Solve, create, share and talk about jigsaw puzzles

We took a turn in 2018

“Please, hold still while I stereotype you.”

Oh, I’m very sorry! Please excuse my social radar system. It’s always eager to judge. And, by the way, so is yours.

2:08 a guest 5
"Please hold still while I stereotype you"

You are not defined as a person by an opinion.

Granted, it is a phrase. And phrases come and go without many of them putting their teeth into our minds.

But this one sank its teeth into ours.

Take, for instance, your love for animals, passion for learning, curiosity about history, and enjoyment of kicking back with a good book. Or your need to wind down and reboot on Jigidi.

Neither comes from the opinions you hold in politics, religion, your gender, or your sexuality.

It comes from the perfect sum of cells and circuits that is - you.

But due to how our subconscious social radar system works, we may never find each other. Although I too enjoy many of the same things, and may also hold other qualities that fit your soul like a glove.

This post is about why that is and how we’re aiming to counter it on Jigidi by creating a framed community.

Our social radar system

We humans have a complex social radar system that works around the clock to steer us towards ‘good fits’ for us. It picks up cues from the outer world to find our “in-groups.”

Groups with whom we have something in common.

What our social brain tags as our in- or out-group can seem arbitrary to the observing eye. David Eagleman, a neuroscientist from Stanford University, has demonstrated how merely being told that you now are part of a random group will make you (subconsciously) ‘tag’ input from this group with a higher value than others.

So far, so good.

Seems both effective, safe, and smart that our unconsciousness steers us in directions of (expectedly) likeminded fellow humans. And, en route, makes sure that we glide in via a not too defensive mindset; thus, cutting our desired in-group more slack than our out-groups.

But here’s the thing about our social radar system: It deals in rough measures and is quite taken to stereotypes. And it’s generally not too bothered by the spill percentage when deeming people in or out.

The information our social brains are sifting through will not always be a closely detailed and nuanced profile of each and every individual or situation we encounter. In fact it is much more likely to be a broad-brush shorthand sketch of ‘people like me’ or ‘people like them’. So the information being input into our social satnav may not be wholly accurate and may even be misleading. Welcome to the world of stereotypes and prejudice (Gina Rippon, The Gendered Brain, 2019).

So, is humankind then doomed to miss out on encounters that had the potential to enrich our minds and hearts - all due to rough measures done by our subconsciousness that causes us to stop looking and listening?

Not at all.

But we must work consciously to counter the quick and dirty measures (particularly in online environments).

And to that end, we began a chain of interlinked changes during 2018.

Not all puzzles are created equal (anymore)

At Jigidi, we aim to enable human connectivity across all kinds of borders - with creative and mental stimulation as the engine.

But, by 2018, it had become apparent that our aim required us to take the matter of major divisive topics seriously.

This meant casting aside the principle that all (legal) content was welcome on Jigidi, thus ruling out, for instance, politics, religion, and sexual objectification.

It, also, meant casting aside the notion that filtering was the responsibility of those who found the content offensive.

When we created the new guidelines, we designed them to drive behavior fueled with kindness, creativity, and curiosity. We call it being generously human. And in the process, we paid much attention to the following:

  • Once we come across comments and puzzles that indicate an out-group for us, we instinctively stop looking and listening to that person

  • We deem outputs from that person or group of lesser value to us (thus, offense comes with an even more generous hand)

  • Any judgments concerning the groups we identify with will become characteristics we unknowingly let play a part in how we see ourselves (why, for instance, sexual objectification can be disconcerting)

While ruling out topics can seem like a crude way to go about business, this measure minimizes the number of significant stop-signs that may cause us to deem each other in or out prematurely. With all that this entails.

But isn’t it just part of being a social human being?

Yes, it is.

But when recognizing the human capacity for altruism and compassion, we can all do better in this area.

Once we see that our subconscious social radar system is prone to rough measures, we can pick up where our inner satnav left off - and consciously take it upon ourselves to let curiosity, generosity, and kindness steer our approach. Before ruling each other out right off the bat.

It all comes down to paying attention and caring about each other’s circumstances

In doing that we minimize the risk of missing out on little touches of human magic; like a nudge that tweaks our path for today towards something new and unexpected; or maybe even friendship.

With lots of love,

Jigidi

Comments

Please sign in to comment. Don't have a profile? Join now! Joining is absolutely free and no personal information is required.

mostlycrystals

After reading this, I took a look at when I began to drop away from jigidi. It was around 2016, 2017. I came back sometime around the beginning of the pandemic, I really needed a place to chill and just enjoy. I am so glad I subscribed to help support you. :)

marty4650

Unless you want to pay for a subscription, advertising is necessary for this website to survive. And while some ads might be truly offensive, diverse political views shouldn't be banned. Some people get offended by anything they disagree with. You shouldn't even try to please them. Just operate like a normal business and most sensible people will understand.

It is sexual in your eyes very soon. you measure with 2 sizes.
https://www.jigidi.com/jigsaw-puzzle/T16P9ZPO/andre-adjahoe-tqunk3qB-yU-unsplash
This person may touch the bare belly of a woman while the son who is proud of his fathers strong tube muscles was deleted. Where is the border?
I don't understand!!!

Lyricist

Gailvold, your post touched my heart! Know that you and your dear husband of 47 years are loved and prayed for. The jigidi community must be unique in the world, and you are right, it's all about sharing the beauty.

dhuttonsr

Wish the people who put 300-500 piece puzzles would make them under 200 pieces too.
see many that I would like to do but they are too big for my screen. Really enjoy the ones I do,

I've been contemplating only making puzzles for myself and not posting any for the general public on jigidi, many people have told me they love my puzzles but too many artists object to them being posted on Jigidi. Too many do's and don'ts on this site. I stress too much over what I post. It's ONLY A JIGSAW PUZZLE!!!

gailvold

I love Jigidi & tell everyone I meet what a great site it is. My husband of 47 years recently had a stroke & he loves the abstract & colorful puzzles while I love nature & beauty & it is my way of visiting the world! I love many from Ireland, Scotland & Croatia & European countries. Please keep the beauty coming. We can no longer travel but can continue to see the beauty! Thank you all for making my life easier!

ellengb

I don't get what you're getting at. If nobody minds, I'll just go on posting my kind of puzzles, hope that someone likes them, and enjoy myself. Oh, yes, and hope that I'm not offending anyone. If I should do so, then would someone be so kind as to please let me know? Thank you.

Bluestockings

@PaddyNZ The author of "the quote above" I referred to is Gina Rippon, author of "The Gendered Brain." I was not referring to Mette as "trendy."

See how misunderstandings occur?

Bluestockings

@togocat Today's Jigidi is by no means rife with " sexual objectification, stereotyping, and soft-core porn." Two years ago, maybe. Check your profile page. Is your filter set to No? If so, change it to Yes and your experience will improve. As to someone being banned, the person you miss may have just decided to stop posting. People sometimes do.

Bluestockings

@Plumpossum "Satnav" is short for "satellite navigation." In the quote above I think it means something like our social identification system or sorting system. The author is just trying to sound trendy, resulting in a lack of clarity.

togocat

Mettem, I don't see what you're getting at, at all. Your post says basically "be nice." That's fine but the jigidi I see is rife with sexual objectification, stereotyping, and soft-core porn that I try to ignore. I'm talking about puzzles, not comments. Why you allow that junk while banning someone who was posting innocent historic material, is beyond me.

Mettem, your messages have been nothing short of spiritual reminders of how we all need to be living all of the time. Even though I haven't lived my life in a bubble, I must be naive in not having noticed any ill will in the puzzles, just beauty and often love in many forms. Maybe I just automatically filter without adding judgment. Granted, I don't read the comments. It's too bad that something as benign as jigsaw puzzles can elicit any negative inclinations. In this crazy world, this (of all places) should be a safe forum for our expression and enjoyment.

Plumpossum

Forgive me, but I do not know the meaning of "satnav." Could you please enlighten me?

Bluebonnet

Thanks for the clarification, Mette!

Mette

Thank you so much all for your comments - both on this and the previous posts. We really appreciate hearing back from you!

This post was the most difficult one to write because we risk sounding like we’re moderating in more detail than we are.

The essence of it continues to be: For people to connect, we must stay kind and curious and not write each other off on account quick judgments. We ruled out topics that led to judgments that proved (too) hard to dismiss and had many fighting for their individual beliefs.

@Bluebonnet, you ask if we have new thoughts on how we apply the guidelines, and we do not.

What I’m aiming at in the post - maybe not so successfully - is to pull the curtains on the thoughts behind the new guidelines. We did not really have a platform for that when we made them, but we do now :-)

We wanted to do this because these guidelines do not necessarily entail what one would expect from an online community. And because it is taking matters a bit further than what could be expected, we will continue to point toward the guidelines on occasion, along with our reasoning behind the changes.

MsBHaven

I thank you for the site, and the creative people who make puzzles. I have spent many hours in the short time I have been here just plain "enjoying myself". The variations of puzzles leave me making hard decisions - which one shall I work first. Very grateful for the way an 80-year old woman can spend her house-bound hours.

togocat

A poster whose puzzles I enjoyed very much has apparently been banned from posting. many posts that I personally find far more offensive and irritating are still being allowed. I realize we all have different philosophies but I do not understand the problem you are trying to solve or the solution you are applying. If this is an example of your new policy please go back to the old one. Thanks.

Kevin1

I enjoy the puzzles being provided on Jigidi. Each day I scan the offerings and choose puzzles that attract me. Thank you to all those creative people that provide me with hours of fun. I have found that generally the comments are constructive and do not try to belittle anyone. Thank you for a peaceful place in this frenetic world.

Sydneysider

Great sentiments. I've occasionally wanted to post an adverse comment but second thoughts... no... Jigidi is so excellent.. keep the warm vibes flowering [that was supposed to be flowing but flowering works too.] Love the site as my large number of completed puzzles attests. You have done and are doing great work. I couldn't do without out you... you bring me much joy and happy hours.

The problem is that what we say in type isn't always understood in the manner we meant when we made the comment and I think before we go getting upset over what someone said maybe we should step back and calm down and when calm enough to then come back and ask to have it clarified. This isn't always the most easy thing to do but it will save lot of hurt feelings and folks feeling like they just can't be here anymore because of it. Thanks Jigidi for this site and for trying to make it a really great site to come and puzzle and enjoy each others company!!! :-) :-) Jeri

Bluestockings

Remove
In my working life, I sometimes did not "get" what people were saying to me because they were being polite/careful/subtle. Please forgive me if it's just me being obtuse, but is this post intended as a reminder of what has been discussed before, because those guidelines are not being observed? (If so, could you give us an example?) Or does it introduce some new change, if not in the guidelines, in Jigidi admin's thinking on the subject or criteria for "policing" comments?

Trouble_and_Frog

I applauded your decision at the time and congratulate you taking the brave step to make it. Very early on in my "Jigidi life" I asked my "followers" not to comment on those subjects on my pages. Comments can be become discussions and discussions often lead to arguments which can escalate and spoil the enjoyment of the Jigidi experience.