Growth or Decay, No Stasis, No In-Between.
Such a simple statement, yet it can mean so much. To most Entropy's negative side captures the imagination. They envision societies crumbling, buildings in poor repair, rotting corpses. Some people envision a rusted car on the side of the road. The More historically minded will remember great empires, like Rome Briton and more. Some might even think of their own lives. Look at where things begin to fall apart and say, "Well, that's entropy for you!"
I think it it that last group of people who are closest to getting Entropy to work FOR them. It is too common for people to not think of the flip side. Growth. For anything to grow, it requires energy, and care. Now one of the cool things about the universe is that the universe decides to take care of itself. This is one reason I have an infatuation with the Chaos Theory, the idea of self ordering tendencies. As opposed to the simplistic view of Chaos being the natural end of Entropic Decay and Order being the end of human guidance. Under these guidelines, Chaos and Disorder are one and the same. Chaos Theory suggests that Chaos and Disorder are NOT one and the same, that disorder is the natural end of entropic decay and that Chaos is the universe's way of combating Disorder, and to quote:
What we imagine is order is merely the prevailing form of chaos.
-Kerry Thornley, Principia Discordia, 5th edition
Now when it comes to the expression of Human Order, Entropy and Chaos when it comes to societies, namely this one, Khym Forums, I like to make an analogy of a garden. I view a garden as the ultimate expression of human order over nature. Through the energy and creative output of a human, nature is not destroyed or overridden but guided to take the form of the Gardener's design. Weeds are crushed rooted and destroyed, and flowers are nurtured into full bloom. Individual flowers live and die, but everything always is alive and the whole is always growing. Now some people have a different way and allow nature to take full hold. They allow Wildflowers to take hold. In stead of planning, containing and controlling, they Urge, Nurture, and roll with what nature throws their way. This is what I prefer. This holds the philosophy that even weeds can produce beautiful blooms. Some Weeds still have to be removed, and some care needs to be taken but the result is often pleasing to the eye. The problem is, that a wildflower bed requires more attention as it is all too easy for weeds to pop up and mar the beauty of the garden. While some of the time this is just the natural way of the Garden, without a watchful eye the weed could just as easily choke out other flowers and set the entire garden back. And in some cases (such as Creeping Charlies) it is truly difficult to set things straight, and sometimes the garden can never recover to it's full glory. One thing is almost always certain. If energy and effort is not put into the product, all you will ever get is an ugly patch of plants.
Now to bring this back to the current situation here. I personally have been bothered by the Exile's Manifesto an many other things that have happened on this forum. I find that I care too much on this subject to leave this alone. So I think I will address it here. In
The Exiles' Manifesto a few comments were stated. Some of them bother me, others I find to be true.
MiB wrote:
1) We can no longer continue to put time and energy into a forum that has turned against it's own members.
Ok, This is and obvious reference to Grey's forced departure. To relate this back to my analogy earlier:
Grey was a weed. Like many of us we were allowed to stay mainly because all weeds can bloom. Grey did bloom, but he also choked other flowers. It was because of these rare blooms that Grey was allowed to stay, slowly but surely his roots spread deeper and deeper into this flowerbed, and when the Gardener(Kyhm) Realized that it wasn't worth the effort of having this flower here, he pulled it. In other words. If anyone turned against anyone, it was Grey against us. He loved to play the game of "Let's see how far we can push these people," and he often won. However, this time, he lost. If you are citing that as a reason for departure from the forums, I call Bullshit. The turn happened long ago, and is brought about by the one you are raising to martyrdom.
MiB wrote:
2) The ends do not justify the means
Why not reply with another quote?
Too little liberty brings stagnation and too much brings chaos.
Bertrand Russell (1872 - 1970)
Note that this is the simplistic view that equates Chaos with Disorder. We needs rules here. Now for a while an Anarchy of respect worked well. Unspoken ruled existed, then a few guidelines were placed, and people followed them for respect of their fellow peer. Then came people who did not care for respect and guidelines. Until Grey these were usually dealt with relatively quickly. Grey however became the cause of all of this "censoring, banning, and setting up of rules in order to mold the forum to the vision of a few complainers". I actually move that these ruled be removed now that the cause has been killed. Every society needs rules of some kind. Every rule needs punishment. Grey, who we can equate to a serial murderer (for driving off multiple users) has been put to death, being deemed unable of rehabilitation.
MiB wrote:
3) We don't want to cause a split, it is already formed. We are a product of this, not it's creators.
I look at this one, I read it's long version, I weigh and measure it's meaning, and I find that this statement is true. I only disagree with there preferred method of fixing this "problem".
MiB wrote:
4) We are Exiles, not separatists. We don't want to leave, but nor can we stay.
MiB, in more detail wrote:
We all for the most part love Kyhm forums. We have dedicated time, effort, and joys to it. The policies the forum leaders have adopted, however, have forced us into this uncomfortable and unwanted decision. We don't want to leave. We can neither, in good conscience, stay.
Again, the only thing I can disagree with here is the severity of their "solution".
MiB wrote:
5) A forum should be a meritocracy, not a mediocrity.
MiB, in more detail wrote:
The proper incarnation of a forum is one where people, and their ideas, are judged by all who wish to congregate there as good or bad, on their own merits (or lack thereof.) A filter, rules, moderators who delete posts and ban people for being mean or uncivil or just annoying prevents each individual from evaluating the person or idea as mean or uncivil or annoying or not, and ignore them or engage them - as they choose, not as someone else chooses.
Hmm lots of word there... For the benefit of those with lesser vocabulary.
mer·i·toc·ra·cy ( P )
n. pl. mer·i·toc·ra·cies
A system in which advancement is based on individual ability or achievement.
A group of leaders or officeholders selected on the basis of individual ability or achievement.
Leadership by such a group.
me·di·oc·ri·ty ( P )
n. pl. me·di·oc·ri·ties
The state or quality of being mediocre.
Mediocre ability, achievement, or performance.
One that displays mediocre qualities.
There must of been an error... Understandable...
Main Entry: mediocracy
Function: noun
Definition: a system where mediocracy is approved; a government by mediocre rulers
Etymology: mediocre -ocracy 'government'
Hmm. not that flattering [/pedant]
Ok, I have no clue what you were trying to accuse the forum's system of being, but I can deal with your Ideal.
I would think that to this date, and even now, we ARE a meritocracy. Now from what I know, (correct me if I am wrong) only three people have been banned. 1st, Creed, who I find to be the most controversial of the three. Creed didn't like Poe and bashed him on Poe's own forum. He was weeded out quickly and branded "Troll". Then was a guy (I cannot remember his name) who purposely used corrupted code the fuck up the forums. Kyhm spent days fixing up that mess. His banning was just and expected. Then came Grey, we are all aware of his case, so I won't revive it. In all cases the peoples "Merits" were negative in nature, a detriment to the society as a whole.
Creed, I feel was a sacrificial lamb, he was brought to the forums to be hated. His fate was decided before he arrived. That just tastes wrong to me. I actually think that MiB was around for that. He never complained. The other was a hacker, he deserved his fate. Grey wasn't just an asshole, he actively sought out people to hurt. The suggestion of ignoring him reminds me of public school bullies. Ignore the teasing and it will go away, all the while the line between teasing and harassment is blurred to the point where the bullies get away with anything. His merit was Negative, and he should have been removed long ago for that. No, we let him stay because of tolerance, your ideal would have him banned with the Kali incident.
MiB wrote:
6) We do not use the Internet, we are the Internet. To remove one person is to cut a part of the Internet off from everybody.
Wha?
MiB, in more detail wrote:
A forum is made up of people. It is not some independent entity that can make up discussions on its own accord. Censoring someone is in effect cutting a part of the forum off from the other. There are almost no justifications for that. It doesn't just keep one person out, it keeps the people who have a right to evaluate that person's opinions and ideas and character from evaluating them as freely as they could. As freely as they almost always should. It is not something simply done because some people are offended or unhappy with someone.
On the flip side, Grey drove off, I think, three people. I would like to think of it as cancer surgery. This becomes an issue of Death Penalty or Not. A contentious issue.
MiB wrote:
7) The Exiles are a reaction against the dumbing down and dissolution of what other forums once started out as. We are the alternative.
I call Bullshit. But to give it full credit...
MiB, in more detail wrote:
This is a reaction to the continued dissolution of what we have joined this forum for, in large part: the freedom to speak our minds, without fear of breaking some rule made to make sure someone isn't offended or hurt by it. We are against what the forum is becoming: a place that is largely catering to the lowest common denominator. We have, therefore, reluctantly created an alternative to this in the hopes that it will some day return to what we loved it for.
You can pull that bullshit with other people, but not with me. I've earned the title of Necromancer and Archiver due to reading the beginning of the forums. Grey would never have survived then, and his longevity on the forums is a biting comment on how far the forums have drifted from their original incarnation.
I know, however, what you are saying about the decline of the forums. With WI's departure and Yevaud's MIA the majority of the intellect has left here. But this brings me back to entropy. Intellect will not show without effort. The Royal Court of Unfounded speculation has been allowed to decay for too long. As the current steward is missing it falls upon either Icy or I to breath life back into it. I personally have made it my mission to revive the PoPPI. I hope to slow or reverse the decay in the hallowed halls.
My actions I hope will bring about your desire.
The Manifesto wrote:
In the hopes that it will some day return to what we loved it for.
I wish for a return to the time we were not infected with the Hatmongers ways. I wish for return to the days where the Court was a place of beauty, not an empty hall. I call for a return of The Exiled, those who ran from the Hate. I call for an end to the Drama, to the sensitivities. I call for the removal of the rules. We have need of them now that the Hatmonger has left. I call for us to forget the strife the Hatmonger brought. I call for a renewal of what we had.
I call for us to Grow again.
- Chaos_Descending
Chaos Devotee
Member of the Posse of Pedantic Pseudo-Intellectuals
Owner of a (Stale) Ninja Cookie of Long_assed Multiple post replies
Member of the 900 Club
A Forum Necromancer and "owner" of the Archive AI
P.S. I corrected a number of spelling errors, I'm just too lazy to bold them.