Hipcamp is known as "The AirBNB of camping" as it provides a useful platform to connect campers with hosts offering private campsites for rent. Their new "Inclusion policy" has some strange and disturbing details and requirements, which aren't disclosed in the prominently displayed paragraph and "I agree" button. Users might be shocked to discover that they agreed to be automatically considered at least partially guilty of discrimination if accused whether they were aware of it or not, and that symbols like Pepe the Frog and the 80s McDonald's Mac Tonight moon man are considered "hate symbols" on the same level as swastikas and burning crosses according to the reference list they chose.

Inclusiveness is a noble goal, but the policy as written is so draconian and the list of "hate symbols" so strange that it can't be dismissed as naive optimism gone wrong. My personal suspicion is less of a "get woke, go broke" scenario hatched from within the company, and more a recruitment by the ADL which publishes the list of hate symbols, for the advancement of their non-reciprocal ends, whatever those may be, at the risk of Hipcamp's reputation and commercial success or failure.

Insults and vulgar language in business discourse are already prohibited on the Hipcamp platform, but they have decided to elevate a curious list of words to "discriminatory" status: including but not limited to “the n-word,” “thug,” “whore,” “libtard,” “f*g,” “junkie,” “slut,” and “tweaker.” Some of these things are not like the others.

The master list Hipcamp refers to for determining what is a secret or hidden hate symbol is maintained by the Anti-Defamation League. Their list of hate slogans includes, "It's OK to be white", "Love your race", and "White lives matter." Their list of hate symbols features nazi flags, nooses, and Zyklon-B, but also includes anti-Antifa, the McDonald's Moon Man, the OK hand gesture, and Pepe the Frog.

The list of references for Hipcamp members begins with Everyday Feminism, “Intent vs. Impact: Why Your Intentions Don’t Really Matter” It's not even slightly surprising to find intersectional feminism at the root of a system that presumes entire classes of people guilty of oppression. This is the basis for the Duluth Model which led to decades of default behavior of police departments nationwide to be "When responding to a domestic disturbance, always assume the woman is the victim and arrest the man" for decades. The kangaroo courts under Title IX in colleges that have railroaded innocent men accused of sex crimes also share the same ideological basis. These policies fly in the face of one of the most basic and cherished concepts in the American justice system, that an accused person is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

I'm going to just show the whole inclusiveness accusation and disciplinary process verbatim and let it speak for itself. Anyone who's ever worked in a public facing job, particularly under spineless managers, knows exactly how giving any and all complainers full attention and perks will be massively abused. They also know the exasperation of being lectured over a complaint that all parties know is B.S. then sternly reminded to do better in the future immediately after having been proven to have done nothing wrong in the present.

• First, we debrief with the reporting person to fully understand the situation and assign a point of contact to manage the investigation. This point of contact will be available throughout this process.

• We then investigate the reported person in line with our internal processes. A call with them is scheduled so we can ask follow-up questions to ensure we fully understand their perspective. We then share the impact that their behavior or words had on the person who raised this concern, regardless of what the intent may have been. We listen and discern whether the reported party understands and reflects on their impact and whether they are committed to doing better in the future. We direct them to additional resources so they can learn from this experience as needed (see below).

• Measuring against Hipcamp’s core values, our inclusion policy, and Hipcampers’ review of the Host’s inclusivity (when applicable), we determine if the Host or Hipcamper’s behavior, language, or actions violate our agreement to foster a hate-free environment. Alongside the severity of the situation, we consider the reported person’s understanding of the impact of their actions and their commitment to doing better in the future. We then provide clear, actionable feedback about how to meet our expectations for a hate-free environment; temporarily suspend them from participating on Hipcamp; or permanently remove them from Hipcamp.

Hipcamp's new Inclusion Policy includes a LOT of unnecessary baggage. If you're a Hipcamp user, instead of agreeing to the policy, try asking Support for an explanation of the parts you have questions about. All I got was a bland paragraph of canned corporate speak that answered none of the questions raised.

Sources:

Hipcamp's inclusion policy https://support.hipcamp.com/hc/en-us/articles/360049636632-Hipcamp-s-Inclusion-Policy-A-Commitment-to-Building-Resilient-Communities-

ADL's list of hate symbols https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cMSggfndAEbYF_fhzPgjvA8c-E1qrI_V/view