As some of you may know, I resigned my membership of CSF yesterday. The admin and friends (let's call them the CSFleet for short) have been, and probably will continue to, spread misinformation about this.
I quit because, in amongst a bunch of rules (posted by Chris Giddens) most of which seemed well-intended, was one which stuck out like a sore thumb: the banning of non-'pure' LEGO creations with a few exceptions to make modifications of the CSFleet fit the new rules. This came under a week after Chris and others in the CSFleet had launched a full-scale bullying attack on Nnenn for his use of clones, locking the thread after allowing Adrian Drake to get a last word in. Ironically soon after this earlier attack I had PMed Nnenn on the site to offer my sympathies, and, had suggested that if he were pushed out that I would join him in leaving. Little did I know that my suggestion would be tested so soon.
My decision to quit was motivated entirely by what I saw as bullying tactics by the CSFleet and their refusal to acknowledge that this was even a possibility. Chris grudgingly (from my reading) created a special forum for Clones and Mods (except those accepted by the CSFleet which could remain in the main forum) as a sort of segregated compromise which I found moderately acceptable however the accompanying description and ensuing 'justification' of the whole issue led me to believe that the compromise was nothing but a way to appease some members while maintaining the bullying attitude in officialdom and that this was something I couldn't be party too by remaining a member of the site.
So I quit.
As a side-note to the issue...
I freely admit that some of my actions in this thread weren't done in the best way myself. I have a habit of seeing the worst in people (myself and friends included) due to a strong cynicism of human nature. I probably should have been more quiet in my first response and I probably shouldn't have bothered arguing with Mark Sandlin's nothingisms. My first reply was not intended to be offensive but I can see how it could be taken as such. I should have kept some of my thoughts to myself or to private communication, rather than posting them on JLUG. I shouldn't have attributed to malice that which could have been explained by incompetence.
Many people have spoken out strongly in favour of Chris' motives and personality, and, as pointed out I don't know the guy. What I do know is from his online persona, and what I see is a proud, mostly benevolent but narrow-minded bully sitting at the center of a group of yesmen.
Tim
Addendum
The above was written while I was still quite angry over the events I mentioned and I'd like to take the time to correct some of what I've said. I should not have used the term or referred to the CSFleet as being involved in this. Subsequent activity has shown that for the most part this decision was Chris acting alone and that most of the attacks back at me were people defending their friend from what they percieved as an attack on character. Furthermore, the comment about yesmen was added to stir people and should never have been put there. I have also become convinced that Chris' activities were not intended maliciously. However, his refusal to budge, to accept what effect these actions have had, and to make the new system fairer, give an essentially identical result at the end.
12 comments:
Fuck that shit man. I'm right there with you and Mike and nnenn.
Thanks. When I wrote this I hadn't seen your latest post or I would have added you to the list.
Tim,
I respect your decision to leave, especially having read that you made a promise to do so to Nnenn.
I would like to say that though I do not fully agree with Chris on the cloning/modding issue, I do believe it was a slippery slope, and that many younger members were going to make poor attempts to mimic Nnenn. He manages to make clones look good. Very few people can do that. And making exceptions for one person is just as elitist as your accusations. In the end, I will uphold whatever rules Chris enforces because I know that he believes them to be for the best.
Let's be completely honest. You not only have a pessimistic outlook on humanity, but you actively spit your bile at anyone that stands in one place for too long. You have been a total asshole to many people over the past several years of your presence on CSF. You have abused and insulted good builders and new-comers, and anyone not on par with your caustic 'wit'. Sure, sometimes your argument or reason are sound, which only angers me further. But your tone and attitude regarding the addressed member are clear as day. No one could accuse you of unclear meaning. You stand upon a pedestal of good building skills and frightening debating skills which you wield like a weapon.
Personally, what ever your reason for leaving, it was the second best improvement to CSF since Chris banned Soren. You rarely add anything of worth to a discussion, because of your agrressive and 'better-than-you' attitude.
Stay gone, because if you decide to return, I'll be on your insulting and belittling like fly on stink.
Thank you for leaving and thank you for being such an ass all these years. It proves you right, that the world is full of jerks.
Meanwhile, I look forward to seeing your MOCs where-ever you may choose to post them.
Being loyal to a good friend isn't being a "yesman."
What this is a big misunderstanding that you, it appears, have decided not to budge on. You've decided the CSFleets are all bullies and until we admit it, we're all liars too.
Aaron, my issue is not so much with the decision itself as the timing, method and attitude behind the decision. Whether my presence on CSF will be missed or not is largely unimportant to me. I enjoyed my time there (believe it or not) and not just as a place to spit bile.
Lenny, the yesmen comment (and the rest of it) was written when the heat of the moment was still felt by me. I considered altering it but decided (perhaps badly) that I don't like to edit my past. I will add an addendum to the article to make this clear.
I hate to burst your bubble, Aaron, but I had been trying to get banned for a long time before that, and when it finally happened it was in a way that made Chris look stupid.
Nobody is out to destroy CSF, but I'm getting a lot of entertainment out of watching you destroy yourselves.
I'm curious why I was singled out when the thread was locked 2 days and 8 pages after I posted.
But hey, it's your decision to do whatever you like.
Because of this post, Adrian.
And in case I misunderstood what you meant or you misunderstood what I meant there was also this post.
Everybody needs to take a step back, both on rules and on the insults.
"Stay gone, because if you decide to return, I'll be on your insulting and belittling like fly on stink. Thank you for leaving and thank you for being such an ass all these years. It proves you right, that the world is full of jerks."- Aaron
Now who is being the ass?
I have this odd feeling that if everyone, myself included, Just took a step back and calmed down, we could reach some kind of agreement. But as long as people are being hot headed and long winded, nothing gets done.
My 2 cents
I failed to log into CSF for a little over a month and everything's gone to hell. So, now that I've found your blogger account, this begins to answer a question for me, which is...how can I keep in touch with your MOC's?
I've greately respected your MOC's, and I think I even have your BS folder book-marked...which slides nicely into the next part of my question. After BS dies, where's the best place to find yours, and Nnenn's MOC's? It would be a personal tragedy if I could not continue to peruse such wonderful creations.
I don't have an account on MOCpages or Fickr, but I guess I'm going to have to succumb.
Jeremy
never mind for nnenn...I found his flickr stuff pretty easily...probably should have just searched for it before asking.
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