+- MFGG Forums (https://forums.mfgg.net)
+-- Forum: The Dungeon (https://forums.mfgg.net/forumdisplay.php?fid=15)
+--- Forum: The Vault (https://forums.mfgg.net/forumdisplay.php?fid=16)
+--- Thread: We Need To Fix MFGG (/showthread.php?tid=1493)
We Need To Fix MFGG - Zero Kirby - 11-29-2018
So.
It's no secret at this point that the userbase of MFGG is fractured. And I mean the whole userbase - including those of us at the top.
For one reason or another, an undercurrent of bad blood has built up, and it absolutely is negatively impacting the site. It's affecting morale. It's unwelcoming to any newcomers. And I fear that it's causing some people to act out, adding to the problem, not helping to fix it.
I wonder, sometimes, why people who have such an apparent distaste for an Internet community don't just leave. Why bother staying somewhere you hate being? Why put yourself through that, getting angry, lashing out, getting angry when people push back, it's a vicious cycle. As someone who has left communities before, because they were full of angry, hateful people, and never looked back, I've begun wondering why I stay here, as well. I fear that MFGG is approaching that precipice, and if something isn't done about it soon, it may well fall in and never come back.
I want it to stop, I want it to change. And there was the answer to my question. I'm still here because I want MFGG to improve and change for the better. That must be why some of these other folks are still here too, right?
But change does not come easily, and it does not come without sacrifice. It must start from within - before I can change MFGG, what must I change about myself, first?
I think it's fair to say a lot of this bad blood stems from some certain events in the past few years that resulted in a severe schism, broken friendships, broken trust. I simply didn't witness any of that - or perhaps, I simply didn't want to have anything to do with it. "It's just dumb Internet drama," after all. I simply didn't want any part of it. That, therefore, must be my change. In order to change MFGG, I have to be willing to look at that which I averted my eyes from, consciously or no. I have to hear the whole story - all stories. Not just of that one, but of any other stories that have led to this buildup, that have led us to this mountaintop, this perilous peak from which we are perched, a moment away from falling into the abyss.
If you are dissatisfied with the state of MFGG - for any reason - send me a PM. Tell me why. Tell me what happened. Show me what happened. Be honest. Be blunt. Provide evidence. Point fingers. Take responsibility. If you've got a problem with me, say it straight to me. If you've got a problem with somebody else, let me know. I will not ban you for speaking your honest mind. I will not reprimand you for attacking another user through your PM to me. This is your chance to get it all out onto the table.
I promise nothing. I cannot promise I'll agree with the events as you tell them. I cannot promise I can fix what you think is broken. I cannot promise I will respond to you, and if I do, I do not promise you will like what I have to say. I cannot even promise that this really will bring the change that is needed so desperately.
But I will listen. I will give you a chance. I will do my level best not to assume. I will not immediately run to whomever you badmouth to let them know the terrible things you have said about them - that includes the admins. I have no obligation to share any of what you say with them, or anyone - you are speaking to me and nobody else. I may wish for you to speak with them yourselves after what I hear, but I won't simply relay what you say to them. Just as well, please do not speak "on behalf" of anyone but yourself - I want to hear directly from you and not through someone else.
This is an open invite - banned or no, admin or average Joe. All I ask is that you have an open mind, and share my willingness to change - not just MFGG, but from within, as well.
Please, help me help MFGG.