NME wrote:Unfortunately Bashar, you weren't around for the old days of Off Topic so you have very little frame of reference. Social policy is the guidelines with which we conduct ourselves in social groups.
Now, in the wake the legal backlash from the lawyers representing Seether and Evanescence towards the org the social policy of this site changed incredibly around mid-to-late 2003. Phade sees one legal threat and shits himself and puts the org on lockdown. Crucial places to unwind were removed from the community and this spread this need to unwind behaviour into other parts of the community. The journal system sprung up in its place and filled some of the void but the journal system was fucking stupid and worthless as a forum: BUT THE THING IS PEOPLE STARTED USING IT AS ONE BECAUSE THEY WANTED A PLACE TO UNWIND THAT WASN'T SO ANAL ABOUT EVERYTHING AND ALLOWED THEM TO SPEAK THEIR MINDS (WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT HUH?)
Summer of 2004 time I had started an IRC channel along with Jace Tsunami and Taberis because we realized there needed to be a place to unwind and let loose if the forums were going to be on lockdown and even more restricted. Unfortunately Jace Tsunami handed the channel over to the org and teenage apathy on my and Taberis' part caused us to defer to the twenty-somethings who were put in charge. We were still ops but the IRC channel soon became locked down in the same ways that the forum had been the year previous.
An aside, Phade has spoken on the AIM room and for quite a while the link to it was removed from the org because "we have no control over what goes on in there." This is a position of fear. Phade is scared and most of you are too.
They're still on lockdown to this day btw and the proof of this is in the fact that the admins will open up General Discussion to us, but surround it with the term "discussion" as if legitimizing it and making it sound less like "off topic" will stop people from using it as a spamming ground or at worst a myriad of other things like GASP! Piracy! or GASP! PORNOGRAPHY! Then they bow to ridiculous peer pressure and block off posts that certain butthurt paying customers don't want others to see. Here's a wacky idea! If you don't want people seeing your picture on the internet DON'T POST YOUR PICTURE ON THE INTERNET.
Whoever complained and got that done has serious issues in taking responsibility for their own actions, when they expect another to come to their rescue purely because they made a decision to do something that they regret. Fucking childish behaviour, I wouldn't be surprised if it was some pussy-whipped male mod doing it for a girl he's got a thing for because he's a straight up led male. Must be one if he wants to work for this ridiculous regime.
The old org was a vibrant place full of creative people, and the imposition of the fearful new rules drove quite a few of them away. I was one of them. I come back and see nothing but old men who are grasping to define something they aren't fluent in. I come back and see circlejerking of proportions larger in girth and length than anything I was ever witness to before my absence. I come back to see a cliquishness I haven't seen since elementary school manifest. I bought into it too, so I'm no better, but I still see there is a problem with the way things are going that poisons this community and prospective new members.
Stop living in fear. Embrace the light of love.
EVOLVE, DAMN YOU, EVOLVE!
I was going to give you a nice long explanation as to why you're wrong, then I realized that you're not worth it, and I'd just be feeding the trolls. Because that's what you are. A big troll.





