Are we taking ourselves too seriously?

Summary:

A BRIEF DISSERTATION?

Are we taking ourselves too seriously?

Waxx 04 Dec 2009 05:41

So, I was encouraged to add my thoughts to the Yoric ban discussion, but I quickly realized that…I don't have much to say about it. It got me thinking on a tangent though; while not belonging in that particular thread, it does warrant some discussion. It's just a simple question that I think we all ought to ask ourselves:

Do we take ourselves too seriously?

I tend to remain aloof about admin-related things, here and in the chat. I think it borders between me being a lazy ass and also trying to maintain a neutral, almost outside-looking-in perspective on things. This is what I see a lot happening:

We have a lot of rules which we try to enforce, with the absolute best of intentions. We want a clean site that is kept free of those who would serve to ruin the experience and bring the overall quality down. Excellent, I'm all for that. But as I see it, in the process of enforcing those rules and watching over the userbase, I think we've forgotten that in the end, we're all just people who want to relax and have a good time. If you could picture us all sitting at a dinner table, face to face having this kind of discussion about bans and warnings, would you nod your head at the proceedings or would you find yourself unable to contain your laughter?

Things happen. People exchange words, and sometimes emotions get high. It happens to everyone, but as adults we do our best to shrug things off and go about our business without getting dragged into every little piece of drama that crops up. We're in the process of putting the site through its most major string of edits and revisions to date, yet we allow ourselves to be sidetracked by minor bouts of he-said she-said and delegations about what kind of procedure we should follow for it.

I'm aware that's a major generalization, but I hope you get the underlying point I am trying to make.

TL:DR? I think we just need to lighten and up and remember that people are people, shit happens, and sometimes we just need to get over it and move on. If this seems a little bit like rambling, I apologize. I'm a bit worn down from schoolwork and admittedly not at my best, sorry :)

Re: Are we taking ourselves too seriously?

Dr Gears 05 Dec 2009 14:22

I agree that, yes, in many cases we can get a little overly worked-up. I have been off of chat for a good, long while, so I'm not as up-to-speed on any issues arising there, however from the site, as far as i can see, we seem to be doing alright.

Yes, some of our banning discussions can get a tad heated, to say the least, and we do get embroiled in drama, but I think that's unavoidable in many ways. It seems to arise because a large chunk of the mods/admins are laid back, (somewhat) mature (at times), and generally steer clear of drama. When someone who is the opposite of these things crops up causing trouble, we have something of a admin allergic reaction.

The old dogs know the nightmares we've had to put up with by putting up with stupidity for even a moment can lead to (Dr. L and Anna Gram…that's all I'm saying.). We've also dealt with a couple of raids and general bullshit, so you'll have to forgive us for our itchy trigger fingers. We want to give everyone a chance to have fun, but we also want to allow zero room for bullshit…these two things often run counter to each other, however.

I agree that being able to calm down and take a more relaxed view on some of the nonsense that crops up with be beneficial, but at the same time we need to make sure it doesn't blow up in to something dangerous. It's hard for me to speak on this topic too much…this is the first real community I've ever been seriously involved in, and the first time I've been admin of anything. I try and be tolerant, calm, and generally the middle ground, but also ready to make rapid decisions when needed. I don't always succeed at that goal, but I think it's the best attitude to take, at least for me.

We're all trying to feel our way out with this, to keep the content good, and make sure we look like we know what the hell we're doing. We're trying to build policy and a general framework, and that can get us stressed out at times. I agree, lightening up would be a good thing for everyone, but be ready for serious discussion on somewhat light topics.

Re: Are we taking ourselves too seriously?

Kain Pathos Crow 07 Dec 2009 00:25

Old dogs? Are you serious? I'm younger than you!

But, I dunno. I've been watching you guys more or less from the outside for a while now (I know, I know, I should be more active. But hey, I'm lazy. I'll come to the fore though if I'm actually needed though, so don't worry). I generally don't act or say anything unless I have reason to (or I think it's funny). As such, I'd say I've become rather impartial to this kinda thing.

And as far as I can see, you guys are doing pretty well. Things are talked about, decisions are made. Hell, there's only a handful of posts on this thing every couple of weeks, if that, which means you rarely need to talk too seriously that much.

You've found, as Buddha puts it, the Middle Path, where you go to neither extreme. And I like that. (And it means I can continue being the lazy fuck I am and watch the content from the sidelines).

Actually, that's probably why Konny stopped fitting in. Because he started taking it to extremes. That and he started being a douche.

Re: Are we taking ourselves too seriously?

Dr Gears 07 Dec 2009 02:02

Kain, for once, you have stolen my thoughts, instead of me stealing yours. Fine work.

Re: Are we taking ourselves too seriously?

Kain Pathos Crow 07 Dec 2009 16:24

Danke mein freunde.

(lol, hivemind)

Re: Are we taking ourselves too seriously?

Dr Gears 07 Dec 2009 23:49

…in your brain…

…thinkin' your thoughts…

Re: Are we taking ourselves too seriously?

sightlesseyes 07 Dec 2009 18:20

I don't think the problem is us taking things to seriously as much as it is that seriousness threshold varying wildly, with the latest Yoric incident being a rather good example of that. The chat really does go from slinging around dick jokes to talking about serious family issues at the drop of a hat, and I feel that we only really notice the latter.

Also, yeah, I admit to having an itchy trigger finger myself, since we never really get users who are merely mildly annoying - though this might be a case where I only remember the serious times, myself! The problematic ones are always really problematic, like the two Gears mentioned (…said poor Break with a shudder).

Last edited on 07 Dec 2009 18:24 by sightlesseyes Show more

Re: Are we taking ourselves too seriously?

DrClef 08 Dec 2009 23:45

Being at the core of the yoric issue, imo, the issue was not that we take ourselves too seriously, but an issue of where the line is drawn, and two people having a disagreement on that. That's all.