Active member
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2018
- Messages
- 301
Hi there,
over the last year, and especially the last weeks, we've seen a major shift of the local atmosphere towards a weather combination of bushfire, supercells, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions and the rising of Atlantis. I think we all secretly enjoyed a bit of popcorn as shit got flung around and stuck to walls, ceilings and faces.
At the same time though, I really think peace is overdue. From the general vibe I'm getting, there are A LOT of people who just want this over with. Some of the posters in this forum (special callout to @Serelanordir for his great work in this post: https://mangadex.org/thread/93461) have done their part towards this end and I applaud them for their insight and willingness to put themselves out there.
My first message should go to the community, because we are the biggest player in this drama.
Our numbers are an absolutely crushing force and our very human mob-mentality acts as a force-multiplier to our ability to convey our opinion, whichever shape that may take. Because this is the internet, we are awfully likely to just spew the first assholery that comes to mind without thinking about the consequences, because we won't really have to suffer them. There are too many of us for any consequences to stick around, because our numbers represent a business opportunity to business opportunists.
Please note here that "business", while always committed to transactions, does not necessarily refer to financial transactions. Transactions of fame, of status, of consumer goodwill and any other form of power, are viable targets for business too.
In other words, if one scanlator decides to go hops, along with their successful series, somebody will see the opportunity and plug the hole, because they see that they'll get something out of it.
Think about it. What better way of starting your work, than having everybody stroke your ego, because you replaced a hated group and graciously offered what they took away?
Don't worry about it though, this is human nature and therefore entirely natural to us. I mean, why would anybody waste their time scanlating anything for us, if they didn't get something out of it? How would that be fair? (Clarity: I'm perfectly fine with this. I know and use this to get what I want myself. Everybody does, literally, from the time they were children.)
I just want you to realize what kind of creatures we humans are, and to incorporate that understanding into your decision-making processes, for the sake of maturity.
Please, dudes, think about what you're posting. Think about the shitstorm your post is going to kick lose, if another 999 people post the exact same thing you just did. We have the powers of numbers. Don't underestimate that power, understand how easily this power can mess everything up. We have a responsibility too, and the damage our collective ignorance causes is enormous.
My second message should go to MD, because you have control that you are unwilling to admit to.
Generally I like you guys. You've overall done a great job at MD and there is definitely a reason there are so many of us. You've got the numbers of how many of us there are, but because they only recently got so big, you probably haven't understood the magnitude of it all just yet. It looks to me like you're still stuck in the mindset of a small aggregator site, thinking that if you shook your stick, not much would happen because you haven't realized how big it is. Your technology has caught up to your user numbers, but your diplomacy department certainly hasn't. You need to grow up and see the power you have and admit to it. Your irresponsibility allowed much of this to happen. You cannot allow yourself to remain ignorant of this. I know, it's like herding cats, but you do have control over us. Your statements carry weight, don't pretend they don't.
With that weight comes the ability to put out fires faster than ANYBODY ELSE on this site. Use it. You are humans, the same transactional rules that apply to us (the community), apply to you too. If you can prove your maturity, you will be granted respect and status by the masses. You were given much of it simply by being MD, but there is more to be had. Get it. Learn diplomacy. Use the tactic of turning the other cheek to win a bigger bottom line (this is called diplomacy).
My final message goes to the scanlators, because you're not the victims either.
With every choice comes a cost, and you offloaded most of it on the unrelated. (Intentional non-use of "innocent". Hard to be innocent with feces on faces.)
You too have power, as the ones offering services. The human mind assigns values to everything and always creates contracts, even if doing so is unjust. One such unjust contract is the very human entitlement. "You've given me 50 chapters of this, so I have a right to more of it, because I gave you my attention."
It's bullshit, but you can't escape it. It works the same way that conclusive action does. If you put money in a vendor machine, you enter a contract with the company that put it there, to give you what you want to buy in return. This makes sense, but you still rely on the company to actually hold up their side of the contract, with no ability to test ahead of time whether they will do so.
Maybe the example with the vending machine doesn't make sense to you, because you're not getting actual money from (most) of us. But, may I remind you, financial transactions are just one possible form of transaction. Attention is also a viable currency, because getting some of it leads to getting more of it.
You may not consider all of this just or fair, but by pulling your translations, especially with no warning to most of us, you basically broke contract and incensed those of us, who just follow societal rules without thought. I personally do think, and as a result don't care, because I know that somebody else is going to see the opportunity and step in to replace you to take that value for themselves. Most consumers don't think that far, or at least ignore that thought while starting the shitstorm.
This is your power. You have the finger on the trigger and the ability to kick off a shitstorm at any time. Don't use it, because once the feces start flying, they'll stick to all the faces. (Clarity: The ability to kick of shitstorms is connected to your ability to pull chapters. It's your nuclear option. Don't wanna hit that button, if you're not prepared for the consequences of excretions on all the faces.)
over the last year, and especially the last weeks, we've seen a major shift of the local atmosphere towards a weather combination of bushfire, supercells, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions and the rising of Atlantis. I think we all secretly enjoyed a bit of popcorn as shit got flung around and stuck to walls, ceilings and faces.
At the same time though, I really think peace is overdue. From the general vibe I'm getting, there are A LOT of people who just want this over with. Some of the posters in this forum (special callout to @Serelanordir for his great work in this post: https://mangadex.org/thread/93461) have done their part towards this end and I applaud them for their insight and willingness to put themselves out there.
My first message should go to the community, because we are the biggest player in this drama.
Our numbers are an absolutely crushing force and our very human mob-mentality acts as a force-multiplier to our ability to convey our opinion, whichever shape that may take. Because this is the internet, we are awfully likely to just spew the first assholery that comes to mind without thinking about the consequences, because we won't really have to suffer them. There are too many of us for any consequences to stick around, because our numbers represent a business opportunity to business opportunists.
Please note here that "business", while always committed to transactions, does not necessarily refer to financial transactions. Transactions of fame, of status, of consumer goodwill and any other form of power, are viable targets for business too.
In other words, if one scanlator decides to go hops, along with their successful series, somebody will see the opportunity and plug the hole, because they see that they'll get something out of it.
Think about it. What better way of starting your work, than having everybody stroke your ego, because you replaced a hated group and graciously offered what they took away?
Don't worry about it though, this is human nature and therefore entirely natural to us. I mean, why would anybody waste their time scanlating anything for us, if they didn't get something out of it? How would that be fair? (Clarity: I'm perfectly fine with this. I know and use this to get what I want myself. Everybody does, literally, from the time they were children.)
I just want you to realize what kind of creatures we humans are, and to incorporate that understanding into your decision-making processes, for the sake of maturity.
Please, dudes, think about what you're posting. Think about the shitstorm your post is going to kick lose, if another 999 people post the exact same thing you just did. We have the powers of numbers. Don't underestimate that power, understand how easily this power can mess everything up. We have a responsibility too, and the damage our collective ignorance causes is enormous.
My second message should go to MD, because you have control that you are unwilling to admit to.
Generally I like you guys. You've overall done a great job at MD and there is definitely a reason there are so many of us. You've got the numbers of how many of us there are, but because they only recently got so big, you probably haven't understood the magnitude of it all just yet. It looks to me like you're still stuck in the mindset of a small aggregator site, thinking that if you shook your stick, not much would happen because you haven't realized how big it is. Your technology has caught up to your user numbers, but your diplomacy department certainly hasn't. You need to grow up and see the power you have and admit to it. Your irresponsibility allowed much of this to happen. You cannot allow yourself to remain ignorant of this. I know, it's like herding cats, but you do have control over us. Your statements carry weight, don't pretend they don't.
With that weight comes the ability to put out fires faster than ANYBODY ELSE on this site. Use it. You are humans, the same transactional rules that apply to us (the community), apply to you too. If you can prove your maturity, you will be granted respect and status by the masses. You were given much of it simply by being MD, but there is more to be had. Get it. Learn diplomacy. Use the tactic of turning the other cheek to win a bigger bottom line (this is called diplomacy).
My final message goes to the scanlators, because you're not the victims either.
With every choice comes a cost, and you offloaded most of it on the unrelated. (Intentional non-use of "innocent". Hard to be innocent with feces on faces.)
You too have power, as the ones offering services. The human mind assigns values to everything and always creates contracts, even if doing so is unjust. One such unjust contract is the very human entitlement. "You've given me 50 chapters of this, so I have a right to more of it, because I gave you my attention."
It's bullshit, but you can't escape it. It works the same way that conclusive action does. If you put money in a vendor machine, you enter a contract with the company that put it there, to give you what you want to buy in return. This makes sense, but you still rely on the company to actually hold up their side of the contract, with no ability to test ahead of time whether they will do so.
Maybe the example with the vending machine doesn't make sense to you, because you're not getting actual money from (most) of us. But, may I remind you, financial transactions are just one possible form of transaction. Attention is also a viable currency, because getting some of it leads to getting more of it.
You may not consider all of this just or fair, but by pulling your translations, especially with no warning to most of us, you basically broke contract and incensed those of us, who just follow societal rules without thought. I personally do think, and as a result don't care, because I know that somebody else is going to see the opportunity and step in to replace you to take that value for themselves. Most consumers don't think that far, or at least ignore that thought while starting the shitstorm.
This is your power. You have the finger on the trigger and the ability to kick off a shitstorm at any time. Don't use it, because once the feces start flying, they'll stick to all the faces. (Clarity: The ability to kick of shitstorms is connected to your ability to pull chapters. It's your nuclear option. Don't wanna hit that button, if you're not prepared for the consequences of excretions on all the faces.)
