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I Sing the Forum Electric - A Few Bad Apples


Jeric

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Warning, though the language you will see in this topic is not from staff, it will be explicit and, to some .... disturbing. It has to do with threats made to staff recently. It is a somber note, with a bit of a call to action. I am not going to leave this topic open to discussion and commentary. I do not want to see public discussion of this. I hope that those who will read this will take some time and reflect internally on how they see this community, and how they interact with people on and off this forum. 

 

These were snippets of hidden posts and Discord conversations. I am not disclosing the identity of the individual who said this, either the person's username or their IRL information. I have no interest in doxxing them. The account is banned for obvious reasons. I can't discuss any other action beyond that at present.
 

Spoiler

 

You mother fucker will NEVER be able to subdue me. I answer to know one and I AM MY OWN GOD. you want to make fun of me you want to abuse me expect it back 10 fold!!!!!!!!!!!! You would never shackle me you will never win. I will make sure your lives and the lives of <all staff> on this site are absolute hell for all of eternity if I must.

Fuck mlp and <jeric's> dead wife is a whore that deserves what she got.

We need to go back to the old times when we would brutalize people. 

<Another Admin> deserves death

Kill then before they can me

If I know her irl I'd fir sure brutally rape and kill her

Save her body for later

Worthless pile of sub human garbage

people like her don't deserve life

Or dignity

Or joy. 

Only death coupled with suffering

 

 

From a Discord conversation 

 

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Man, that sort of venom must have been due to something horribly egregious? Right? I mean what person would scream about raping and killing one person on here, and also outing themselves as a necrophiliac to a deceased user and late wife of another admin. Staff wouldn't let them rage on status updates. One is a conservative and the other a EU LGBTQ focused progressive. One feels that we closed the debate pit because we are pandering to the 'snowflakes and liberals' here and the other feels that we MLPF staff is harboring gay hating staffers and that is why Debate closed. While my words will find their typical calm voice ... allow me this .... both of the people above are duplicitous, manipulative, unbalanced, and childish. Both of them once had my respect until they took it upon myself to trash the good name of a friend casting about like gesticulating toddlers who didn't get their fair share of ice-cream. I'm not personally angry or worried about myself. You all know my story. I have been through hell and walked out of it still smiling. There is nothing this world can throw at me that could break me. But, when I see this thrown at someone I have known for six years .... and see the personal grief it has caused .... pound sand.  You don't get to cry to me about how much this site has victimized you when you are part of the above garbage. If this wasn't so serious, it would almost be laughable, especially the complaints that we aren't gay friendly. If you have been on staff here .... you can confirm we bleed rainbow. The pain you caused is far far more palpable than the imagined pain you conjured as your shield and sword to cut my friend down. 

 

Part of this stems from the decision to temporarily close Debate. I'm not going to belabor that issue and the decision to close it, but I'm going to expand a little bit on why this ultimately spilled over. Debate Pit became a festering pile of toxicity. Not because of conservatives, liberals, libertarians. Not because of passive aggressive comments, use of theory based videos, bad debate skills, or smart-ass use of emoji's. It became that way because of a very very small segment of the users who went there. No. It is because of children who tattle about every little offense because their feelings were bruised, or they were being strategically manipulative. Report after report trying to get the staff to aim your nerf gun for you. Only a few people did this. those few people were 99% of the problem. And then there is another issue ... and this is bigger than MLPF. 

 

Users would lose their shit sometimes, yes. We can normally deal with that without bans and warnings. We have for years. From Gamergate, to the Election of 2016, we've seen some pretty significant explosions of emotion. Over time, users start to see patterns in warning's even when they are not there. Humans are pattern oriented. It is how we came to be the dominant species. However sometimes we fall victim to an apophenia-esque judgement. At the same time we expect people to understand us complexly, yet we dismiss the idea of nuance in others. It is simply easier to understand others in simple terms. We see patterns that do not have truth. 


As is normal in online communities, a few users created Discord servers and invited others into the server. This is extremely harmless. We actually changed the rules a while back to allow people to post these servers on here. The benefits to people in creating connections and friendships outweighed the potential for cultivating anger. I still believe that to be true. Every once in a while, a staffer will be mentioned on these servers after a moderation action. That can lead to an effect that starts to add up. Individuals become labeled as proponents of one view or another that would be controversial. Recently one member of staff was targeted as being anti-gay. Homophobic and transphobic. I had several discussions with users of the community, because as an Admin I have to take these situations seriously. I listened. I asked for information. It seemed as if several users were on a crusade. I need to be painfully blunt here, something I think some of you appreciate about me from time to time. 

 

MLPF was, is, and will always be pro LGBTQ+. The Admin staff that include me, @Pathfinder@Bakugou is my Man, @LadyMercury, @Dark Horse, @Troblems are not homophobic or transphobic. While there exists a rather large spectrum of opinions on MLPF staff ... from the newer mods, to the event team, to administration, none of us hold an anti-gay views. I have known Path, Bakugou, and Troblems for over six years. I have known DH and Merc for four years. I would stake my life and soul on this. Accusations of staff being x,y, or z are nothing new. However, when opinions of people are shared to others .... that can take hold. It is repeated over and over again. Comments and actions become Author Miller play material. Such commentary and narratives eventually prime some bad actors. They may be people with an axe to grind, individuals with mental health issues, and people who just love the carnage that this causes. You scream long and loud enough about something and you will give some asshat cornhusker the fuel to show who they really are. A few closed topics, some warnings, and suspensions, led to virtual lectern messages which helped a friend on staff become targeted. 

 

I'm not saying that you should not use private servers and DM's for venting, and no ... no rules are changing. No Administrator is leaving. Just try and remember that that faceless entity you think is out to get you or your group ... it has a face. The Walt Whitman poem that inspired this topic's title reflects on the body and soul being one. It is not a stretch to see the metaphor's application here. People are complex and the truth resists simplicity. Those here who have met me at BronyCon know the person I am. I would never associate with people that cast their lot with hate. I sure as fucking God would not befriend them. I am not fond of internal toxicity. I once made a very public post admonishing the leadership of this forum back in 2016. I am not a stranger to standing up to injustices I see. If someone on staff was actually homophobic, they would not be here long. My Discord is always open. 

 

TL;DR Debate will find its way back on MLPF in time but it will be more exclusive to those that can keep their minds from exploding. Staff does not target LGBT,  liberals, or conservatives. We message, warn, and (rarely) ban rulebreakers. We will treat true threats seriously. Start talking to people, instead of talking about them to potentially dangerous assweasels. To those of you upset that your friends were banned .... if you honestly want to be friends with someone that suggests he can and may find and rape and murder a female staffer here for politely telling him to relax ... please don't ever include me in your friend circle.  Me, personally, I have no idea why anyone would want to give that type of person the time of day. 

 

When I came online the other day to start launching our annual holiday fundraiser ... I never thought I would be writing this. Happy Holidays to me ... indeed. Let's start getting shit back to normal around here.  

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