I agree. I have been a lurker for a while, occasionally making posts. I found a home on Unmod and visited frequently. People complained about the fad threads, but those were half the fun. Last week, I logged on and noticed many of the popular posters getting banned. There was no warnings of a crack down, no satisfying explanations, and it seemed... cold. My question here is, do the other staff members have a heart? Did they feel any sympathy at all? Have they no shame? I've read this and not seen any real sense of caring from anyone other than DJP. I've lost much of the respect I used to have from the apparent callousness of much of the staff as they do not explain why they advised DJP to delete the forums.
There also seemed to be a lack of empathy. How would Gen Discers feel if tomorrow, without warning, THEIR home is deleted? In my opinion, OCRemix FAILED as a community. to quote from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community ...
"Social capital
Main article: Social capital
If the sense of community exists, both freedom and security exist as well. The community then takes on a life of its own, as people become free enough to share and secure enough to get along. The sense of connectedness and formation of social networks comprise what has become known as social capital.[3]
Social capital is defined by Robert D. Putnam as "the collective value of all social networks (who people know) and the inclinations that arise from these networks to do things for each other (norms of reciprocity)." Social capital in action can be seen in groups of varying formality, including neighbors keeping an eye on each others' homes. However, as Putnam notes in Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community (2000), social capital has been falling in the United States. Putnam found that over the past 25 years, attendance at club meetings has fallen 58 percent, family dinners are down 33 percent, and having friends visit has fallen 45 percent.[4]
Western cultures are thus said to be losing the spirit of community that once were found in institutions including churches and community centers. Sociologist Ray Oldenburg states in The Great Good Place that people need three places: 1) The home, 2) the workplace, and, 3) the community hangout or gathering place.[5]
With this philosophy in mind, many grassroots efforts such as The Project for Public Spaces are being started to create this "Third Place" in communities. They are taking form in independent bookstores, coffeehouses, local pubs and through many innovative means to create the social capital needed to foster the sense and spirit of community.[6]"
We felt secure in our Unmod, with our friends and enemies alike. There were good times and bad times, but that is what makes things great. This was our place to meet. We knew each other, mocked each other, and supported each other. To those that have the "good riddance" mentality, is our community REALLY that different than Gen Disc? There are minor differences, but that is bound to happen. Gen Disc and Unmod are places for us to BS. Unmod is simply a NC-17 version of Gen Disc.
To those that believe OT will fix things, you are sadly mistaken. The bans have created much bitterness in the Unmod community, leaving us feeling ostricized and oppressed. The freedom we enjoyed so much is now at an end as many will be paranoid of future bans, taking away that final thing that we dedicated our community to: Freedom.
As for the pics, they were in VERY bad taste, regardless of intent. I'm on that complains about people being to easily offended, too. It takes a LOT to find something offensive. I don't know about the rest of my fellow Unmoders, but I would like following:
1) Reason the pics were allowed to be taken.
2) Reason why the pics were posted.
3) Reason why there is no public apology for the pictures.
I see a severe lack of accountability on this issue. All that contributed to the pics ended up pouring salt in a deep wound, creating a bigger gap than the society on this site has ever known. It is time for them to stop making excuses and just admit it was not in good taste and act like a mature adult about it.
I'm ashamed at ALL sides in this issue in the fact that the staff refused a compromise on the matter to save the society of OCRemix, to the Gen Discers that are pouring salt on the wounds, and the Unmodders that fueled the justification of the deletion of Unmod.