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Why Drama? (Warning: Long Post)
18 years ago
General
Please refrain from commenting on this journal unless you have read the whole thing and are replying to one of my points. This is an expression of my opinions meant to be taken into consideration and discussed in a rational matter. I am not participating in the drama which I will discuss, I am simply looking in on it from the outside.
Why is it that, when somebody expresses an opinion about something in their journal, picture description, or comment, it's so easy for it to blow up into a fight over an issue that has little to do with the original opinion? I usually like to give other people the benefit of the doubt if they make one somewhat hostile reply, because decisions made in anger are never very wise, but after two or more comments that seem like they're itching for a fight, I have to wonder whether the person cares at all about the subject under discussion. I realize that a lot of drama starts because people don't take the time to read long posts (a travesty, in my opinion; reading should never seem like something to be avoided) and jump to conclusions as a consequence, but after clarification from the original poster, a rational discussion in which each side's opinion and points are given fair thought should be possible.
Unfortunately we don't live in an ideal world like that. The issue I'm pointing to is, of course, the very recent drama involving a 25 year old guy who may or may not be in an explicit internet relationship with a very young girl (her age is unspecified, though it's been mentioned that she's just going through puberty). The evidence that something illegal may be happening is that he speaks about her as if she's a real person, and what looks like a snippet of a screencapped IM conversation makes up part of one of his art pieces. Now, I'm withholding judgment until something is proven, though I do think that if he is guilty of pedophilia he should be dealt with by the proper authorities.
The point of this journal is not to participate in the drama (hence the lack of links and names), but to try to provide an outside point of view that may help defuse some of it. The basic parts of this drama, and my responses to them, can be summed up as such:
1) Some people believe that this is a resurgence of the "cub art" drama from last year. That is untrue. Cub art, and whether it should be allowed on the site or not, is not the issue here. The issue is the fact that this man might be committing a real life crime and potentially damaging a child.
2) Some people believe that FA is "allowing" this to go on. I don't believe that, in fact I can't believe it. The case is almost certainly that the FA admins had no idea that this was happening. FA is a huge site, and the admins do all they can to keep it running smoothly for us. They most definitely wouldn't condone a real life crime.
3) Some artists are threatening to leave the site in response to this drama. While their presence here is ultimately their own choice, I would discourage this action, as it accomplishes nothing, and in fact draws the artist into the drama as an example after he or she is gone. The best thing to do is what I will be doing, which is remain on the site and refuse to participate in the drama. Drama thrives on attention, even the attention given by artists who leave. The best way to make it go away is to ignore it. The only attention I would give it would be to report it, but that has already been done by multiple people.
Why is it that, when somebody expresses an opinion about something in their journal, picture description, or comment, it's so easy for it to blow up into a fight over an issue that has little to do with the original opinion? I usually like to give other people the benefit of the doubt if they make one somewhat hostile reply, because decisions made in anger are never very wise, but after two or more comments that seem like they're itching for a fight, I have to wonder whether the person cares at all about the subject under discussion. I realize that a lot of drama starts because people don't take the time to read long posts (a travesty, in my opinion; reading should never seem like something to be avoided) and jump to conclusions as a consequence, but after clarification from the original poster, a rational discussion in which each side's opinion and points are given fair thought should be possible.
Unfortunately we don't live in an ideal world like that. The issue I'm pointing to is, of course, the very recent drama involving a 25 year old guy who may or may not be in an explicit internet relationship with a very young girl (her age is unspecified, though it's been mentioned that she's just going through puberty). The evidence that something illegal may be happening is that he speaks about her as if she's a real person, and what looks like a snippet of a screencapped IM conversation makes up part of one of his art pieces. Now, I'm withholding judgment until something is proven, though I do think that if he is guilty of pedophilia he should be dealt with by the proper authorities.
The point of this journal is not to participate in the drama (hence the lack of links and names), but to try to provide an outside point of view that may help defuse some of it. The basic parts of this drama, and my responses to them, can be summed up as such:
1) Some people believe that this is a resurgence of the "cub art" drama from last year. That is untrue. Cub art, and whether it should be allowed on the site or not, is not the issue here. The issue is the fact that this man might be committing a real life crime and potentially damaging a child.
2) Some people believe that FA is "allowing" this to go on. I don't believe that, in fact I can't believe it. The case is almost certainly that the FA admins had no idea that this was happening. FA is a huge site, and the admins do all they can to keep it running smoothly for us. They most definitely wouldn't condone a real life crime.
3) Some artists are threatening to leave the site in response to this drama. While their presence here is ultimately their own choice, I would discourage this action, as it accomplishes nothing, and in fact draws the artist into the drama as an example after he or she is gone. The best thing to do is what I will be doing, which is remain on the site and refuse to participate in the drama. Drama thrives on attention, even the attention given by artists who leave. The best way to make it go away is to ignore it. The only attention I would give it would be to report it, but that has already been done by multiple people.
on a completely different note... want to go to saga soon?