Periodically, I take a hiatus from the web and focus in on issues in my "real" life. Currently, my plan is to give up everything except email until I either sell a manuscript or finish the manuscript I'm working on.

However, the big difference between now and previous hiati is that I have no enthusiasm for returning to Sluggy.Net, even when my hiatus is over.

For the last four-and-a-half years I've considered this my home on the web. I've been a regular and (I believe) respected poster. I don't know if I've changed or if the site has changed, but I no longer feel at home --or even welcome --here. This used to be a haven from the racism, trollery, flamewars and general shallowness of teh interweb. I don't know what magic protected this place, but apparently the shield is down.

This is not to say there are not still good people, intelligent posters, and the rare-but-still-sightable worthwhile thread to be found here. There are a lot of people I respect and admire here still (and hopefully anyone who still wants to be in touch with me will note down my email).

I've learned never to say never, and perhaps I'll feel differently by the time my break is over. However, in either case, I'm posting this (here in GC, although I know it belongs in Intros) because I'm hoping it will open a conversation about what image we united-fans-of-Pete want to project.

Here are three things I've noted:

1) To be honest, I feel there's been an undercurrent of racial hostility that has flourished here in the last several months. Although some have accused me of being overly sensitive, I'd like to point out that I had been here for four years without ever feeling that way previously. In fact, in 31 years of life I've only once previously been in an environment that gave me the same uncomfortable feeling.

Although I've had issues with various posters, I'm not targeting anyone specific here. I think we as a group need to consider the environment we create. During my time here I've often (as far as I know) been the only regular poster who is black, but I've never before felt that the atmosphere itself was racially exclusionary in terms of basic outlook.

2) I feel that Sluggy.net is currently undermoderated. I have nothing but high regard for the current slate of mods, but there are too few of them, and they seem busy and distracted.

3) I think POOP is no longer a good thing for the boards. On the one hand, it has robbed GC of some of the substantive discussions we used to have there, and on the other, it has become a flame-heavy repository for the same kind of talk-but-don't-listen conversations you can find almost everywhere else on the web.

Anyway, I post this out of love for the s.n community. If not, I would just be gone without a trace, like so many before me. All the best to everyone, and perhaps you'll see me delurk one again in some future Sluggite Age (by which time, hopefully, I'll be a rich and famous author!).

kitoba

I'm sorry to see you go, Kitoba. I've always enjoyed your discussions-even though I'm not immersed enough in the matters you debate to add to them-and their absence will hit the community.

And I see where you're coming from, especially in the POOP-related aspects. When it first started, it was just good, clean discussion. But now, there's a lot of...well, like you put it, flaming discussion in there.

Still, though, best of luck with your next ventures, and I hope you'll return again in the future.

I don't agree with you there. To me, there seems markedly less general aggression and bitchiness now than a few years ago (say, 2001-2). I was usually too scared to post back then, feeling I would be at best ignored and at worst ripped to shreds. I find Sluggy.net is far more peaceful now.

My first reaction is that it's you that's changed (not necessarily that there hasn't been a change in attitude to race, that's a related but separate issue) - maybe you've just 'grown out of it'. Happens to most after a while, it seems. If you do decide not to come back you'll be sorely missed, though...



I'm not seeing it, but of course that doesn't mean it's not there. Can you give concrete examples of this trend? I've noted some posts that I've thought were prejudiced, but always from specific posters, not as a generalised thing.

Another thing - as you say, there aren't many regular black posters. However, there are plenty with various other non-white and racially mixed backgrounds. Do you think the racism you've seen is only against blacks or against all non-whites?



What should they be doing that they aren't doing? I think a heavier mod presence would only annoy. As you say, most people are pretty polite round here so laissez-faire seems a good approach for moderating. Reactions is the board that needs the most modding - for speculation and for trolls. Sometimes there's a bit of a delay, but things get cleaned up well withing 24 hours. Are you saying it should be quicker, or were you making a different point entirely?



Well, that's why I haven't joined it! But I think 'flame-heavy' is too exaggerated - yes, people are passionate, but they're meant to be! The moderators seem to me to stamp on anything that gets really out of line pretty quickly and I haven't seen anything I would say qualified as flaming or trolling. On the other hand, I do tend to avoid threads where I think passions might run higher than I'm comfortable reading, so maybe I'm not qualified to comment on this one.

I do agree that GC is a bit too 'lite' at times, and it would be nice to have some more issues-based discussion, but at least by confining it to POOP you give those of us of a sensitive disposition the option to stay in the warm, shallow end of the Sluggite pool. I think that's a worthwhile function.

It was interesting to note, in the recent outbreak of poopyness in GC, how much more careful people were about avoiding causing offence in their posts. Maybe this indicates that the problem is POOP's rules rather than its existence - people are taking 'oppinionated' to mean 'gloves are off' rather too often.



And thanks for doing so! It can only be a good thing to discuss these things. And thanks for putting it in GC where even the cowards can weigh in... ;-)

All the best with the book!!

I'm sorry to see you go, Kitoba. I've always thought of you as one of the smartest people on these boards, and one of the kindest. I take your departure as a sign of the general malaise around here.

But there is still good here; a lot of good. Sluggy.net is a conversation which has lasted for years and will last for years more--just because we've talked the night through doesn't mean we should go home.

I apologize for those whose attitudes and actions have led you to this.

Goodbye, Kit. You will be missed. I hope you return someday.

Thanks for your comments Kitoba. I've enjoyed reading your posts.

I hope the specific posters haven't made you generalize to a community, but I think I've seen some posts that have disturbed me at times.

I don't have much of a clue of what the actual make up of the community is.

Good luck with the book writing.

So long and thanks for all the games.

Aww man! This guy leaves right when I start getting interested in this forum again.

Well, another one bites the dust, I guess.
It's a real shame.
I'll miss you, kitoba, and you probably never even noticed me...

Damn. Well, I'm gonna miss you, Kitoba--and I sure as hell hope you get that damn book published soon. I've been waiting four years for it.

Good luck with the book, kitoba. I wish you all the best. I've never had anything but respect for you and your opinion.

Darn. Now the avarage IQ of the boards is going to drop a couple of points.

You'll be missed, even if I didn't always agree with you!

Hey,

I wasn't really planning on posting again, but I thought I'd do one last check in before I start my hiatus at midnight (EST). And I wanted to say I'm genuinely touched by the things people have said here. If I didn't make it clear, there are still a lot of people I'm really fond of on sluggy.net, including the vast majority of the people who just posted in this thread.

Anyway, one way or the other, I need to do this time offline for my own mental health and the sake of this manuscript, but I'm definitely leaving with a better feeling about Sluggy.net than I had just a few hours ago.

Stay well, everyone. As I said, I'll still be on email, and I promise, if nothing else, to pop back in when there's finally news about one book or the other (or even the third "mystery" project known only to one among you).



how do you think I feel!

Peace out...

A belated good bye and good luck. The board is loosing one of its most thoughtful.

..."Where the trolls of the internet prowl
You can't keep me in your forum
I'm going back to my pen

Back to replotting and drafting my book
Joining the publishing set
Oh I've finally found that my future lies
Beyond old Sluggy Dot Ne - eh - et. Ah- ah - ah -Ah. Ay - ah ah... ah."

Sorry, neurotic compulsion to compose Weird Al-esque tunes at the mere suggestion of a lyrical commonality.

Seriously though Kitoba, good luck, I've left permanently a couple of times myself.

I don't really sense the racial hostility on the board.

There has been an increase of discussion on racial topics.

I'm sorry to see you go, but I really think that things would settle down if you gave it just a couple weeks. Because, those racial topics were only reactions to current events, and it's easy just to ignore POOP if you wanted to.

The belligerent posters who ignore what everybody else says are the vast minority.

--

Oh, and one thing to add -- I recently left a music forum I loved because of general meanness. It got to the point where whenever I said anything about anything, certain posters would bring up historical arguments to use against me and attack me, and the mods did absolutely nothing despite repeated attempts to get them to take any kind of notice at all. Trust me, if the meanness and lack of moderation drives you away from Sluggy.net, you will never find a web forum you'll actually want to post on.

Well, presumably you've started your Internet hiatus now, so you probably won't read this, but nevertheless I'll add my voice to those saying goodbye, good luck, and that I hope you will return.