Don't Look Back in Anger
There is something in the air here at Starmen.net. Cockiness, aggressiveness, and a putrid smell of elitism. Call it what you may, I do not like it. I am writing this article urging everyone to stop.
I remember when I first came to this site. It was the very day this site went up as Starmen.net, I believe. I am what I like to call one who is “middle-aged”. While I’m not as old as some others here are, I have been here a fair amount of time. I’ve seen people come and I’ve seen people go. I remember, “back in my day”, whenever there was an “I’m New” topic, people would always say hello, give the newbie pointers, and even give them a quick list of the lingo used here. There were not as many topics complaining about this or that, and things were more or less peaceful.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not asking everyone to try to relive those days. No one needs to go out of their way to make anyone a list of words and phrases used here. Nevertheless, there are some things that I would like to see disappear from this site. They are as follows:
a. Flaming. I know this will never disappear completely. It is an internet forum after all. However, lately it seems to be increasing. Someone will bring up a topic, and someone else will decide that they need to type out some sort of smart alek, belittling reply to it. Soon everyone has taken a side and is throwing exclamation points all over the place. This is exactly why certain topics, such as religion, politics, sexual orientation, and so forth, are not allowed generally. Not enough people can keep things mature, and pretty soon you have a “flame war”. If you find yourself becoming angry over something someone has posted, take a few deep breaths and relax before you decide to respond. Or just don’t respond at all.
b. Hazing. Another thing that will never truly go away. Sure, everyone is picked on when they’re new. That’s a part of life for the most part. But for some reason it seems that many people feel the need to point out mistakes made by those who do not know better for the sake of comedy. To me it’s like making fun of a seven year old for spelling something incorrectly. If you see that someone has not figured something out, why not help him or her instead of ripping into them? Ripping them apart only puts them on the defensive and turns them into the annoying “n00b” that no one cares for.
c. Lack of acceptance. Realize that not everyone here is from your little clique at school. We have a very wide assortment of people with which one could interact. Different ethnicities, religions, genders, sexual orientations, and nationalities. Just because SuperNess2381 is not a Christian, does not like Final Fantasy VIII, and listens to rap music, doesn’t mean to need to bark at him about how he’s wrong and you’re right about the way things go. Nothing is saying you have to agree with him, but you do have to acknowledge his right to have an opinion that is different from yours.
d. Elitism. No one here is better than anyone is. No one. I don’t care what your GPA is, what college you’re going to, what god (or lack thereof) you worship, no one here is better than anyone else. So when you decide you need to point out some minute typo or how someone spelled something wrong, or feel the need to boast about how you know C++ and can do long division in your head to calculate how your family is paying your way into Digipen, just remember that you still aren’t perfect, and that you never will be. Neither will I, or reid, or Tomato, or diospadre, or anyone else here.
In closing, I would just like to say that I have grown to appreciate this place for what it is. It is one of the greatest video game sites on the web, yes. But that is not it. I know I’m not the first to say that this place is a community in itself. Like a virtual city almost. Moreover, like a city, in order for things to be pleasurable, the people who live in it must be pleasurable.
There is something in the air here at Starmen.net. Cockiness, aggressiveness, and a putrid smell of elitism. Call it what you may, I do not like it. I am writing this article urging everyone to stop.
I remember when I first came to this site. It was the very day this site went up as Starmen.net, I believe. I am what I like to call one who is “middle-aged”. While I’m not as old as some others here are, I have been here a fair amount of time. I’ve seen people come and I’ve seen people go. I remember, “back in my day”, whenever there was an “I’m New” topic, people would always say hello, give the newbie pointers, and even give them a quick list of the lingo used here. There were not as many topics complaining about this or that, and things were more or less peaceful.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not asking everyone to try to relive those days. No one needs to go out of their way to make anyone a list of words and phrases used here. Nevertheless, there are some things that I would like to see disappear from this site. They are as follows:
a. Flaming. I know this will never disappear completely. It is an internet forum after all. However, lately it seems to be increasing. Someone will bring up a topic, and someone else will decide that they need to type out some sort of smart alek, belittling reply to it. Soon everyone has taken a side and is throwing exclamation points all over the place. This is exactly why certain topics, such as religion, politics, sexual orientation, and so forth, are not allowed generally. Not enough people can keep things mature, and pretty soon you have a “flame war”. If you find yourself becoming angry over something someone has posted, take a few deep breaths and relax before you decide to respond. Or just don’t respond at all.
b. Hazing. Another thing that will never truly go away. Sure, everyone is picked on when they’re new. That’s a part of life for the most part. But for some reason it seems that many people feel the need to point out mistakes made by those who do not know better for the sake of comedy. To me it’s like making fun of a seven year old for spelling something incorrectly. If you see that someone has not figured something out, why not help him or her instead of ripping into them? Ripping them apart only puts them on the defensive and turns them into the annoying “n00b” that no one cares for.
c. Lack of acceptance. Realize that not everyone here is from your little clique at school. We have a very wide assortment of people with which one could interact. Different ethnicities, religions, genders, sexual orientations, and nationalities. Just because SuperNess2381 is not a Christian, does not like Final Fantasy VIII, and listens to rap music, doesn’t mean to need to bark at him about how he’s wrong and you’re right about the way things go. Nothing is saying you have to agree with him, but you do have to acknowledge his right to have an opinion that is different from yours.
d. Elitism. No one here is better than anyone is. No one. I don’t care what your GPA is, what college you’re going to, what god (or lack thereof) you worship, no one here is better than anyone else. So when you decide you need to point out some minute typo or how someone spelled something wrong, or feel the need to boast about how you know C++ and can do long division in your head to calculate how your family is paying your way into Digipen, just remember that you still aren’t perfect, and that you never will be. Neither will I, or reid, or Tomato, or diospadre, or anyone else here.
In closing, I would just like to say that I have grown to appreciate this place for what it is. It is one of the greatest video game sites on the web, yes. But that is not it. I know I’m not the first to say that this place is a community in itself. Like a virtual city almost. Moreover, like a city, in order for things to be pleasurable, the people who live in it must be pleasurable.
