A Response To The Continuing Tension Inspired By Michelangelo3

I was debating wading into this again, and seeing the open letter to megadrive was the nudge I needed. My apologies it will be both lengthy and controversial and is sure to make several on both sides of this contest of wills agitated with me. I will try to be as concise as possible, despite only having two hours of sleep as I type this.

First, I will address the so called gang which I already have commented elsewhere I didn't and don't view as a conscious collaboration, more of a water rising to its own level. When one builds a community those within that community will obviously have similar interests and by nature will support one another over others who don't share interests. An example is I don't care for art, or I despise the whole selfie narcissistic scene. Of course they don't get my support, and those who I appreciate do.

Using the way one votes this would be my gang,

https://steem.uber.space/blurt/outgoing-votes/?Acc=practicalthought&Anzahl=8123

In order of Rshares

• rycharde

• freakeao

• elkezaksek

• northern-tracey

• leifasaur

• ajerkoff

• blurtyield

• angelica7

• double-u

• michelangelo3

And that is my top 10 all time vote rshares since coming to Blurt.

Having said that, there is a truth still to the idea that there is a manipulation that takes place at times. Megadrive (and Tekraze) isn't just imagining that there are manipulations taking place. There are several, and they do indeed originate with double-u.

This became apparent to me when he seemingly out of nowhere (I say seemingly because he obviously uses Discord a lot despite saying he is against it) pushed to force a vote to end all delegations. I'm very thankful to megadrive and the witnesses who stood up and said no.

This further became apparent in that same push when he reached out to ctime to discuss something in the privacy of Discord. I guess that it wasn't something all of us were to know though as when ctime told him he doesn't do Discord the thing needing to be discussed was not worthy of the rest of us seeing what needed discussed.

Logical conclusion of that intent is that there was to be pitched a combined united front to coerce/force the desired outcome in some new form. For sure the fact it wasn't shared publicly after the refusal to meet in the shadows of Discord doesn't suggest it was harmless.

On to the IDUVTS tag. While I see how you conduct yourself and do believe that you in no way intended for it to be discriminatory, it quickly became apparent to me by the very blunt comments made by double-u that it was going to be used for such, at least by himself.

I knew immediately when he asked the Foundation to add a feature to hover over ones name in comments to see the home page of the person that it was to further his openly stated proclamation of no support for anyone using the VTS.

One would have to be pretty dim witted not to understand that much like street gangs having to wear their colors, if one didn't wear this badge that it would be smiled on by him and perhaps others you were to be excluded.

I even wrote a post on it, which I'm pretty sure you read my thoughts on despite not being supportive of. I wish to return to this shortly in this lengthy comment.

Like it or not, it is evident for those willing to see that double-u does push his weight around here. I think some of you who associate with him are getting tarnished somewhat unfairly because of the association, some maybe not so much.

While it is somewhat understandable that he feels he has a lot invested here because he does, that doesn't mean that his motivations and intent is good for everyone. It doesn't mean he owns all of this and can just ram his every desire onto the rest of us.

I watched quietly as afrog melted down and left, his accusations at that time still in the back of my mind as I've watched so much unfold since then. In my opinion in his case, given how much I grew to respect and like them, there is surely some fire where there was smoke.

There is definitely a factor in life we see where those with power have many who will mirror that powerful persons every thought, to gain whatever benefits that will bring. Which in the case of those who are finding themselves on the receiving end of displeasure from these powerful persons will most definitely appear to be a mob of conspirators regardless.

A social community will always be a reflection of life. Different views, tensions that will exist even at times among those who are close. Many times in these relationships there will be a dominant one and a submissive one. It is the rare relationship where the two are strong enough to hold their own when opinions and desires clash, and don't take it personally when they do.

They don't damn one another for opposing views, because of how they treasure one another. Yet will not be silent in damning the view itself. One of the most powerful songs I've ever heard on this exact issue.

https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/gunsnroses/dontdamnme.html

So I send this song to the offended
I said what I meant and I've never pretended
As so many others do, intending just to please
If I damned your point of view, could you turn the other cheek?

That last line contains such a powerful truth. The key to the social dilemma. Whether cohesion can be had for a large community to form from smaller ones, or whether there will be hatred among the smaller ones because there simply is no turning the other cheek.

I'm a hard man, and I know this. Yet it is this hardness that allows me to speak up no matter who is presenting the idea is. But that is where it must remain. The idea. I'll give a further example of this.

I'm guessing it's pretty apparent now that I don't feel a lot of kinship with double-u. It's hard to when week after week one sees a continuous flex to manipulate. And worth mentioning as well, the way he went after Tomoyan was disgusting. The fact that he felt not enough saw it the first week he did it, but had to share it a second week for those who might have missed it doubling down on the manipulation. Anyway, back to the point.

Despite all of these barriers I see that ensure he isn't someone that will generally be in the glue of my personal community, I don't hate him. I hate many of his ways, and many of his ideas he wishes to foist on others. But I also can see the many good things he does as well, able to see it and not damn him for speaking his point of view. Wary yes, damn him as a man and refuse to see when we align, no.

An example was most recent, one that sent all of these pent up energies loose after such buildup.

The idea that Blurt would officially get involved militarily as a blockchain. I was relieved to see that after consideration and seeing how many of us weren't for that a change in course was made. Before moving on to my point, I wish to use this to contrast the many manipulations I've spoken of with double-u.

If this had been an idea by double-u I have no doubt that there would have been no reversal in push. Perhaps a biding of the time while a new form of attack was planned. So we can clearly see how one path is respectful of the communities, the other seeks to bend the communities to their will.

Anyway, the point.

I saw that post saying we were doing this, and I upvoted every single person weighing in their against the idea of getting involved officially in a military way.

Every single person.

Including double-u.

Because I don't damn double-u just because he at times tries to force the chain down paths that don't respect property ownership. In this case double-u the man held/holds a point of view aligned with my own. So I upvoted him for it.

My path to Blurt was a different one that his. The experiences that shaped us, the views we hold to be truths in the limited perception bubbles.

And despite my harsh assessments and words here regarding him, I in no way have ever felt he would seek to destroy Blurt. I believe his intention, based on his path that led him here feels his ideas are for the betterment of Blurt. I feel different on many of those ideas, but regardless he is not operating as some monster out to crush everyone because he would see the chain fail.

So, I speak up when I believe he is wrong. Keeping in mind that in areas outside of these disagreements, there is always fertile soil that could produce a crop of agreement.

That approach is the ONLY WAY a large community built of smaller different minded communities will EVER HAVE A CHANCE AT COHESION.

To further highlight my point, I would like to mention Elkezaksek in relation to myself.

Based on the list of my gang up above, you can see she is third on my list.

What makes this amazing using only a cursory glance is the fact that she and I are so vastly different in beliefs. I have no doubt if we were in the same room and many topics came up that by the end of the conversation each of us would be shaking our heads wondering how the other could be so dense and misguided.

And yet

Under all of these differences, I still can see her heart. Can see the vast amount of good she does for others to try to alleviate their pain. None of the truths she holds from her path that I disagree strongly with is what makes up who she is. They are points of view I damn, not HER. She is a woman of action who pushes to take action and make a difference to ease suffering.

We, all of us, are trapped in these bubbles of perception. Bubbles that protect us by the ideas we embrace to ourselves as truths. Ideas that are often wrong, especially when as many seem prone to doing, don't question the ideas being foisted on us by so called experts from the time we were children. One needs a strength to walk through ideas while suspending attachments to see the real energy behind a thing. To see the heart behind it.

Right now, as I watch what continues to degrade with folks powering down. Foundation member quitting while urging others to quit as well I see a bunch of folks who seem stuck on damning everyone else for their point of view. Not just the point of view itself.

This routine so many seem stuck in, to make it always all or nothing will never allow for anything but small communities to exist.

It will be curious to see if there will be a calming point where all involved in this highly charged situation will be able to look past the many problem areas that have been festering for some time because they have been held in unspoken. Or if healing can somehow take root here as everyone looks to themselves and asks in what way(s) they have been a catalyst for causing this enmity.

Can look at those they consider standing across the chasm that separates their desires from the other and see the heart of the person, and that heart doesn't qualify them as an enemy. Just the idea(s) that heart might be embracing.

Will be curious to see who will upvote this post 😆

Doing so could jeopardize what gang one is allowed in :/

I know, lets start our own gang. We can call it Blurt.