Where does this end?

joseph's picture

On Wed, Feb 2., a community member sent a private message encouraging others to "flood the lasqueti list"  with messages in order to "make it cumbersome" to moderate list traffic.

I have been trying to let this incident go, but seems some, at least, refuse to see this act for what it is:

  1. an attempt to disrupt a community service; and
  2. harassment of community volunteers.

Whether you believe the Lasqueti list moderators are censoring posts or merely even-handedly applying their published guidelines, they are still volunteers, doing their best, in service to our community.  Harassing community volunteers by maliciously creating extra work for them is just  NOT. EVER. OK. even if you believe they are doing a bad job.

Whether you view the Lasqueti list as an essential communication channel or a bland mix of classified ads and biased official communications, it is still a community service used by over 600 members of our extended community.  It is just NOT. EVER. OK. to attempt to disrupt or vandalize community infrastructure, even if you believe the service is fundamentally flawed.

Have we become so completely disconnected and dehumanized each other to such an extent that we no longer agree even on basic shared principles like "one should not vandalize infrastructure or harass volunteers"?

One is forced to see this act as a hostile escalation of tensions and wonder what comes next?  Cyber-attacks?  Threats or intimidation? Physical violence?  I'm honestly asking - where does this lead us?  where does it end?  who's going to stop it before it gets out of hand?

Comments

bike's picture

You can stop it. Now

Censorship is not okay. Never has been, never will be.

You have misled us. Deliberately I assert. You are a very intelligent person. You have math skills that exceed most. Yet, you have told us that "by a fairly wide majority, those who recently weighed in on the list called for a voluntary "cease fire" for this kind of post."

"These are social norms that must arise from community, bottom-up, not decisions imposed by a small clique of moderators."

Here's what I wrote to you on Feb 2/22, with no response at all from you, as of Feb 16/22:
"I've just looked at the reactions to the posting that I made on Dec 19/21 of the Canadian Covid Care Alliance video exposing Pfizer's data manipulation and disinformation about their "vaccine".

I received 2 private emails in support.
There were 8 public emails in support.

There were 2 public emails that referred to it and added to it.

There were 5 public emails against posting it.
You received 1 private email against.

Totals: 10 in favour, 2 (at worst) neutral, 6 against.

This is not what you claim.

Please publicly apologize and set the record straight.
Dave"

Harassment? Are people who post to the "Community Infrastructure" as you put it, not also volunteers? Is anyone paid to post? No, of course not. So why are we harassed when you don't like a posting? Even when we follow "your guidelines"?

I've not only answered your request for ideas and suggestions on how to allow the Lasqueti list to function better, I've tested it with the Rock mailing list. As you've heard directly from other users of the Rock mailing list, it works extremely well. How? One Golden Rule, namely that no one disparages anyone else. Simple. Easy. Zero censorship or harassment of list users or moderators.

Here's an example of the pettiness that you have devolved the group of volunteers/moderators into: "Hi Dave, your message had reply quotes. Still a thing we moderate for"

Today, I posted according to your guidelines, and again it was rejected. Why? Read for yourself:

Re: "Posting of your message titled "Truckers continue peaceful demonstration; Trudeau and MSM attempt
Coup d'etat""

"""
Hi Dave. Your subject line and introduction should not contain political proclamations or read like headlines. Try this:
Subject: opinion post on the trucker protests Body: Please read my
thoughts and information I?ve gathered in support of the current
protests, at [link] Thanks """

Your goalposts are in constant motion. Your attempts at stifling any and all views aside from your own are painfully obvious.

The real question is WHEN WILL YOU STOP? You have no legal, moral, or any kind of justification for this. You have caused painful division in our community instead of allowing healthy debate that always builds community. Prior to your shut down of dissenting opinion, this island could talk about anything. No longer.

Please, for the good of the community, please step aside and accept the huge thanks and admiration of years of service as the Lasqueti email list administrator. Your time has been appreciated and it's time let go. For the good of our community and for your own health, as you've said publicly.

joseph's picture

The man doth protest to much?

All that was required here was a simple apology.

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