in reference to this post I made yesterday, heres MY list of questions I ask when asked to engage in a callout:
- do these words actually mean what the callout post is using them to mean?
- have I actually looked at the linked evidence, and do I consider it valid?
- is the impact of a callout going to actually keep my community safe in a way that is worth the harm it will do to the accused?
- how much harm would it do to them?
- has the accused person actually materially harmed another person in my community and are they liable to do it again?
- when did the actions of the accused actually happen? was it recent?
- is this callout based on feelings of disgust or on actual material impact? is it demanding that I also feel disgust?
- who are the victims/harmed parties of the situation? are there real identifiable victims (even if they prefer not to share those identities)?
- were the harmed parties consulted in the making of the callout?
- have there been attempts at reconciliation? does the callout leave room for potential conversation with both the accused and alleged victims?
- are the accusers demanding that I feel guilt for being distanced from the situation? are my emotions being manipulated to pressure me to engage without thinking?
- if i saw the accused's behavior in the wild would I consider making my own entire callout post about it? why? what impact would I want that to have? what alternative responses might I take in that situation?
most critically:
- do I actually give a shit about this?