Rot in the forum

[AceRagz]

SKi I think you are taking it the wrong way bruh. Marius has expressed negative opinions on the forum before on some of the policies and what not so having a negative opinion expressed is not something he is against in my opinion. I think what he is getting at is the "cancel culture" that is going on with some of the discord discussions and the bitter arguments that have resulted in belittling and name calling. And not the playful name calling you get into with JR that pretty much is understood as a joke.

[vothnthorvaldson]

Yeah I can understand, we focused on different aspects of the message.

I do think forums like that must stay fun, in the sense that in forums with space left for random discussion (ie not only technical/art specific topics), people are posting generally for entertainment, not to feel miserable.

But obviously people should not feel coerced into keeping things fun. Otherwise, it become a part of that larger problem of counterproductive, authoritarian political correctness.

That forum guideline point is not great.. Could be better to encourage civility than fun in my opinion.

But I'm still not sure what was Marius intentions when citing this article.

[skicoak]

bitter arguments that have resulted in belittling and name calling.

Same point really...direct belittling and name calling are obviously infractions that can be flagged and don't require a plea for everyone to be happy or positive.

I could easily be misunderstanding some of their individual comments but the intent comes with all the similar comments from the other threads with the exact same debate. It's part of the same argument telling/asking individuals why they come here if they're not happy.

[AceRagz]

Well I agree with you on that because it is simply not healthy to be happy and positive all the time to the point you have to fake it. I hope and think that is not the complete point of the thread but rather be focused on the destructive behavior that has been going on lately.

[Trevor]

[PabloRomero]

ps2: i just earned the "first emoji" award. Why is that a thing?!

Coz we live in an era of gold stars and participation trophies baby.

I agree. All that reward stuff is stupid.

I just earned first quote with this

[skicoak]

I do think forums like that must stay fun, in the sense that in forums with space left for random discussion (ie not only technical/art specific topics), people are posting generally for entertainment, not to feel miserable.

But obviously people should not feel coerced into keeping things fun. Otherwise, it become a part of that larger problem of counterproductive, authoritarian political correctness.

That forum guideline point is not great.. Could be better to encourage civility than fun in my option.

There's always going to be different viewpoints about how forums are run...that's so understandable from a gathering of humans. I just get my gander up when those viewpoints become the basis for potential sweeping action or eliminating divergent viewpoints.

[skicoak]

but rather be focused on the destructive behavior that has been going on lately.

Not trying to put you directly in the spotlight, but if something meets the guidelines and rules of the forums...and hasn't been flagged by moderators, how "destructive" could it actually be ?

I think some folks are dancing around with language to avoid saying it's just things they don't LIKE.

[skicoak]

All that reward stuff is stupid.

Heeeeyyyyy!

You leave me and my quest to collect badges alone!

[AceRagz]

Not my point Ski. What I am getting at is the calls to flag people over disagreements in the forums or the belittling and name calling that went on such as in the art level thread.

[indagold]

That's exactly why I only try to post in the self promo threads lol

[skicoak]

Didn't the name calling and such get addressed though? By forum rules?

The flag thing has always been a contentious thing for me personally but that's still forum mechanics.

I really would like to know what that qualifies as "destructive" that is active and unresolved on these forums.

[Tanako]

Exactly Same here buddy!

[indagold]

who needs drama when you can show your cool art

[therealbereth]

I'm not sure whether or not I can contribute a lot to this discussion, since I've been only active here since... what was it, May? I also feel like I might fit the description of, uh, instigator of unrest to a degree because if I see viewpoints that are in fact not just viewpoints but something that could actively harm real people (outside of the forum, where we live with our inherent biases and such), I can't just let them stand. I tend to run against walls sometimes, too, before I retreat when I realize that it's pointless, but I don't know if that's what you included in your observations @mariusthered.

As others have said, this is a very tame forum, compared to other communities. Maybe it's me getting older (29... lol, not really old), but I used to be much more paranoid in other communities when I discussed something of importance (laws, social equity etc.) because it got not only heated, but aggressive. I can opt out of discussions here, still with a rest of paranoia, but I guess that is really more a me-problem than people really... noticing me? I mean, who isn't outspoken here and tries to stand for what they think is right? That's where all discussion comes from, doesn't it?

The Discord thing does surprise me, though. Is it a bigger group or are those isolated incidents? I didn't really feel like there was "unrest" or "rot" here in the forums, though, apart from the usual disagreements people have when topics get a bit more serious. Getting frustrated and storming out of the room just sounds human to me. xD But maybe I don't get the full picture because of my relatively short activity here?

What do you folks define as "unrest" and "rot"? I'm not sure we're all on the same page here.

[Tanako]

it might be a good idea for our “community leaders”
( @ratique, @CyndiFoster,@Kaykedrawsthings @UzukiCheverie .)

to wear cloaks of invisibility (other names) and visit these discord servers to see for themselves the back stabbing going on.

I totally disagree with this, why would they leave Tapas to go spying on people talking trash and disrespecting people? as long as it isn't done here in in Tapas it is not their job to spy on people who choose to be childish. I don't agree with these people speaking Ill of others however, they are entitled to their opinion and thoughts no matter how they choose to share it.

The Mods here in Tapas are only obligated to Tapas alone and no other forum. they get paid to keep tabs on the community not some other forums so asking that of them isn't fair.

Honestly, i do not like a hostile environment and personally, I think Tapas is a pretty decent place to be. and this will be my advice to you, i wont go into detail, but maybe overlooking those people might be a better way to handle them. I personally take my own advice and this is why i have not gotten any altercations with anyone in any forum.
most times ignoring this is best as long as they aren't cyber bullying anyone and if they are, they should be dealt with.

[AceRagz]

I thought I was being pretty direct about my stance with the cancel culture thing (false flagging) and the belittling and name calling. This is what I see as destructive and it keeps happening over and over. The mods are doing what they can and I'm not complaining about the mods whatsoever in this I'm just stating what I feel is a reoccurring problem. And I don't think these are just simply things that can be waved away as things I don't like.

[skicoak]

Okay...I think I follow you now.

You're talking about the pattern of belittling/name calling as being destructive and reoccurring. But you accept the mods are addressing as best they can.

When I'm talking about something different...about behaviors or things that remain on the site untouched or addressed.

[AceRagz]

Exactly. I honestly don't care if someone is negative on here about a subject or even themselves like some often self deprecate because I've been there too and I have those days when I have nothing positive to say. I don't see this as destructive for the forum because they are just being themselves. It's when things cross the line I get upset over. I'm fine with debating and different views being expressed on here since some of these debates changed my opinion on some things.

[AceRagz]

I also think if the mods start spying this will cause trust issues. Who really wants to be spied on?