Notes On Participating in OOC Areas in 2021
Jan 21, 2021 18:47:46 GMT -5
ForeverKuroi, Kira Izumi, and 12 more like this
Post by Mongo the Destroyer on Jan 21, 2021 18:47:46 GMT -5
Hey everyone! Welcome to 2021- not like the 2020 hangover we've been experiencing! My apologies for not putting up something like this sooner but I have been having difficulties sitting down to the computer for any length of time due to....reasons. Anyway I also am trying not to step on Dylan's toes with Supremacy so I've just been putting up things as needed.
So first up, a few days ago I went on a little rant in AWF. I apologize for my part in the dust up, though feel justified in my reasons. Even how I probably didn't need to go off at quite the level I did.
So 2020 was a great year for the XHF Network. Amazing year, actually. We've been having awesome shows, with awesome rps, and just everything fell into place. Who knew the secret to beating the summer sizzle was just to lock people indoors? Actually, no, that makes a lot of sense. I wanted to extend a big thank you to the folks who've been contributing to all of our wild adventures and making things super cool.
Having said that, 2020 was a hard year for almost everyone irl. Maybe you dealt with covid directly somehow, or maybe your issues stemmed from something covid-adjacent. Very few people have been left entirely untouched and that has made folks...irritable. On edge. Stressed out. Etc.
We aim to be a family in the XHF Network- not a gated community. And I've had conversations with people both here and outside the Network on it. It's an ethos I feel very strongly about but I also acknowledge that not everyone has the same vision as me.
There will be people you might not agree with here or even really get along with. People you think are blockheads or behind on the times or whatever. All of us have different backgrounds and lives that have brought us to this point. We're brought together because we love efedding.
I think a major issue that comes up OOC is that people get offended by other people and how they talk or carry on. I know I do. This has obviously all been exacerbated by us being wound up pretty tight from a legitimately difficult and painful year of awful things. But I wanted to clarify where the XHF Network stands on things.
People should watch how they talk. Period. And this isn't a statement on political correctness. I don't really care much about such things because assuming one side is completely correct is how you end up with a country that's torn to bits and has no idea how to heal other than "force the other side to do what I want." How we conduct ourselves isn't about political correctness, it's about marginalization. That is to say, we don't want anyone to feel like they're less than or not as important as somebody else. Being politically correct is just being careful with what words you use. Actually caring about each individual person or group though is about your heart.
Considering what you want to say before you type it up is to allow people with a love of efedding to come love efedding with us without being pushed away or looked down on. This is something the discord mods are acutely aware of and are looking out for. It's not an easy job because we like to rib each other- and that's fine- as long as the other person (and others) get that you're ribbing them, lol. You've probably seen older members having loud bombastic arguments in all caps- those are jokes about 99.9% of the time (maybe actually it's been 100%). We don't have any real heat and when we do we figure out alternative ways to deal with it..
The point is, we should do our best to make each other feel welcome- even if we are different from each other. If you're looking for a community that only caters to people exactly like you, then I suggest you look elsewhere (and then come back when you realize that they have issues of their own too).
But what tends to get me is a culture of hypocrisy that tends to come out of some people. It appears that mirrors are in short supply in their areas I guess. Here's the thing- and this is for everyone: The door swings both ways. If you're claiming that folks are thin skinned, you can't in the next breath claim you're being persecuted- get a thicker skin I guess? Likewise, if you're trying to say that something is toxic, are you the one bringing the toxins? I mean if you start a fire in your house and then complain to your parents (or partner, spouse, roommate, or imaginary friend) that you're sick of all these house fires, do you really think they're gonna side with you?
I'll start a new line to make this point: Most issues that the discord admins deal with are people who want free reign to say what they want but are offended when they're called out on it
"Punish him for his BS but let me do mine." Well, that's not really how the discord team rolls. Are they perfect? No. Nobody is, but they're a trustworthy bunch of folks. The old timers there have all had turns literally carrying the XHF and dealing with a legitimately toxic environment and Network-era mods/admins are all reliable and fair-minded folk. If you're upsetting them, then I'm gonna suggest the problem is you.
We have an amazing community here- for real. I feel very strongly that on every level we are the best there is in efedding. And that's because we're here because we love efedding. So we produce the best shows, the fairest booking (as possible), and just some real BANGING rps- across the whole board. Remember that when you get upset with somebody.
We're moving into 2021 and how this year will go for us in our real lives is a big old mystery. So folk will still probably be on edge and maybe easily hurt. Keep this in mind while you interact in OOC areas. Straight up guys, the discord is not mandatory and if you're not in the right headspace then just focus on the in-character side of things. Even I've taken mental health days and I'm here all the time, lol.
With that in mind, think before you type. Don't put somebody down because of your own opinion. Don't make blanket statements that only damage the image of our community and have no constructive benefit. Being "right" is surprisingly fluid. You might have a more acceptable opinion- but if you deliver it like a jerk then you're a jerk anyway and it doesn't matter what you represent because you'll tarnish it and yourself. And again, we're all at different places in life and come from different backgrounds and upbringings. So we should do our best to consider others first. Do I want to have my voice heard? Absolutely, we all do. But the question is if you can present what you want to say in a way that won't marginalize other humans. It's a global world we live in and we need to live like global people; with open minds and open hearts.
Anyway guys. Again, the XHF Network has been just amazing. I don't think I really imagined just how close our members and our feds would get. This is better than I ever imagined things could be and that comes to all of you who've put in the effort to make this house the most beautiful home on the block. Thank you to everyone here and keep on rocking.
-Mongo
Oh, PS because people keep asking: Fed-specific matches for Supremacy are supposed commentated by their fed's commentary team
So first up, a few days ago I went on a little rant in AWF. I apologize for my part in the dust up, though feel justified in my reasons. Even how I probably didn't need to go off at quite the level I did.
So 2020 was a great year for the XHF Network. Amazing year, actually. We've been having awesome shows, with awesome rps, and just everything fell into place. Who knew the secret to beating the summer sizzle was just to lock people indoors? Actually, no, that makes a lot of sense. I wanted to extend a big thank you to the folks who've been contributing to all of our wild adventures and making things super cool.
Having said that, 2020 was a hard year for almost everyone irl. Maybe you dealt with covid directly somehow, or maybe your issues stemmed from something covid-adjacent. Very few people have been left entirely untouched and that has made folks...irritable. On edge. Stressed out. Etc.
We aim to be a family in the XHF Network- not a gated community. And I've had conversations with people both here and outside the Network on it. It's an ethos I feel very strongly about but I also acknowledge that not everyone has the same vision as me.
There will be people you might not agree with here or even really get along with. People you think are blockheads or behind on the times or whatever. All of us have different backgrounds and lives that have brought us to this point. We're brought together because we love efedding.
I think a major issue that comes up OOC is that people get offended by other people and how they talk or carry on. I know I do. This has obviously all been exacerbated by us being wound up pretty tight from a legitimately difficult and painful year of awful things. But I wanted to clarify where the XHF Network stands on things.
People should watch how they talk. Period. And this isn't a statement on political correctness. I don't really care much about such things because assuming one side is completely correct is how you end up with a country that's torn to bits and has no idea how to heal other than "force the other side to do what I want." How we conduct ourselves isn't about political correctness, it's about marginalization. That is to say, we don't want anyone to feel like they're less than or not as important as somebody else. Being politically correct is just being careful with what words you use. Actually caring about each individual person or group though is about your heart.
Considering what you want to say before you type it up is to allow people with a love of efedding to come love efedding with us without being pushed away or looked down on. This is something the discord mods are acutely aware of and are looking out for. It's not an easy job because we like to rib each other- and that's fine- as long as the other person (and others) get that you're ribbing them, lol. You've probably seen older members having loud bombastic arguments in all caps- those are jokes about 99.9% of the time (maybe actually it's been 100%). We don't have any real heat and when we do we figure out alternative ways to deal with it..
The point is, we should do our best to make each other feel welcome- even if we are different from each other. If you're looking for a community that only caters to people exactly like you, then I suggest you look elsewhere (and then come back when you realize that they have issues of their own too).
But what tends to get me is a culture of hypocrisy that tends to come out of some people. It appears that mirrors are in short supply in their areas I guess. Here's the thing- and this is for everyone: The door swings both ways. If you're claiming that folks are thin skinned, you can't in the next breath claim you're being persecuted- get a thicker skin I guess? Likewise, if you're trying to say that something is toxic, are you the one bringing the toxins? I mean if you start a fire in your house and then complain to your parents (or partner, spouse, roommate, or imaginary friend) that you're sick of all these house fires, do you really think they're gonna side with you?
I'll start a new line to make this point: Most issues that the discord admins deal with are people who want free reign to say what they want but are offended when they're called out on it
"Punish him for his BS but let me do mine." Well, that's not really how the discord team rolls. Are they perfect? No. Nobody is, but they're a trustworthy bunch of folks. The old timers there have all had turns literally carrying the XHF and dealing with a legitimately toxic environment and Network-era mods/admins are all reliable and fair-minded folk. If you're upsetting them, then I'm gonna suggest the problem is you.
We have an amazing community here- for real. I feel very strongly that on every level we are the best there is in efedding. And that's because we're here because we love efedding. So we produce the best shows, the fairest booking (as possible), and just some real BANGING rps- across the whole board. Remember that when you get upset with somebody.
We're moving into 2021 and how this year will go for us in our real lives is a big old mystery. So folk will still probably be on edge and maybe easily hurt. Keep this in mind while you interact in OOC areas. Straight up guys, the discord is not mandatory and if you're not in the right headspace then just focus on the in-character side of things. Even I've taken mental health days and I'm here all the time, lol.
With that in mind, think before you type. Don't put somebody down because of your own opinion. Don't make blanket statements that only damage the image of our community and have no constructive benefit. Being "right" is surprisingly fluid. You might have a more acceptable opinion- but if you deliver it like a jerk then you're a jerk anyway and it doesn't matter what you represent because you'll tarnish it and yourself. And again, we're all at different places in life and come from different backgrounds and upbringings. So we should do our best to consider others first. Do I want to have my voice heard? Absolutely, we all do. But the question is if you can present what you want to say in a way that won't marginalize other humans. It's a global world we live in and we need to live like global people; with open minds and open hearts.
Anyway guys. Again, the XHF Network has been just amazing. I don't think I really imagined just how close our members and our feds would get. This is better than I ever imagined things could be and that comes to all of you who've put in the effort to make this house the most beautiful home on the block. Thank you to everyone here and keep on rocking.
-Mongo
Oh, PS because people keep asking: Fed-specific matches for Supremacy are supposed commentated by their fed's commentary team