Mastodon instance Queer.af is shutting down because the country that provides the domain is now ruled by the Taliban.

When registering a country code domain, keep in mind where the domain is being registered. A shift in government or geopolitics can have serious consequences.

  • Norgur
    16•5 months ago

    Why would Germany of all places ban a shop selling Che Guevara merch?

    • Alto
      7•5 months ago

      I think the point is politics in a nation can change at any time, and as such you may lose the domain/no longer feel safe supporting that nation. Just because they wouldn’t now doesn’t mean they wouldn’t in the future. (Especially with how well AfD is polling and how much CDU/CSU seem to be starting to cooperate)

      • @[email protected]English
        1•5 months ago

        How are non-ccTLDs, like .com any safer? A fascist like Trump could decide to nationalize managing them at any time

    • @[email protected]English
      -26•5 months ago

      1. Che Guevara’s Ideology: Che Guevara is known for his Marxist and revolutionary ideology. He was a key figure in the Cuban Revolution and is often associated with anti-capitalist and socialist movements.

      2. Germany’s Political System: Post-World War II Germany, particularly West Germany and the reunified Germany, has been a capitalist, democratic nation. East Germany (GDR) was a socialist state, but it no longer exists since Germany’s reunification in 1990. Modern Germany is part of the European Union and is considered a strong advocate of democratic values and a free-market economy.

      So, using a German country code top-level domain (like .de) for a website selling Che Guevara merchandise creates an amusing contrast. It’s the juxtaposition of a domain associated with a country known for its capitalist and democratic principles being used to sell merchandise symbolizing a figure who opposed those very principles. This contrast is what makes the joke humorous and pointed, highlighting the importance of being mindful of the historical and political connotations of country code top-level domains.

      There, I had chat GPT explain it for you.

      Edit, also: “comrade”, Germany. Idk, Google it?

      • @CameronDevEnglish
        28•5 months ago

        Selling Che merch is a pretty solid example of capitalist commercialisation/exploitation.

      • Timwi
        5•5 months ago

        The way you equate capitalism with democracy, and then tacitly imply that Che Guevara must therefore have stood against democracy, is American propaganda.

        • @[email protected]English
          -2•5 months ago

          Che Guevara stood against Imperialism, Colonialism, Capitalism, economic inequality, Oppression/dictatorships, social injustice, racial inequality…

          Y’all can downvote all you want. The joke was apt and the commentary was on point.

          Go read a book.

          The comrade pun on the .de and Russia and Germany being enemies in two world wars, and Russian ideology being more in line with Che than any leader of Germany is the icing on the cake

          Just…go Read a book.

          • Norgur
            3•5 months ago

            Nothing like a foreigner spouting US centrism trying to explain to me how my country, my values and my culture work.

      • Norgur
        3•5 months ago

        That is the most american logic I’ve read all week. Nothing of this makes a sliver of sense to a German. Absolutely none. The whole communism is so evil it has to be banned spiel is absolutely and purely American these days. There is absolutely nothing that qualifies Germany as an example because there is no grounds or will to publicly ban something like this at all. It’s like saying “don’t register a T-Shirt-shop about rivers as me.cong in the US, amirite?” And “comrade” in German would be “Genosse” which is related to the DDR, so…what exactly are you saying?