...and what are we doing in this handbasket?????
Okay - I'm going to try to clear up a few things as far as "forum tradition" and history (Now, as a frumpy librarian, I'm a slave to tradition and as a fog I dislike change and people on my lawn, but I am deliberately trying to keep this post neutral. If I seem to be falling on the side of foggishness... go back and read the previous sentence again LOL!)
If I get anything wrong, please let me know, but here is my take on it:
I think the root of the problem is bored noobs. Children NEED structure - even when they balk at it, they crave it. Noobs have been without structure for a while, here. Nature abhorrs a vacuum, and Letsrock filled the vacuum. For the noo noods who don't even know WHY we call them noods, boobs or Donkeys, why the General is called The General or anything about Beyder's sister, Shpos, Steaky, Parsnicketydoo or Pacman's e-noogies among other oblique references that get thrown around, there's no way you could possibly know that the noob culture here hasn't ALWAYS been uncoordinated. There are several things that have happened recently (but before most of your times) that led to it. I'll try to set up a timeline:
First of all, we have had an organization called OpNSB (Operation Noobs Strike Back) for quite a while. It began with one of the most seriously disturbed and certifiably insane noobs I have ever encountered - Grampa. (http://www.cigarbid.com/Forum/c/posts/91366/ATTENTION-VETS-AND-FOGs--) When Grampa decided to help out on the Noob Trade thread, he was christened a "vet" and passed the torch and title "Donkey King" to Linc., and on and on and on. Eventually it went to an amazing SOTL who goes by the handle Lluvia.
Right around the beginning of Lluvia's reign, however, two things happened simultaneously: In addition to being a single mom and working 2 jobs, Lluvia found herself in a situation where she HAD to put her family's safety and well-being first... nothing minor, mind you - we're talking about a situation where there was a real, physical DANGER that involved moving, new phone numbers, etc.
At the same time, we had a crop of ... well... pretty useless noobs moving through. Not ALL, to be sure... but a LARGE majority were not very active anywhere else on the forum and disappeared immediately after their noob trade. They didn't take part in other trades or bombings, and didn't rally to OpNSB bombings when the Noob Queen called. (From where I stand, noob energy, enthusiasm and participation had been slowly declining over the previous 1 1/2 - 2 previous Donkey Kings, and had really hit a low when it got to Lluvia. Active and enthusiastic noobs were almost immediately "crossing to the dark side" and helping FGM with vet trades. Nothing wrong with THAT! But there were no like-minded noobs coming in to take their places.) Since she really didn't have the time or energy to rabble rouse and try to breathe life into a bunch of dead donkeys, the OpNSB campaigns ended up being carried by a few AWESOME noobs...but no one likes playing by themselves, and there were more fun things going on that they turned their attentions to. I think the economy tanking and giving everyone a financial kick in the crotch contributed as well. The upshot is that everything went on a sort of hiatus for about a year.
Recently, we've had an influx of exceptionally cheeky noobs. Now, I don't think they're NAUGHTY kids... just mischieveous and bored. They needed something to DO... a constructive channel for their noob energies! At roughly the same time,1) Lluvia responded by passing the scepter to someone who had the time and energy to handle the wild bunch, and 2) a particularly ambitious noob remembered to take his Ritalin, found some focus, and stepped up to fill the same void...knowing NOTHING of the existence of OpNSB.
So here we sit: cheeky noob on a throne that he THOUGHT was vacant, and the heir to that throne coming home to find said throne occupied by a usurper who didn't know there was anything to usurp in the first place. NO ONE is in the wrong, as far as I can see...but it presents a problem, doesn't it?
The way I see it, we have some options:
Everyone can take sides - noobs and vets alike. Rather than one, destructive offensive strike, we get two halfazzed strikes and things are set up to descend into chaos and eventually fizzle again. Bad blood flows on the trade board. This rowdy crop of noods with so much potential, finds the divided trade board to be a hostile and unpleasant place to play and becomes less and less active. Neither side is ever taken seriously by the vets, for obvious reasons...and because come on...they're NOOD DONKEYS! (Whoops... did I type that? BWAAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!)
Noods and nood leaders can tell the vets to butt out (I don't recommend it - makes us testy and we'll mind any business we like thank you very much damn noobs coming in acting like they own the place and while you're at it GET OFF MY DAMN LAWN!!!!). Busa and Letsrock can take the matter to PM, email, text message, phone call, candygram, smoke signal or semaphore... just OFF THE FORUM where there's no dog-piling or DRRRAAAAAAAMMMMMMAAAAAAA. They work out something that they feel best benefits the noobs AND respects forum history and tradition (which, whether you know it or not, benefits everyone, including the noobs) with all personal ego and ambition set aside. A compromise is reached, the final solution is presented to the Donkey Herd for their approval or disapproval (Unless they decide to make it an edict rather than a vote.)
(end neutrality)
My personal opinion is this (take or leave it as you like... opinions are like belly-buttons, after all):
I think that the noobs aren't necessarily trying to move in and change forum culture to their liking... but it's looking that way to a lot of people and causing bad blood. Folks who have been here more than a year or two feel much the same way about it as they did about Greedo shooting first. This isn't government work, where if it ain't broke, you fix it till it is! Tradition says that Busa is the noob king, and as a traditionalist, I support him. (HOWEVER... I'm really liking the ring of "Nood World Order" vs "Operation Noobs Strike Back." Less defensive and more offensive... and if there's anything noobs are good at, it's being offensive BWWAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...aah, er... I typed that again, didn't I?)
Busa is a lot more than "haaa" and "tee hee" and "que" - he doesn't often have time to write a novel like I'm doing here, but he DOES at least use those to maintain a presence on the boards AND to lighten the mood sometimes. Busa has a long history of rabble rousing, troop bombing and Noob Trade vetting... whatever the outcome, I think it would be VERY beneficial to the noob coalition to have him on board.
Also, I think that it would be VERY beneficial to a noob coalition to have someone with a few miles on him. Busa knows the cast of characters, who makes a good target, who will squeal the loudest, ADDRESSES...
He is also someone who KNOWS the histories and traditions and can let them in on the inside jokes AND keep them from "stepping in it" all the time.
Cultures are made of history and tradition. We have a unique, strange, screwed-up little culture here... but by and large, that's what drew you here in the first place, and that's what keeps you here, if you stay.
Cultures also adapt, grow and evolve...that needs to be taken into consideration. On that front, I think Letsrock or someone like him NEEDS to be a major player in the noo noob coalition (No, I'm not waffling. I'm an avowed pancake supporter.)The recent noob rampages remind me of the heyday of OpNSB under Grampa's insane reign... and I'm loving it! THAT is what a herd of rabid donkeys is SUPPOSED to look like! They just need to stay focused and coordinated...
Beyond that, at the risk of ticking off the vets, I think the noobs need to tell the vets to mind their own business. I know that Busa-king would not hesitate to tell me to pizz-off... although he'd be a little nicer than that because he knows he doesn't want a woman scorned on his butt! BWAHAHAHA! Plus, I vetted a noob or two, but I never HAD a vet, so I'm a hybrid... I WALK IN BOTH WORLDS! BWAAAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Also, I'm not going to shut up even if he tells me to and he knows it! HAAAAA!!!!
Well, there ya go. I'm a Libra librarian. This is what we do. We seek balance and use a chit-ton of words doing it LMAO!
