Hello again, dearest RAF!
For this week's article, I'd like to address a subject that has been at the heart of many of our discussions over the past few days.
More than one of my RAFfriends has noted that lately the veteran RAFians and the RAFpantheon have been acting 'clique-ish' towards the newer and younger members of the forum.
As a veteran RAFian myself, I cannot claim much objectivity on this subject, and I'm certainly not pretending that I'm immune to clique-forming-tendencies. After all, I'm a female with the ability to speak and type. Cliques are hardwired into my genetic makeup.
*ba-dum-pssht! ...yeah... stand-up comedy is not for me...*
I joined RAF nearly a year ago, and I can still very clearly and easily remember what it felt like to be a newbie here. People were nice and helpful, and they were willing to listen and let me have my own opinions. Sure, they argued with me as often as they agreed, but they accepted that my opinions were VALID.
Nowadays... I'm not so sure about us, as a forum. Not to say that I don't consider us still the best forum on the web, because RAF is still RAF, no matter what, but... we've lost a little bit of that tolerance-and-acceptance-and-lovingkindness-for-everyone feeling that we had just a few months ago.
Folks, all I'm asking is that you think back to what RAF was like when YOU were a newbie, and try to treat our current newbies the way you'd've wanted to be treated. The mods can't be expected to do all the work for you, guys.
G'day!
-Estelore
Friday, January 30, 2009
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2 comments:
As usual Estelore, well written & said.
This happens to every new forum, first they spread some roots, form some roots and then they start to form "groups" that exclude new people and make inside jokes and... I've just realized that this happens regardless. Think about any friends you may have, I assume you have funny things that happened with or around them and you reference them randomly in their company and completely baffle anybody not "in the know", I guess it is hardwired into our genetic to form groups and exclude newcomers. Isn't that kind of like xenophobia?
I just realized this was a completely worthless comment. *laughs*
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