I have nothing against anyone here but after reading all this - I cannot tell you how agitated I got that I really have to say something here.
gabriel20 said:
A great many people on here,have been brilliant in supporting us,behind the scenes. And been understanding about what friendship really is.
Thanks to all of you,for the PM's of support.
I am sorry that some people can not understand what real friendship is.
Anyone and everyone, can now feel free to attack me,call me a liar,slag me off or just plain ignore what I have posted, its a free World,you make your own minds up.
So if someone states facts of how things are seen with regards to this issue on the forum, you deem them as attackers, pretty much tell them that they're wrong and then block them?
Cos that's what you did to me.
TheSkaFish said:
HM, I know that you have strong feelings for ALL, like you said, it has been your second home and I understand how you would feel like someone has vandalized it. And I also know that judging from the congratulatory threads and some other things, that yes, what was going on here did indeed make a pretty bad impression. There wasn't much information on hand to suggest that it was not, in fact, some kind of numbers game. Everything seemed to point to it, and nobody really came forward saying that it wasn't, or offering any other explanation until they were pressed to give one.
But after talking to some of the people involved for a while, it started to become clear that it wasn't a black-and-white issue. In fact, they actually did say a lot of things that seemed as though they were in agreement with what you, and several others, stated you believe is the proper use of rep points. A lot of these things were the kinds of things that I have received reps for myself, such as posts where I tried to be helpful, posts where I shared something I thought was funny, posts where someone was trying to cheer me up or give me some encouragement, and posts for things I shared like songs. I looked at some of the comments that came with the points, and yes, they are repetitive, which again I'd understand could look like a numbers game. But they could still have been given as a token of friendship, a means to cheer someone up when they were sad, a way to make someone feel noticed and not marginalized, that the things they post don't just go in one eye and out the other. All the things that rep points are supposed to be for.
My understanding of this was that this started when someone was thinking of leaving because they were upset and didn't think they had friends here anymore, and this was the way that their friends wanted to show this person that they still did have people that wanted them around.
I don't know. I'm not a mod, I have no power. I'm not telling anyone how to do their job or what to think. All I'm saying is that yes, at first I too thought this was just a game. But hearing the other side of the story made me consider that there was a lot more to it than what it appeared to be.
I know how you feel and I hope this will not cause bad blood between us. But I feel that I have to speak up here, because from talking to both sides, I really do believe that this thing is one huge misunderstanding that is only getting more obscure.
Until they were pressed to give one? Heck, did it require for them to be pressed to do so? At the very least have the decency to explain something they did that caused the ENTIRE forum to be affected by their actions.
EVEN if they felt that everyone else was wrong in thinking whatever way they were thinking, the LEAST they could do is come forward and speak up what the real deal is. Now that's just me saying what the best case scenario could have been before all this got here, into this one big ugly fat mess.
Ska, you said you talked to both sides. Now, I've "heard" from the people involved myself, and for some reason I am finding it a freaking hard time to believe whatever they said because there were various reasons explained that were tossed around one after another that just made the whole thing look from bad to worse. That's how it came across, not what I am assuming or trying to use as an attack on anyone here, like how gabriel thought I was doing towards him and his friends.
The moment I pointed out how this whole issue seemed in the eyes of myself and some of the people here, I was deemed the bad guy, the person who was narrow-minded and unfriendly to be seeing things that way. Instead of discussing about it, they got all defensive. Now how am I to even understand ANYTHING when people get defensive?
The crazy thing is, I did NOT even ask for an explanation, neither did I approach anyone involved or not, with regards to the subject matter. So really, I was pulled in, and then cast out as the big black sheep.
So you think this is a misunderstanding? I think this is a poor cover-up of their actions where various reasons have been brought up to me personally yet neither of them relate to one another.
TheSkaFish said:
My understanding of this was that this started when someone was thinking of leaving because they were upset and didn't think they had friends here anymore, and this was the way that their friends wanted to show this person that they still did have people that wanted them around.
Oh I have to tell you since you're mentioning this out in the open, this is a new one I'm hearing. I'm not sure if you've heard of the
other reasons brought up to my attention on separate occasions.
TheRealCallie said:
TheSkaFish said:
My understanding of this was that this started when someone was thinking of leaving because they were upset and didn't think they had friends here anymore, and this was the way that their friends wanted to show this person that they still did have people that wanted them around.
Do you have ANY idea how many people think about leaving here every day because they feel ignored or invisible or that they don't think they can contribute or any number of reasons? Should we all up and give them 200 reps just so they stay?
Here's the think with that. If something like giving reps will make someone stay, what does that say about them? "Oh, look, 2 people are giving me massive reps, I'm SOOOO popular now, I think I'll stay"?
I have had people tell me they were thinking about leaving more than once, but I didn't rep than even one time. I TALKED to them, I SHOWED them that they could contribute, I SHOWED them that people DID want them around....THAT is what friendship is, not clicking a button and playing a cliquish game. I stand by what I said about the clique, because after all has been said and done, it just shows me all the more that this is, indeed what it is....a clique.
And to comment on a few things Gabe said....
It doesn't always take doing something WRONG to issue an apology. It's not that black and white.
The "rules" aren't that black and white either. There has been a long history of rule arguments on this forum and it's been discussed many times. The rules change, most are common sense, most have been spoken of before and most can be clarified by simply asking. You might say "well, they aren't posted, so how should I know?" but again, common sense, think before you do, etc etc etc.
Saying we don't understand friendship is pretty ****** up.....
As for the apology and whether you feel you should give one. Well, regardless of whether you did "wrong" or "broke rules" or are lying out your ass to make yourself look better (not saying you are or aren't here), because of the actions of you three, the rest of the forum is being punished because of said actions. So, honestly, yes, you do owe an apology. If not for that than making a big joke about when when you can clearly see that others are upset by this turn of events.
+1
TheSkaFish said:
I know, I know what I said was probably too soon after the incident, and not enough. But I just thought I would give it an effort. I sort of know what it feels like to be a persona non grata on here, and I just felt I had to speak up on their behalf.
Anyway. I'm glad we will remain on good terms.
Why did you have to speak on their behalf? If they did not feel like they did anything wrong, they would not be afraid to speak up for themselves, no matter how people would have a hard time believing them. Because when you are true to your word and you say it out loud, people will try to understand. If you beat around the bush and start getting all defensive and tell other people they're attacking, then these people leave no room for understanding at all. So however the situation is right now, it's ON them.
I am so sick and tired of the people involved in this issue making up all sorts of excuses and blaming the rest of the forum for not being understanding when they DID NOT speak up the reasons IN THE FIRST PLACE. If they had stopped people from speculating so much and stopped the upset from brewing during their silence when they could've cleared out the issue, we will NOT be here.
Maybe some people will get pissed at me for speaking up like this but I know what I received and I know what has been said to me and I will
always try to do the right thing around here.
I'm not here to put anyone down or make anyone feel badly, but I think some people have total disregard for the feelings of others around here and for myself, and think they can say whatever they want to say just because they think they are right without looking at the entire picture from all points of view. They just want to look at it their way. If anyone here knows me well enough, I speak up for the truth and for what's right WHEN it's called for most of the time. Right now I feel highly offended by certain persons here even if that was not the intention thus I feel compelled to say these things I've just written.