Exclusions: Attributes vs. Actions
Due to recent events in the MTG Community (on Twitter and other places online) I wanted to share my views on the matter as simply and straightforward as possible.
If you think it’s OK to exclude people from the community because of their gender: You’re acting like a jerkwad
If you think it’s OK to exclude people from the community because of their race: You’re acting like a jerkwad
If you think it’s OK to exclude people from the community because of their sexuality: You’re acting like a jerkwad
If you think it’s OK to exclude people from the community because of their age, weight, country of origin, religion, economic status, disability, or appearance: You’re acting like a jerkwad
If you think it’s OK to exclude people from the community because they’re acting like a jerkwad: You’re right!!
Wait a minute, that last one seems hypocritical. Isn’t ALL exclusion bad?! Don’t ANY exclusions make someone a jerkwad?!
Nope!
See, the key difference comes down to whether the exclusion is based off of someone’s attributes or actions.
Things like gender, race, age, disability, etc. are examples of personal attributes. Excluding others based off personal attributes is wrong.
On the other hand, excluding people based off their actions is entirely reasonable, and even necessary.
Take cheating for example. Cheating is an action. It’s something people choose to do. When people cheat, it hurts other people, and the game as a whole. Because of this, there’s a long history of excluding known cheaters from the game.
But what if I enjoy acting like a jerkwad? Isn’t it wrong for people to exclude me for doing what I enjoy?
Nope!
I’m sure there are people who enjoy cheating too, but that doesn’t make it a valid way to participate. If the actions you enjoy harm other people, then the community has a moral obligation to hold you responsible for those actions. There need to be consequences, and those consequences may include being excluded from the community.
I feel like this whole post is a pretty big downer. Is there any good news?
Yep!
One of the wonderful things about actions, is that they can easily be changed!! Acting like a jerkwad is a curable condition!
The cure for cheating is incredibly simple: Just follow the rules of the game, and be honest!
Likewise, the cure for being a jerkwad is equally simple: Just have compassion for other people, and use that compassion to drive your words and behavior!
(And if you find you’ve acted like a jerkwad without meaning to, use your compassion to recognize your error, apologize, and try to learn from your mistake to drive future actions. Just keep moving forward and doing your best!!)
Thank You
