#1 ·
New Year's Day, New USA. That’s about how I’d describe this attempt to turn the USA into an Avant-Garde, which is exactly how pompously the director of Anderlon announced it.
So, the question remains: did he actually pull it off? I guess. Maybe.
For those who aren't up to speed, the Avant-Garde crew started things off by installing their "favorite" moderator—the one everyone knows as the forum gossip queen. She didn't bother with an intro to introduce herself to the newcomers, probably because she’s already famous enough around here. I guess the real reason is that she hates those introductory threads; if she actually did one, people would likely call her out, and I suppose that would bruise her ego too much. Before this, they also changed the chat title just to keep the peace at home. Apparently, some people felt insulted, thinking the original name was mocking earthquake victims, even though there was no bad intent behind it. So, they switched it to something more neutral called Virtual Birthplace. But the real breaking point, the thing that caused 30 people from across the US to quit overnight, was when they finally made their "favorite" moderator the head of the US section, something she’s been eyeing for a while. It’s a bit much, considering she was one of the few regular users ever granted access to the Moderator Corner, mostly just because she used to be a mod over at LJES a long time ago. Seems like a waste, I guess.
Honestly, there’s this obvious sense of panic and nerves lately, like everyone is freaking out about whether this chat will finally be full by the end of the month since we haven't started a new one after two months of talking. Even the person on post duty seems to be trying too hard to rush the whole process—using multiquotes and everything just to pad the numbers. It all feels a bit pathetic, I guess, when you look back at how this used to be. There was a time when the chat actually had some soul, with people who actually knew each other, organized meetups, and a community that genuinely brought people together. Now? It just feels empty.
I suppose I agree that the USA was on a downward spiral for a while. It was getting harder to find any decent new topics. Most of the action ended up being just the chat or the horoscope sections. There were some good signs, though—when Shadow (who isn't a mod anymore) and Ludica stepped up to revitalize the USA, things finally started moving in the right direction. People actually tried during the pandemic lockdowns to keep everyone engaged with games and different challenges. I don't think that kind of thing could have happened on other subforums. You just don't see that level of closeness anywhere else, or at least, I haven't been convinced otherwise.
The old crowd got kicked out, and now those resident chat critics who kept whining about needing new blood are finally getting what they wanted. The membership has basically flipped entirely in just a month. People are actually starting to open threads to get everyone talking, but honestly, I don't see much of an actual improvement. The Theme of the Day has devolved into some weird nostalgia trip for a high school clique. We were told only five people are even working on this "project," so why are we constantly undermining the massive effort of individuals trying to spark conversations? They want us talking about avatars, Team Building, what we’d do with $3 million, or checking activity rosters—which is clearly just a way for them to hog the spotlight in the Moderator Corner. I’ll bet anything that if I started a thread about which truck to use for hunting up here in the States, it wouldn't last a single day. But when a troll—who somehow managed to become a mod—starts a thread, and then claims the former Americans are toxic or starts calling people animals, then suddenly everything is fine. It's ridiculous.
I guess people will just say I’m being negative again and that I’m trying to ruin the good vibes here in the States, but honestly, I see very little that has actually made things better. Back in the day, especially when the forums were actually active, this was a place where real people connected. Now? It feels like a daycare center where everyone celebrates topics that would have been shut down instantly years ago for being off-topic. But sure, I'll just be told I'm talking nonsense or that I'm just attacking everyone's hard work. Apparently, if you don't like the moderator, your criticism is automatically invalid. That seems to be how it works now, I suppose.
Even Jeremy Johnson18 called for a chat to see if some kind of compromise was possible, but he basically just screwed us over first before asking how we could fix things and get back on track. So, Jeremy Johnson18, here’s my suggestion: just reach an agreement and remove Latica, then maybe people will actually start coming back eventually. Honestly, though, I don't really believe it'll happen given how much you support her, and since Anderlon keeps pushing these "new ideas" about not punishing or banning people—which would be a massive mistake. That's just my take, because there really isn't any other way. You can't have someone who holds all this info and gossip, who lacks social skills and tact during gatherings, acting as a mod for a subforum where they know everyone. They wouldn't be objective at all if any drama or fights broke out. I mean, I was actually okay with Shadow and Ludica being moderators because I know they'd hold me accountable if I messed up, but even then, I had my doubts. Mods on these social subforums probably shouldn't come from the forums themselves, just to ensure some level of objectivity when things go south.
But the question remains: did the Avant-Garde succeed? The purge clearly worked, because without it, we wouldn't be seeing the current state of the United States; otherwise, there would be way too many people pushing back against certain things. Still, we should try to stay positive and keep things chill, because heaven forbid anyone disagrees with anything.
If there's any kind of statistics showing that this place has become better, more avant-garde, or higher quality, I'd really appreciate it. Anyway, I'm heading out. 🙂
So, the question remains: did he actually pull it off? I guess. Maybe.
For those who aren't up to speed, the Avant-Garde crew started things off by installing their "favorite" moderator—the one everyone knows as the forum gossip queen. She didn't bother with an intro to introduce herself to the newcomers, probably because she’s already famous enough around here. I guess the real reason is that she hates those introductory threads; if she actually did one, people would likely call her out, and I suppose that would bruise her ego too much. Before this, they also changed the chat title just to keep the peace at home. Apparently, some people felt insulted, thinking the original name was mocking earthquake victims, even though there was no bad intent behind it. So, they switched it to something more neutral called Virtual Birthplace. But the real breaking point, the thing that caused 30 people from across the US to quit overnight, was when they finally made their "favorite" moderator the head of the US section, something she’s been eyeing for a while. It’s a bit much, considering she was one of the few regular users ever granted access to the Moderator Corner, mostly just because she used to be a mod over at LJES a long time ago. Seems like a waste, I guess.
Honestly, there’s this obvious sense of panic and nerves lately, like everyone is freaking out about whether this chat will finally be full by the end of the month since we haven't started a new one after two months of talking. Even the person on post duty seems to be trying too hard to rush the whole process—using multiquotes and everything just to pad the numbers. It all feels a bit pathetic, I guess, when you look back at how this used to be. There was a time when the chat actually had some soul, with people who actually knew each other, organized meetups, and a community that genuinely brought people together. Now? It just feels empty.
I suppose I agree that the USA was on a downward spiral for a while. It was getting harder to find any decent new topics. Most of the action ended up being just the chat or the horoscope sections. There were some good signs, though—when Shadow (who isn't a mod anymore) and Ludica stepped up to revitalize the USA, things finally started moving in the right direction. People actually tried during the pandemic lockdowns to keep everyone engaged with games and different challenges. I don't think that kind of thing could have happened on other subforums. You just don't see that level of closeness anywhere else, or at least, I haven't been convinced otherwise.
The old crowd got kicked out, and now those resident chat critics who kept whining about needing new blood are finally getting what they wanted. The membership has basically flipped entirely in just a month. People are actually starting to open threads to get everyone talking, but honestly, I don't see much of an actual improvement. The Theme of the Day has devolved into some weird nostalgia trip for a high school clique. We were told only five people are even working on this "project," so why are we constantly undermining the massive effort of individuals trying to spark conversations? They want us talking about avatars, Team Building, what we’d do with $3 million, or checking activity rosters—which is clearly just a way for them to hog the spotlight in the Moderator Corner. I’ll bet anything that if I started a thread about which truck to use for hunting up here in the States, it wouldn't last a single day. But when a troll—who somehow managed to become a mod—starts a thread, and then claims the former Americans are toxic or starts calling people animals, then suddenly everything is fine. It's ridiculous.
I guess people will just say I’m being negative again and that I’m trying to ruin the good vibes here in the States, but honestly, I see very little that has actually made things better. Back in the day, especially when the forums were actually active, this was a place where real people connected. Now? It feels like a daycare center where everyone celebrates topics that would have been shut down instantly years ago for being off-topic. But sure, I'll just be told I'm talking nonsense or that I'm just attacking everyone's hard work. Apparently, if you don't like the moderator, your criticism is automatically invalid. That seems to be how it works now, I suppose.
Even Jeremy Johnson18 called for a chat to see if some kind of compromise was possible, but he basically just screwed us over first before asking how we could fix things and get back on track. So, Jeremy Johnson18, here’s my suggestion: just reach an agreement and remove Latica, then maybe people will actually start coming back eventually. Honestly, though, I don't really believe it'll happen given how much you support her, and since Anderlon keeps pushing these "new ideas" about not punishing or banning people—which would be a massive mistake. That's just my take, because there really isn't any other way. You can't have someone who holds all this info and gossip, who lacks social skills and tact during gatherings, acting as a mod for a subforum where they know everyone. They wouldn't be objective at all if any drama or fights broke out. I mean, I was actually okay with Shadow and Ludica being moderators because I know they'd hold me accountable if I messed up, but even then, I had my doubts. Mods on these social subforums probably shouldn't come from the forums themselves, just to ensure some level of objectivity when things go south.
But the question remains: did the Avant-Garde succeed? The purge clearly worked, because without it, we wouldn't be seeing the current state of the United States; otherwise, there would be way too many people pushing back against certain things. Still, we should try to stay positive and keep things chill, because heaven forbid anyone disagrees with anything.
If there's any kind of statistics showing that this place has become better, more avant-garde, or higher quality, I'd really appreciate it. Anyway, I'm heading out. 🙂