SKIP TO THE LAST PARAGRAPH IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ THE WHOLE THING, BUT PLEASE READ AT LEAST THAT. I've decided not to quote anyone or call people out directly in this post because I don't want to contribute to any sort of flaming, but rather to talk intelligently about my opinions on several recent posts made my members of the EMC community. Please take the time to read this (I'll try to break it up into easyish pieces, so maybe you can go get a cup of water or a snack or something in between). "[The Empire]'s culture resides in the hearts and souls of its people." -Gandhi I'm ashamed. The Empire is full of intelligent, thoughtful, kind people, and yet some of those who choose to create a name for themselves do so in a negative way. Anger has no place in the Empire. I recently skimmed part of a post (I gave up in disgust after a few sentences) condemning the Empire. The post was full of factual errors, guesses, ignorant assumptions, and more than its fair share of spelling errors. Now, we all know that the Empire isn't perfect. Griefing is a problem, as it always has been and likely always will be. There are trolls on the forums, as well as ignorant players both in-game and on the website. But we are something more. Justin and Jeremy have worked endlessly to create a Minecraft COMMUNITY. What began as a few friends playing a game has turned into, among other things, a welcoming and supportive community, a forum that acts as a springboard for thoughtful discussion (both about Minecraft and about anything in general), and a place for many, many people to socialize. I recently read another thread in which a well-known griefer attempted to apologize for what he'd done. I'm not in any way arguing that the griefer should be unbanned or anything similar, but the venom with which some players seemed to respond was beyond reason. Again, to be clear, I'm not asking anyone to forgive the griefer. But when a person takes the time to write a well-thought-out post apologizing and accepting responsibility, simply accept it or don't. In this particular thread, there were accusations that (among other things) the poster was simply trying to garner attention, positive or negative, from the community. To the accusers: stop and think. By posting aggressive comments in that thread, you helped create the controversy that gave the poster that attention, by constantly updating the thread. If you cannot believe that someone has changed, move on. Staying angry isn't healthy or helpful in any way. So, I suppose what I'm saying is twofold: First, be kind. Do not be so quick to render judgement and do not be too stuck in your beliefs to consider changing situations. And second, stop and think. Whether in Minecraft, online in another place, or in real life, stop and think. Is what you're doing worth it? Is what you're doing helpful, or are you just venting anger? And no, I'm not perfect. I do not claim to be in any way. I am guilty of these things just as much as anyone else. I just want to see the Empire continue to be a good place. The moderators are great people who devote their time to making the community a better place, but they cannot do it alone. Each of us must learn to take a step back and become better people, kinder people, more intelligent people, more thoughtful people, and to look upon ourselves with the same scrutiny with which we look on our enemies.
Thank you very much JabrZer0. I am glad to see that I was not the only individual who was extremely upset by that particular thread. It put me in a sour mood. I closed that thread after editing many of the more angry posts but I left a few in there to allow people a chance to vent but also to expose the dirty underbelly of some members. I appreciate his choice to intelligibly and hopefully sincerely apologize for his previous actions. Even if he is just lying, he didn't come here in a hostile manner. He was civil and presented remorse in his writing. I wish things hadn't gotten out of hand, but that is the issue with allowing anger to fester...
I completely agree with what you've said. I'd like to add that I was in the middle of writing this post to go at the end of that thread when you locked it. I'm glad you did. I think this needed to be a thread in itself, removed from the issues it deals with.
The Golden Rule: Treat others as you would want to be treated I was constantly told this growing up and still try to uphold it to the best of my abilities each and every day. I figured it fits quite well here . Thank you, Jabr, for making this thread.
No, I am serious. I didn't say he should be EMC President for jokes. I meant it. Maybe if we can elect Presidents of EMC on a term basis as in real life democracy, things could possibly turn out better. Think about it. We as a community elect someone for President. They write up bills and documentation passed on to Staff. The Staff review the proposed bills and approve or veto them. It would be great for roleplaying and involving the community more. Of course there will be downfalls. Everything happens with a negative effect aside from the positives. But, honestly, in the long run, a President for EMC is not that bad of an idea. In all fairness, JabrZero has shown his willingness and capabilities to do just that. He is showing thatt he cares about EMC enoug to step up and make a statement. He cares enough to take action. He cares enough to protect the community from itself. That's a damn good Presidential candidate if you ask me.
This is what we have Moderators, Senior Moderators and Administrators for. Suggesting he is qualified for a position on the actual staff would be more sensible. We are not a democracy here in the sense that people seem to believe. We have control over what is or isn't displayed to others. We reserve the right to censor what we deem inappropriate without input from our members. We do this not to rule with an iron fist but instead to keep our community family friendly, social and helpful. When people step outside of the guidelines we have established here, we reserve the right to manipulate things to conform to our standards.
I like the EMC leadership just the way it is, thank you very much Plus, it's a game! I wouldn't want all that extra responsibility. So, while I appreciate the intent, I respectfully decline. ICC and his crew do a great job of running the place as is.
Great post Jaber, also on the topic of EMc preident I love the idea we could ahve like senators from each server and then a president that the senate would report to and then the president to the staff.
Mt Why not just try it? You never know the real outcomes of something unless you try it. Put it on a test run for a month. If it doesn't turn out well that go back to what EMC was before. It wouldn't hurt to try it.
