Chimera
To inanity and beyond
Not meaning to upset the delicate balance of members and admins or tear the rift in the forum any wider--
Wait, that's a terrible way to start, it'll probably happen anyway.
Okay. As many know, the forum got hacked on the 31 of January, and the account being used was Jesin's.
That's as far as our knowledge of the situation goes. Past that, it turns into a he said she said match that no one can win.
Am I biased? Hell yes. Jesin is a very good friend of mine.
Wait, that's a terrible way to start, it'll probably happen anyway.
Okay. As many know, the forum got hacked on the 31 of January, and the account being used was Jesin's.
That's as far as our knowledge of the situation goes. Past that, it turns into a he said she said match that no one can win.
Am I biased? Hell yes. Jesin is a very good friend of mine.
This thread isn't exactly about that. If you want to read the heated discussion on it, http://intpforum.com/showthread.php?t=6107 is waiting for you.
I don't know exactly how to start this, or where it will go, so I'm just going to type what bubbles to the top of my head. Disclaimer: it's very disorganized and...well...whatever, just read it if you want.
The members are what make the forum. The people here behind the avatars. We create bonds with each other as real as any relationships irl, possibly more sincere in some cases. We've gone through rough patches together, we've been there for eachother, we are friends whether you like my description of it or not. And if you don't know the comraderie I'm talking about then you haven't been here long enough, or haven't opened yourself up to the spirit of the forum. But those of you who do know what I'm talking about, I ask you to think of the people you know here...those you look forward to debating with, those people who make you smile with their special brand of humor, those you have a profound respect for. That swell of relief you get when you think "Finally! I'm not the only one!"
I'm not sure about others here, but I'm fiercely loyal to my friends. Yes, I'm going to tie this back to Jesin's case for a second--it's a stalemate right now, and there's still some shock of the actual hacking that's yet to wear off. In my understanding, Jesin has only just sent Ragnar an email about his innocence, and I should probably have waited for the outcome of that exchange before posting this thread.
But clearly I'm not.
Because the friendships of this forum, the ties between the members, are not something to take lightly. This is not your typical forum where if you take away one member, you might piss off one or two more.
No.
The roots of this forum go deep; there are friendships that have laid forum-dormant through weeks, months...we may not show it in posts, but there are people here who have bonded so strongly that we won't forget each other for years, decades, if ever.
"This forum belongs to Ragnar, he can do with it what he wishes."
Technically this is true. He is the overlord here, the...authority. What he says goes.
And that's where my problem begins.
There are several things that happened recently that bother me. I'm seeing a break in the forum, a rift that needs to be addressed right now before it gets worse.
I don't envy the admins for their positions. This forum is made up of people who, for the most part, resent authority. We all have different "lines" that we consider taboo for the admin to cross, and I'm sure the admins have a fun time trying not to step over too many of them to fulfill their duties. In all sincerety, I wish them the best of luck, for now and in the future when something like this happens again.
Claverhouse has stated many times that it is his duty as an admin to dole out justice.
Justice is not black and white. I'm pretty sure there are some threads on it still kicking around. "Is this wrong?" "What is justice?" "What is mercy?"
In a close group of friends, the rules are different than they are to the person you pass by once on the street. Black and white justice does not apply to a close-knit society. It has no place. Is an act of "pure" justice worth the well-being of the whole?
Justice is not black and white. I'm pretty sure there are some threads on it still kicking around. "Is this wrong?" "What is justice?" "What is mercy?"
In a close group of friends, the rules are different than they are to the person you pass by once on the street. Black and white justice does not apply to a close-knit society. It has no place. Is an act of "pure" justice worth the well-being of the whole?
Rip up the bonds of the members, and you tear down the haven.
I don't want to seem like I'm trying to stir up more trouble. But this situation is becoming frightening--when I start questioning the boundaries of the authority, when I see the forum start to split up, I get anxious. Justice hasn't been too much of a problem for us in the past, because our community was bound by our friendship--but as our popularity grows, so does the chance of unfavorable situations arising.
What happens when we, as members, disagree with a subjective case with an admin? Our system of justice here is flawed, and it's taken a hacker to expose it. As I've said, I believe Jesin is innocent, and hopefully the report from the hosts (or whoever it was) will confirm it. But what if it doesn't? What if there is a time when it's word against word, with no hard evidence? If it's someone well-liked, someone known, someone with only subjective evidence to defend them? What then?
Typically, when there are people in power, their word is law.
Have we not learned that a title doesn't make you any smarter than the people you rule over?
Have we not learned that a title doesn't make you any smarter than the people you rule over?
How do we fix this? Can we?
I want to know other opinions on this. On any of it. I want to hear what everyone has to say, in an open discussion. Keep it as clean as possible.
