Anyone who is on the internet, whether on social media, a forum, YouTube, or somewhere else, recognizes that it can be a mixed bag of what is experienced. Through the years, some of our best friends have come from the internet. I also think some of the most hurtful statements have come from the internet as well. Yesterday, at the Disneyland Resort, we bumped into friends that we met through the internet decades ago. They were visiting from Florida, and it was like no time had gone by. The reunion was a reminder of the amazing gifts we can receive from the internet.

I have also been observing a disturbing trend of negative comments on our various platforms. I’ve been doing my best to keep up with them and get rid of them. I read just about every comment that is posted on our platforms (sometimes I get help). It amazes me the things that people think are appropriate to post on videos, photos, and posts. For quite some time, I’ve simply been removing the comments and moving forward. However, I also have been feeling the need to speak out about this as well. Today, I’m doing that.

Words Matter

Words matter. What we say impacts the world around us. With the internet, the words we say can impact the world that we don’t even know exists, as people from around the world get fed different content with different algorithms. The words that are said can build people up or tear them down. They can make or break people’s hearts. They can make or break businesses. They can shape people’s perceptions and reality. They can also impact mental health. I’ve observed many of these things firsthand through the years. I’ve experienced many of them as well, and I am thankful that some other life experiences (refereeing soccer being one of them) helped me get a thicker skin. However, that doesn’t make hurtful comments ok.

A Culture of Kindness

Daps Magic is a place to celebrate Disney and positive stuff. We are completely fine with critical thinking, but not cruelty. We think it is fine to disagree, but not to be disagreeable. We are building a culture of kindness. There is no room for mean comments in this culture. This isn’t something that will be debated. The world is a very difficult place already. Since day one of Daps Magic in April of 2004, we have been working to be a safe place on the internet for people to come together as fans. It is great to be passionate about something you enjoy, like Disney, Star Wars, Marvel, etc. What isn’t ok is to hurt someone because of a viewpoint about that fandom.

Moving Forward

As we move forward, know that if a comment (yours or someone else’s) disappears on one of our posts, videos, photos, etc., it is because we are acting in an abundance of caution. We don’t know who will read the comments. We don’t know how they will impact. We do know we want this place to be a place where people are built up, and not beaten down. We know that we want to celebrate the things we love, not attack the things we don’t. We want this to be a positive place where people “Keep Kind.”

At the most basic level, we will be moderating all comments based on the following questions/guidelines:

• Does this comment seem like a critical thought or a cruel statement?
• Does this help build a positive community?
• Is this comment nice?
• Will it hurt someone’s feelings?
• Did the comment build up or tear down?

A Positive Community

I know all of this could come across as very simplistic and basic. I also think that if we can nail this, we can create the most positive community out there, and we can positively impact the world. This is the type of community we want in general. We can’t control the whole world, though. We can create the type of community that we want to be in. This is the type of community that makes people happy, and I hope that as we move forward, it will make even more people happy.

Thank you for reading some thoughts from the heart today. Words matter; let’s make them count.

Mr. Daps