Welcome! Please introduce yourself

"Could" is distinctly speculative, and given the history of the participants that's not the first time (or likely the last) that they'll be in that argument. I prefer self-regulating systems, if people can't be adults and work toward a solution (doesn't need to be fun/happy) then they don't have to participate.

The goal is equity not equality as far as I'm concerned, but my concerns are driven by neighbor input and consensus (so I'm open to discourse).

Would you be willing to add the requirement to use legal names

If WHO it is that is talking matters more to you than WHAT it is they are saying, your priorities may be a little out of line! There is no easy way to make this an open platform if a requirement for every new member is that they provide proof of identity to moderators. And if your concern is that information could be leaked & used for ill purposes: your proposed method of gate-keeping still won't solve that.

@zx your anonymity is more important to you than knowing your neighbors. There's nothing you can learn from me about "priorities".

"Hi, I'm Kevin. That's my real name, and you can find out an awful lot about me with that information, so sharing it is an act of good faith. You?"
"Hi, thanks for the info. I'm using a fake name and fake info, but I would like my opinion to be heard."
That's not equity.

Hmm, I feel very often that middle-aged white "entrepreneurial" types, especially those in an "alternative" industry like cannabis, throw around the word "equity" without understanding what that really means, i.e. equity is not your opinion of what's fair, it is the institutional analysis of self-defined levels of comfort or accommodations of required effort for an individual to participate (per the Veil of Ignorance model).

That is to say, that you as a privileged person have zero input over what people who have other concerns may do, and the equity part comes from providing a platform where both of you can express your ideas comfortably. Additionally it is definitively based around existing observable trends in power dynamics, so cases like "reverse racism" and other nonsense are demonstrably able to be disproved.

Really though, what's with hang up on the name thing? I thought you people were all about The Marketplace of Ideas™ or whatever.

LOL "you people."

Ah right, sorry * Capitalists. ;)

All right, putting the anonymity thing aside, I'll say this. You've started a new venue and now I've seen you call Benjamin a pedant and me a middle-aged white capitalist. Since the equity part comes from providing a platform where all can express our ideas comfortably, I'm outski. Thanks for trying, I guess.

Aw, that's too bad. I just figured a little ribbing was something you could both handle given the precedent of the Facebook group (that place could get nasty quick).

I appreciate the engagement, and as a member the door is always open, but then again I would encourage all cis-white men to practice "stepping up by stepping back", so being a lurker for a while is perfectly reasonable.

Hi Mark. I hope you stick around and use this platform 😀