Re: Hate Thread
I hate online figures of authority.. Admins, mods, donaters with just a bit too much power, regardless what they're policing, be it forums, a game, or even just a chatroom.
There's a whole spectrum of stupid behaviour you have to witness and put up with around them, which I will kindly note for the sake of being "that guy"..
1. The oppressive overtones.
An online figure of authority should be treated the same as anyone else, the same way a cop should be treated as a regular human being. But it's very clear people online with positions of power make it very obvious that they are not afraid to use said power to effortlessly whisk you away into the void if you decide to pick on them, the big stinking cowards. And so whenever someone decides to say anything negative about one, they have to follow mandatory dictatorship procedure and immediately fall back to acting like it was all just a little joke to save face, lest they risk showing an ounce of honest dissatisfaction for their uncaring scary overlords..
2. The mask of apathy
A normal functioning human being might ponder why online figures of authority even get away with acting like that, when it'd be clear that being a sore thumb in a pile of perfectly severed non-sore thumbs would make them a bit of an enemy among the public they've sworn to keep in line. But when approached with said problem, every single admin, and most moderators do the exact same predictable thing.. They act apathetic.. Be it the "I have work, and a family, so that instantly justifies my acts" card, or the crowd-favorite "playing it off and acting like a class clown, vaguely mocking or belittling themselves in an attempt to 'act like everyone else'." or the most-common, "Acting like some kind of wolf who's the alpha of the pack, literally just using the very thing they've been accused of as a template for their behaviour, whilst putting up a neon sign over their head saying 'deal with it, bitch'.".. But regardless which method they choose, most of them are so pointlessly token that it's a wonder they ever get away with it.. Typically because the only ones who don't tolerate it are usually the ones who mysteriously disappear.
3. The nepotism
Usually with most small-scale communities.. Well, let's be honest here, with ALL small-scale communities, the rank of power one ends up with it is entirely based off of the relationship with the main admin, and nothing to do with said person's ability to actually moderate, keep the peace, or maintain the place, and thus, when said community grows, you get the lovely productivity paradox of a team of moderators who can't moderate for shit, but keep their inner rankings iron-clad, effectively segregating themselves from the regular civilian users, when in the real world, moderators are supposed to be woven into the community, to help them understand and watch over it better, as opposed to looking down over it from their ivory tower.
To give a fair conclusion, I understand the vices and temptations with
having power online, and if offered it obviously I wouldn't do any of the
above, but I'd assure those who gave me it that I'd find some way to be
just as antagonistically annoying, because I am aware that I cannot handle
power.. Power isn't for everyone, you need a certain mindset in order to
handle it properly, or you become "just another shit-head authority", that
everyone smiles at but secretly loathes.. And on some level I'm sure they're
aware of that, and perhaps that contributes to why they act like shit-heads,
but now I talk in circles..