Quote:
Originally Posted by doodah
I'm not sure I've quite got the picture of what a free and open forum is like. Is that like godlikeproductions? So we can call Kerry (or anyone we choose) a f**k*ng fat assed bitch if we want to under the banner of free expression? If those words make some people mad, so be it; if they are hurtful, so be it? I'm just asking. This is not my personal style at all, or my preferred way of communicating.
[snip]
Whatever happens here, I hope Camelot has not been negatively impacted by disagreements on Avalon, and I hope both of these sites continue. And no, I don't think Kerry is a dumb ass, but I disagree with her to some degree.
With only the best wishes to Bill and Kerry ...
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Hi, All:
I was persuaded to respond here by Anchor. Do read his post above. I'm delighted that he continues to bring his good energy here and to other threads where'll be appreciated by all except those with destructive intentions (and there are some).
Good energy is what it's all about. If this forum degenerates to being like godlikeproductions, then I myself will no longer visit or contribute. Like Gandhi, I want us all to be the change we want to see in the world. For me, that starts here.
I don't want to create a mirror of the world. There are plenty of those elsewhere. Visit any city center late on a Saturday night.
So I won't tolerate this forum becoming a lowest-common-denominator refection of everything that's out of balance on Planet Earth. Michael St.Clair talks about
Radiant Zones, and this should be a virtual model of one. The new world starts here.
Games take place on playing fields: defined areas which have boundaries, agreements, players with roles, and purposes. There's an agreed, balanced structure to all good games which makes them enjoyable and worth playing.
Death Race 2000 (with no rules) is not a game I'd like to play. On the other hand, I used to play Rugby (which many Brits, Aussies, South Africans and New Zealanders would insist is a tougher game than American Football).
So I'm not afraid of tough games with rules. I'm a mountaineer, which is also a tough game - and that has its rules too. Break them, and the universe soon gives you feedback.
The secret is to master the game. Only those who fail to master the game seek to break the rules. Ask any thief, adulterer, or con man.
Forums are no exceptions. It's part of civilization itself that there are agreed ways of operating, and agreed ways of dealing with situations where those agreements are violated. It's what sets us apart from cavemen.
The reason for this is that civilization ALLOWS and PERMITS and ENCOURAGES creativity, growth, civil rights, security, and freedom of expression. That's the function of structured agreements.
To remove those agreements and think that the game will be improved is to confuse anarchy with freedom. The two are entirely different.
People who think they're the same are mighty confused and don't understand the real nature of freedom at all.
Real anarchy is a frightening thing. Read William Golding's
Lord of the Flies. Or go see
Mad Max. Or walk down a dark alley late at night in Washington, Johannesburg, Lagos or Moscow and see how much fun you have.
If you want no laws or jails, then you'd better have good locks on your house and car. If you want no traffic cops, then good luck on the freeway. (If anyone's ever driven on the roads around Moscow, they'll know what I mean.)
The ABUSE of authority is the problem. Not authority itself.
I stand with Kerry on protesting the ABUSE of authority.
But there can also be an ABUSE of freedom. What I stand against is ABUSE.
Those who have abused this forum number a few dozen people, no more. They have no "right" to ruin the experience of 2,500 others just because they feel like expressing themselves without thought, responsibility or constraint.
Therefore if some members continue to bring that abusive energy to this game, they'll be asked to leave it and go play elsewhere. That's my position and it's not going to change.
If the abuse of everyone's freedom and rights continues on this planet, then all is lost, and I'll be returning to another planet next lifetime because the battle for Earth will be over.
Chronicling the abuse of individual freedom is one of the core principles of Camelot. The history of the last 5,000 years (and maybe much longer) has been one in which the well-being of the many has been ruined by the agendas of a few.
I will not see that replicated here, in what I, Kerry, and every one of the other moderators want to be a model for a new world.
With love to all, Bill