggest thing has been knowing the limits of such a space. It cannot be its own community, but part of the greater one.
I do wonder if it's just Discourse Brainrot, but, like Magneto, this conversation/discourse/any-excuse-for-infighting brought up some pretty good points. And as I've watched a local thing buck under and implode from the weight of capital-C Community expectations... I've been wondering what that word even means to me.
What I have are my
- families, chosen and blood
- peers / acquaintances
- friends and friend-circles
- orgs, groups, meetups, etc. that I partake in when I can
My knee-jerk thought was, I don't have community. But maybe, what I have up there– that is community, actually.
(And I noticed that I didn't include "hobby groups." Time and again I'd assume they're community too, only to be disappointed.)
Inside Me Are Two Groups
I do feel a little fractured– until I remember that it's a greater part of a whole. It's a part of a community. These groups are one of many.
OFV
For Our Favorite Void, I have caught myself calling it a community– and I feel okay with that. It's a lot more manageable being an online one, too. Due to it being a webring it's a passive low-stakes one. It's deliberately "slower" with a classic forum structure (with a code of conduct).
QCB
In contrast, Queer City Blackfolx (QCB), I'm real reluctant to call it a community, opting for "social space." Community implies a lot, and the implication is too much to have on just one pair of shoulders (mine). It also does a disservice to anyone that joins up, because there's none of the... perks? of such.
There is more at stake, though, catering to a specific marginalized group (with emphasis on the marginalized in the marginalized group). It's why I'm so anal about the semantics. I gotta tell y'all how it is, and all I'm capable of, and what to expect. But we're not at capital-c Community. Probably, not yet.
I Wonder...
...if I am over-correcting.
I am learning how to do this, because– at least in the case of QCB– I saw a lack, and decided to step up. (The why and how are on the About page, so I won't rehash that here.) But when in doubt, I lean to blunt honesty.
Everything else can follow that.
