Posting this in topshot since there is a paragraph relevant to that space and I will not be silenced by the mods of s/general.
I had no intentions of involving myself with the Discord versus Website drama. If you want to take a look at my last post, entitled On the State of Fanspo (link: https://fanspo.com/nba/s/general/p/-As7GxD_Ml84St/on-the-state-of-fanspo), you will understand in totality my position before today: a de-escalatory, neutral stance. I believed that the Discord group was comprised of good-natured, non-hostile individuals. Today, I read a thread that changed my opinion, and I feel the need to write on it.
Before I get into the comment thread that prompted this piece, I must first address the situation with u/theonlyeducated. I’ve seen continuous, outright abusive language from him, and his one friend on this site appears to be u/Femiknowsball, who backs him up on everything. While neither of these individuals has been banned, or had their posts removed from s/general, I have done what I can and preemptively banned them from s/topshot until 2099. If anyone would like to appeal or dispute this ban, feel free to do so in the comments section of this post. I have not blocked either of the two users so as to give them the chance to appeal this ban. Their appeals will be approved if and only if they disavow the abusive statements that have been made, which have caused people to leave the site. This type of behavior is not, and will not be, tolerated in s/topshot, especially considering that we have an active mod team that can take care of these types of situations, as opposed to certain other spaces whose mod teams are inactive (cough, cough). Additionally, while on the topic of s/topshot, I would like to welcome Coreynaylor to the mod team because he's one of the best candidates for an active mod and if the other space's mods won't act on that, I will.
The comment thread that I have been alluding to is under jmg’s post advocating for Surge to become a mod of s/general, a post titled something I will not repeat due to language, but do not condemn. If you would like to verify the quotes that I will be citing here, assuming no comments are deleted, feel free to take at the post linked here: (https://fanspo.com/nba/s/general/p/eanpyuCHbbBeWr/where-the-fuck-is-our-general-mod). The comment thread I will be referring to is Coreynaylor’s original comment, which has 49 replies as of the time that I am typing this paragraph. Here is the relevant dialogue that I would like to comment on:
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Coreynaylor2060 (original commenter): We need a mod really bad on this site. The discord does not have the site's best interest, they only have their best interest. If they had the site's best interest, they would not had harassed and bullied and then take down majority of their posts and hide like cowards.
Purpleandgold (s/general mod): was about to give surge mod too but okay lol
Coreynaylor2060: Ok… And what's holding you back?
Purpleandgold: the comment you just made
Coreynaylor2060: Cause I am saying the truth and hurting your feelings? All you are doing is proving my point.
Purpleandgold: that's cute your ego is ruining the site. want a 1000 word sincere apology from you for your actions and i will give surge mod
(later)
Purpleandgold: it got sent in the discord bud i don’t know who you are
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After this exchange, the conversation between Purpleandgold and Coreynaylor devolved into each of them throwing insults at each other, but that’s irrelevant. The relevant portion is clear as day: Purpleandgold’s public position is that he is publicly holding Surge’s s/general modship, and by extension, the existence of an active moderator of s/general, hostage because he doesn’t like Coreynaylor’s ego. Surge, the person in question, has not contributed to that thread and has not even commented on jmg’s post or any of the threads contained within. The fact of the matter is, Purpleandgold felt like someone was questioning his divine authority over s/general, and is now holding active moderation of the entire site over our heads because he got his little ego hurt. He has shown himself as emotionally fragile, ideologically nonsensical, and generally just tyrannical. Not only should he not be in the position to control who gets mod of s/general, he should not be a mod himself.
Extending from the logic that Purpleandgold should not be a mod, as his actions and immaturity in this thread are unbecoming of a s/general mod, I do have to condemn the rest of the mods from the Discord group for not removing Purpleandgold as a mod and putting him in his place. Purpleandgold admits to having learned about Coreynaylor’s thread via the Discord, implying that some other Discord person had seen the thread at one point. All of the comments I am citing are over a day old, and the Discord folks have had plenty of time to condemn Purpleandgold, but interestingly, and tellingly, none of them have done so. Until I hear otherwise, I am logically forced to be under the assumption that the Discord folks approve of Purpleandgold’s actions, which makes them, by extension and by association, cut from the same tyrannical, fragile, and egotistical cloth as Purpleandgold himself. I have asked that my old, inactive account be removed from their Discord, as I do not wish to be associated with these types of people.
Finally, I would like to address more thoroughly my previous stance. I apologize for backing up the Discord folks with my moderate remarks in my previous post. I have since learned that the website community was right all along, unless and until I am proven otherwise. I am, currently, completely fine with burning the pretty strong bridges I had with members of the Discord community, unless and until they publicly condemn the actions of Purpleandgold. If any of the Discord folks would like to contest this stance on them, feel free to comment and I am happy to speak with you if you are willing to condemn the actions of that thread, or can offer some reasonable explanation that I am currently completely missing.
In the meantime, I ask that, in protest, Website folks refrain from posting in s/general. It’s effectively an unmoderated space, and the little moderation that it does have has shown itself to be both corrupt and ineffective in its handling of the situations of the past week. Any post can find a home somewhere else, be it in a team’s space, or topshot, or articles, or even your own user page, but s/general is currently not a healthily moderated community and should therefore be avoided until an active mod is added. I personally nominate the relatively uncontroversial picks of Surge and TOTEMS, I think they’d be great general mods.
Thank you for reading my long-winded take, but I couldn’t sit by and say nothing. Kawn’s Top 25 Basketball Players of All Time coming out soon, and it might end up being one of the most controversial rankings on the site thus far. Please stay civil in the comments, and have a great day.