- Joined
- Apr 9, 2018
- Messages
- 1
I think the substance of this post isn't in the actual complaint, which is full of speculation and just uses Fakku as a sort of bugaboo (not to mention the histrionic reference to EEE), but the fact that MD as a platform has rapidly become powerful enough to be used as a cudgel against non-compliant groups. I mean, even if Holo states the screenshotted messages are out of context, it remains inappropriate to redirect fan anger toward scanlation groups. It's strange to see MD staff, particularly the administrator, publicly scoff at scanlator decisions when the platform is predicated on respecting their wishes.
This thread is proof enough of how powerful MD has become as a platform. Scanlators receive absurd amounts of vitriol and hate for choosing to not use MD. When scanlators attack or accuse MD, of course MD staff should defend themselves and the platform, especially as a way of reassuring other scanlators. But I also think much of this scanlator drama exists in the public as a sort of back-and-forth, it tends to be treated as if all parties are equal. This almost inevitably results in dissenting scanlators receiving a barrage of hate, as they aren't part of platforms that can absorb the reverb. Hence:
Again, just reading through this thread evinces that MD has a powerful - and, IMO, well-deserved - hold on all of us, both due to its convenience and due to genuine belief in the project.
Scanlators are not powerful individuals or groups. The major takeaway of the post, I think, isn't "MD isn't a neutral platform because it plans to silo our content and Fakku us all into poverty," but that it isn't a neutral platform in how it respects scanlators. That MD respects scanlators more than [x] aggregate site isn't always a strong defense...and it can even become a form of strong disrespect, the kind that K***manga couldn't even dream of accomplishing for the simple reason that no one trusted them in the first place. That's exactly the way Holo's screenshot rubs me.
I think this is a wonderful place, and that this exodus is an overreaction. But I sympathize with the view that MD speaks softly while carrying a big stick. It's only been a short while, but MD is already a juggernaut...and I think the "hold" it has on all of us very easily becomes a stranglehold when staff are incautious in their conduct.
This thread is proof enough of how powerful MD has become as a platform. Scanlators receive absurd amounts of vitriol and hate for choosing to not use MD. When scanlators attack or accuse MD, of course MD staff should defend themselves and the platform, especially as a way of reassuring other scanlators. But I also think much of this scanlator drama exists in the public as a sort of back-and-forth, it tends to be treated as if all parties are equal. This almost inevitably results in dissenting scanlators receiving a barrage of hate, as they aren't part of platforms that can absorb the reverb. Hence:
Again, just reading through this thread evinces that MD has a powerful - and, IMO, well-deserved - hold on all of us, both due to its convenience and due to genuine belief in the project.
Scanlators are not powerful individuals or groups. The major takeaway of the post, I think, isn't "MD isn't a neutral platform because it plans to silo our content and Fakku us all into poverty," but that it isn't a neutral platform in how it respects scanlators. That MD respects scanlators more than [x] aggregate site isn't always a strong defense...and it can even become a form of strong disrespect, the kind that K***manga couldn't even dream of accomplishing for the simple reason that no one trusted them in the first place. That's exactly the way Holo's screenshot rubs me.
I think this is a wonderful place, and that this exodus is an overreaction. But I sympathize with the view that MD speaks softly while carrying a big stick. It's only been a short while, but MD is already a juggernaut...and I think the "hold" it has on all of us very easily becomes a stranglehold when staff are incautious in their conduct.
