Mutual_Aid discussion post

Hello users of hexbear:

Due to recent meta posts in our mutual aid community we wanted to open up discussion about the community !mutual_aid@hexbear.net

We will never require explanation or justification from a user asking for aid in the community, and the mod and admin team continue to commit to not featuring an individual's mutual aid request to prevent unfair exposure.

In addition, we will maintain a strict "No critical comments or meta comments" on a mutual aid post.

This post is to discuss the mutual aid community's rule of allowing meta posts: mutual aid as a community, those making posts in it and those commenting on posts.

We are considering removing the exception allowing meta posts but wanted to involve the userbase before committing to a change.

Please comment with any thoughts, feelings, or suggestions regarding this change.

Thank you

224 comments

You know what sucks is that for people complaining about scams or people soliciting for donations for food and then using it for drugs - like, hexbear anonymous donations aren't as substitute for an org in that city or a food bank. We could at best cover a chunk of or entirerty of someone's rent once or, ironically, pay for someone's drugs a few times (why not, I like my own drugs like coffee and cigarettes and shit so why shouldn't someone struggling with cash get them) or maybe help with groceries a couple times. But we could never replace a food bank or a shelter or training programs or whatever, because we're an anonymous forum of mostly hard up for cash leftists.
There's also not a lot of mutual aid in the mutual aid comm - the amount of mutuality depending on someone needing short term financial help and then getting their feet unser later. Theres aid in the mutual aid comm, the amount which notwithstanding, but how can someone asking for food every day actually do the mutual part of mutual aid on an online anonymous forum? There's stuff they could actually do in person where they live but how would we direct that or have anything to do with that? Some of the stories people have also suggest they actually should stop trying to help the people around them and focus on their own survival - like maybe you can't have a roommate living with you in your car cause it's another mouth to feed. Or maybe you need to check in to an inpatient medical program if youre actually risking DKA and hypoglycemic events as often as the posts go up. There was one person who I recall in a, self disclosed, manic episode gave away a lot of their money to an ex or whatever and now couldn't afford rent. Like, whatever the circumstances, you're not in a position to be trying to help other people with money yet and so there's not really a mutual element.
An actual mutual aid network isn't just charity, like we'd ideally be organizing so that some frequent posters would be hooked into real programs that meet their actual needs - except we're anonymous too lol. Like it's a mess.
- An actual mutual aid network isn't just charity, like we'd ideally be organizing so that some frequent posters would be hooked into real programs that meet their actual needs - except we're anonymous too lol. Like it's a mess.
  If this was how the comm worked, I know about hella resources for people experiencing homelessness in Portland, but I've been hesitant to reach out in these posts because it might be "meta" to offer something other than money.
  I've still done so and I'm down to help anyone navigate these systems, but idk if anyone has followed up on any of it.
  
  Same, I have worked in case management for years and am decent at finding resources and navigating them for people but that isn't what's being asked for and I get nervous about coming off rude or something if I throw suggestions out there.
  
  Same. I also do social work and could probably assist in some way and depending on the country/system that can be very concrete stuff, but it isn't money. I do donate here and there as well, but there are posts where I have felt like some advice could also help.
  I do this advice thing for good food banks, right to benefits etc. in my local setting elsewhere and I think it would be pretty hard to implement on an anonymous forum like this with people from all over the world. But we could try.
  
  Maybe we should implement an exception to the rule against meta posting for people who make multiple requests, indicating more of a chronic need than an acute one?
  
  I think providing other resources besides money is a good idea! Just the issue of doxxing people’s locations but could easily be DM’d instead
- This is something that concerns me and could come across as judgemental...
  There's a line between helping and enabling or exacerbating a problem. I'm not here to argue over what aid takes precedence but there's a clear difference between someone who is hungry and someone who is experiencing a medical emergency and the aid part doesn't necessarily always have to be money. Money isn't always the best form of help for every problem and the unofficial vibe in the comm is that it is and it doesn't matter what the people use it for if it helps even for a second. I'm not advocating for judging people's situations but we should be aiming to help in the most effective way possible with our limited resources.

224 comments