There are so many things I want to say and I feel like, no matter what I say, it will not come across to all in the way I’ve intended. Therefore, I ask that you please not jump to conclusions without at least trying to understand my heart.
First, I have tried to keep politics off this blog. I think most of you who know me are aware of where I stand. I am equally disgusted with both of the name brand parties. I am a social and fiscal conservative. I believe in working for what you need/want. I believe in helping those who are less fortunate or who have fallen on hard times but I also believe help for most (NOT ALL) should be temporary and the biggest help we can give most people is to teach them and help them become self sufficient and I believe that starts at a very young age. No, I don’t believe a 6 year old should be self-sufficient but I do believe a 6 year old should be learning that he/she is responsible for their actions and they should be learning that if they don’t work (chores around the house for an allowance), they will not be able to get the finer things of life . . on a 6 year old level. Teaching a work ethic starts at a young age.
I do not believe one should be judged or treated differently because of the color of their skin. And before anyone thinks . . easy for a white girl to say . . Vince is Sicilian and I have seen him treated differently in almost everywhere we’ve lived and even by my own family members. So, while I cannot say I’ve ever felt prejudice directed at me because I am white, I’ve seen it inflicted on someone I love dearly because in the eyes of some, he is not white. Please understand I am NOT saying I understand how a person of color feels when discriminated against in a job, in a housing situation . . in their entire life. I do not understand that at all!
This is a part of Ravelry’s new policy and it can be found on their home page, as well as many other places. There’s more to it than these two lines and if you care to read it, you can easily find it on the internet.
Through the past years, there have been hats and charts for knitted items that say awful things about President Trump. I do not agree with him on every facet of his administration but I would never have said the things about previous presidents that have been said about him on Ravelry and now . . for the owners of Ravelry to declare any support of the President to be “open white supremacy”, my view is that this is simply blocking anyone from posting an opposing view to their own. I do not think this is good for Ravelry or good for anyone. Where does it stop? If there’s an abortion discussion next week, will they block opposing views from their own?
Personally, I think there should be no political discussions on Ravelry or if there are, in forums specifically designed for that topic. I am not going to go into a forum where a discussion of abortion is going on. My opinion is not going to change anyone else’s mind. Their opinion is not going to change my mind. It will simply be a place for an argument and I do not need that in my life.
Most importantly, I agree that those who own and run Ravelry have the absolute right to their opinion, and their rules. This, in my opinion, is not a freedom of speech issue. They own Ravelry as a private business and I was allowed to play in their playground for 11-1/2 years. I loved it. I spent too much time there and I spent too much money – either on patterns or on yarn being promoted there.
Even though, as I stated, I do not feel it’s a legal issue as far as freedom of speech, I personally do not feel free to speak there any more. Even though I have never, nor would I ever discuss political issues there, I will be one who moves on and Ravelry will no longer be a part of my day. I have a ton of patterns in my library and it will probably continue to be how I keep up with my projects but I have removed myself from all the groups and I will no longer purchase patterns through Ravelry.
You may decide that you’ve never knitted before but you love their position and you’re going to learn to knit and be an active member there (though you could probably be an active member there without even owning a knitting needle or crochet hook). That’s fine with me. I have no less respect for you than I did before all this happened.
At first, I thought . . I won’t even mention this on the blog, but because I do feel so strongly about it and because I’ve raved about Ravelry for so long, I felt a bit duty bound to share my thoughts.
I am somewhat hurt. I do feel excluded. I feel like I joined Ravelry thinking it was a great knitting community and now I feel like politics and personal opinion have moved in and it is no longer the place for me.
In the future, when I show my knitting projects, I will not link back to them on Ravelry. If I can find a non-Ravelry link to the designer or another way to link to their patterns, I will do so but I will no longer promote Ravelry in any way.
Lastly, I am turning off comments simply because I do not want my readers arguing with each other and I do not want to play referee. If you care to email me, I’m happy to read anything you have to say . . on either side of this issue. (There’s a contact button at the top. I’m not sure I know how to do an email link here but I’ll try) email me