//Update: Further making the point, I just got called the f-slur by some random scratcher I've never even met. I'm not even gay. And I was in an LGBTQ+ studio, so they had to go out of their way to do something like that. This isn't okay, guys. It has to stop. I've used Scratch on various accounts since I was in second grade. There are so many kind people on here! But lately Scratch has been going downhill. I wake up to homophobic comments. I've had to report at least two dozen offensive comments in the last few months. That is two dozen too many! This isn't supposed to be our job. I may be in high school, but I know that young children use Scratch too! Scratch Team is supposed to keep those children safe on this website, but instead innocent Scratchers get muted. There are arguments, bullying, homophobia, and xenophobia. I've seen accounts with names like @SayNoToGay (who probably got banned) where the only purpose of the account is to be homophobic. People are entitled to their opinions, but a kid's coding website is not the place for this! We have to protect the kids on the website, but the Scratchers I see telling bullies to stop get muted! And I understand avoiding heavy topics, but sometimes rough things happen and we need advice from friends! My grandfather was sick and he couldn't eat or walk or even sleep. It was terrifying and no one knew what was wrong, but I couldn't ask for advice or comfort because it would've been taken down! I understand protecting people, but the Scratch Team is protecting the wrong people sometimes. I understand the need for rules and guidelines, but there are people out there who aren't even trying to follow those guidelines, and the people who do follow them are paying the price for it. The biggest problem on Scratch isn't someone saying they feel depressed or asking someone to stop saying something they find offensive, it's the people going out of there way to make other people feel bad! It's the people bullying other kids off Scratch! It's the people avoiding bans by making alt accounts so they can keep doing these things! If Scratch is going to stay a safe place like it was when I was 7, then something has to change. I want other seven-year-olds to be able to love this place as much as I did when I was just learning about code, but that can't happen if bullying keeps getting ignored. Thanks for reading my entire rant, I guess. Spread the news! Love, favourite, and remix with your message!
Love, favourite, and remix with your message! We need to spread the word. The only way things on Scratch will change is if we make them. But we have to make them happen peacefully, not through bullying and fighting.
