I don't normally comment on these type of threads - it's always seemed safer to stay out of it and not risk embroiling myself in controversy from which I might not escape!
And I think others have said much of what needs to be said on this issue.
I can honestly say that this forum is quite unlike any I have come across before. If nothing else, its size and "busyness", its type and number of features and functionality and all of the various rules and regulations took a long time to figure out in the first place, particularly for a relative technophobe like myself.
Do I think that some of the rules are overly pedantic? Yes, I do.
Do I think they are well intended and, for the most part, constructive and appropriate? Yes, I do.
Have I ever felt that someone has been unfairly treated? Yes, I have.
Have I ever thought that swift action by a moderator has preserved safety of this forum under threat? Yes, I have.
Have I ever felt anxious myself about my role here and possibly falling foul of the rules? Yes, I have.
I've been "notified" twice from memory - once for quoting an entire post (have no idea how that happened) and once for writing in a nonapproved font (no idea how that happened either).
Part of my own concern is that I use a screenreader device which is less than 100% compatible with any forum-based website, and which has some flaws in the case of this site which potentially expose me to breaking the rules. It doesn't always allow me to monitor features such as font style, much less notify me why suddenly it might have reverted to using something other than the approved standard. It sometimes goes "screwy" when I'm trying to quote, hence my choice to avoid doing so as far as possible. Hell, sometimes it even just "stops talking" for no reason!!
For these reasons, it is sometimes impossible for me to check that I have complied with all of the rules, and yes, this does bother me, and sparks a degree of indignance when I do make an error... afterall, how can I fix something I had no idea was even happening.
Thus far, I have been lucky and my infractions have been minor and few. Should it ever become more of an issue, for whatever reason, I sincerely hope that all parties will be able to address and resolve the issue in a civil and constructive manner.
Undoubtedly, if we were to gather 8075 people (according to this morning's statistics) in a room and ask them to interact, under conditions of extreme emotional and psychological stress and suffering, for extended periods of time, there would be conflict, miscommunication, exclusion, awkwardness and unease, almost definitely on a much much much greater scale than we ever witness them here. In large part, I believe that is due to the atmosphere of almost military rigidity which is maintained here. Sorry, but that's how I see it - it's not a criticism, or a compliment, just an observation. Just as in a military unit of that size, I believe it is the only way to maintain order and ensure productivity.
Let's face it, this is not a democracy, nor does it attempt or presume to be. I remember reading the rules upon subscription and rather bemusedly thinking that exact thought, and now, after several months as an active and committed member, my view is the same.
This is not my forum. I take no credit for it, nor am I accountable for it in any way. I choose to be here, or not, and I must weigh up the consequences of my choice and choose the option which most favours me.
If I don't like a rule, or believe a member has been treated fairly, too bad. I either get over it and shut up, choose to take a stand and risk being banned, or sit and stew and feel bitterand resentful. I try to always choose the first option, reminding myself that it is my choice to stay or go, and that is one aspect of control which is mine and mine alone.
It makes me really sad to see members feeling they are being attacked by moderators, moderators feeling they are being attacked by members, etc. It makes me even sadder to see people leave, whether by force or by disgruntled choice. Part of my saddness is my own issue - I know that for so many of us, perceptions of safety vs unsafety are overwhelmingly dominant forces in our lives, and for some of us, this can feel like one of the few safe places in the world. To see another begin to experience this place as unsafe for whatever reason is vicariously triggering for me and potentially devastating for that person.
But it also makes me sad because I do genuinely believe that this is likely one of the best, most productive, safe and educative forums out there on the Internet, and I've been crawling inconspicuously around on the Net for years now, so feel I have a fairly good comparison base against which to make this judgment. Sure, I may be wrong, there may be other equally good places out there, and I hope so, for the sake of those who do not feel comfortable here. But for those who are sufferers or supporters of PTSD, I believe this is a precious resource which we should all have the opportunity to enjoy, and to see that opportunity terminated or restricted by a struggle between the right to freedom of speech, thought and action, vs the right to control and regulate, is really sad.
Personally, this forum is really quite special to me, not only because of its support and sense of safe community, but, on a very practical level, because it *is* accessible to me as a screenreader user, and many many less structured forum and chat sites and services are not. I know that the effort made by Anthony to ensure that this site is compliant, accessible and with what I consider to be extremely advanced functionality, affects only a meagre percentage of the user population. But as one of that meagre percentage, I cannot overstate how significant this is.
So I'll swallow my self righteous indignation when my screenreader decides to play a silly joke on me and write in pink and purple font, I'll choose to feel only silent defensiveness when I read a rebuke from a moderator that seems unnecessarily harsh, and I'll try to play by the rules I didn't set but agreed to comply with, because it's my choice, and it costs me far far less than it earns me to do so.
And if I ever choose not to do these things, I'll choose to leave, or to accept the possibility that I may be removed.
And I'll say a shameless thanks to all of you, owners, moderators and members, who help to make this site what it is. It's humbling to admit the significance that a bunch of people I have never met and whose real names I don't even know, have had and are having on my life.
Maddog
