Goodbye

Author: bsh1

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bsh1
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Aloha, DART!

This is, I believe, the final time I will be addressing you as Chief Moderator, or indeed a member of this site. I am about to submit, via PM, my formal letter of resignation to DebateArt.com (Mike) in order to allow the site to move beyond my modship.

In the last few days, there have been several controversies regarding my tenure as moderator. Some of these controversies--particularly those regarding the Hall of Fame--were manufactured. Others, particularly that regarding Press, were not. The latter case was a genuine and serious error in judgement on my part that cannot be undone, and that will forever undermine my credibility and standing on this site. For that reason, I can longer be a moderator.

Moderators must be above the fray, not within it, and certainly not the cause of it. They must exemplify the kinds of behaviors we seek to promote on this site, and not lower the bar with their mistakes. They must be unifying, active, encouraging, and well-liked. And, importantly, they must have the support of the community. I have lowered the bar beyond what I--and others--consider acceptable, and I responded to the problem in a way that was itself reprehensible. I must acknowledge that, and in that acknowledgement, I must understand that it is time for me to step aside.

I wish first to apologize to anyone hurt or disappointed by my actions, esp. Press. I wish them and him well as they move forward. I wish also to thank those who have been so helpful to me during my time as a mod here, including Mike, Virt, Castin, Speed, Supa, and others. They are good people who will continue doing an excellent job of handling the site's business. Good people can be hard to come by, and I will forever count myself lucky to have stumbled into their paths. Finally, I wish to thank the users here, who have created such a fabulous, caring, and truly wonderful community. It was an honor to be part of it.

In my last official act as Chief Moderator, I will be recommending to Mike that he replace me with Virt and replace Virt with Castin. I will suggest a few other names for the Chief and Deputy Moderator positions in the event that either is unwilling or unable to serve or in the event that Mike would prefer to choose someone besides them for those roles. It will ultimately be up to Mike and the parties he chooses to consider to decide how those positions will be filled. 

My resignation will be submitted at 1:00am, EST, on 10/28/18. This brief delay will allow me to formulate my letter to Mike and bring all moderators up to speed on certain pieces of information that they will need to know prior to my departure. I believe that Mike will accept that letter of resignation. I will be asking Virt to close my account once I have confirmed that Mike has accepted my resignation. I believe my remaining here will not be in anyone's best interests--though I may briefly return at Christmas in order to wish a few people well and to provide them with details so that we might keep in touch.

Again, thank you to everyone who has been so helpful in getting this site going and in helping moderation develop. If you have any questions about these developments, please post those questions here and I will attempt to answer them to the best of my ability. This community, both on DDO and on DART, has been a part of my life for 6 years now, and I would not be who I am today without it. For parts of my life, this community has been the best part. You all mean the world to me, just as this place does, and I am sorry I couldn't be better for you. I am deeply disappointed in myself. I know that you will continue to thrive without me, for I was never that important anyway, and it is my sincerest wish that you do continue to thrive. Show the world and the web that good, honest debate by good, honest people isn't a thing of the past. So, this is where I tip my hat and bid you all farewell. Goodbye, and godspeed. 

Aloha,
Bsh1, Chief Moderator


Speedrace
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@bsh1
WHOA DUDE WE LOVE YOU AND I'M SO SORRY WHATEVER HAPPENED DUDE I WISH YOU THE BEST
Speedrace
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@bsh1
Can you direct me to the Press thread? I haven't even heard of this I'm so confused 😭😭
David
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@bsh1
Over the past year, I have thoroughly enjoyed working with you. I have come to seriously respect you and consider you a good friend of mine. 

PressF4Respect
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@bsh1
25K Achievement: Damn...


Speedrace
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@bsh1
Just figured it out. I had no idea. I can't help but feel as if this wouldn't have happened if I had never accepted the position. I'm really sorry.
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@bsh1
This (post to gather pity) could have been avoided if you'd acknowledged your mistake and genuinely apologized. Your lack of remorse leaves me with a distaste and honestly, I used to like you so it's a pity you didn't mature over the years. I am sorry for kicking you while you are down (this is one way to apologize by the way) but I suggest you find some way to work on yourself to handle the responsibility of being a moderator and deal with the personal issues we have discussed privately that lead you to this point. 

bsh1
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@Speedrace
You had nothing to do with it, so do not be sorry. They were my errors.
Wylted
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I volunteer as the community leader to take over in the interim until a replacement is found 
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@Speedrace
This is not your fault. Bsh1 is the only one to blame for his actions. 
Annie_ESocialBookworm
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I would also like to thank you for making the mature decision to step down from your position, given the circumstances.  
PressF4Respect
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@bsh1
Thing is, I knew that it was a joke, and took it as such. I didn't feel threatened or harassed by the post at all. And tbh, my friends and I joke about less-than-ideal things all the time. There's no need to apologize, and this resignation is completely unnecessary. 
bsh1
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@PressF4Respect
I am heartened that you didn't take offense. I think the resignation is necessary. I reached out to a few people to get their perspectives--sometimes that's necessary just to shake your mind free of it's own defensiveness--and decided that this was the best step. 
Vader
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Shoot. I am shocked to hear this. A bit of a stunner. 

I hope you do well in whatever path you take in your life, and may the force be with you 
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@bsh1
bitch why you leaving smh we were supposed to go to space man
RationalMadman
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Thank you all for making the right moves.

Your mistake was not taking heed when Coal told you that you had gone too far. Coal is top dog and that will always be true.

We must sit and appreciate that the chief moderator is Virtuoso, this is the absolute best thing to happen to the website's leadership since its start. Thank you for not making a huge commotion bsh1, we will see the true future of DART begin to unfold!
bsh1
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This is the note that I sent to Mike just a few minutes ago:

Mike,

I just wanted to thank you for trusting me enough to appoint me as DART's first moderator. I truly appreciate the opportunity to serve--it meant more to me than you probably realized.

I think, however, given the recent controversy, it is time for me to step down. If you will accept it, I would like to offer my resignation, effective at 11:59pm, US Eastern Standard Time, tomorrow (Oct. 28, 2019). If you are amenable, please let me know so that I can make the community aware of the next steps in this process.

I recommend Virt as my replacement for Chief Moderator and Castin as a replacement for Virt as Deputy Moderator. If either of them are unwilling or unable to serve, or if you would prefer someone else, please consider [redacted], [redacted], and [redacted]. [Redacted] and [redacted] would also make excellent deputy moderators.

Again, thank you so much. I wish you all the best with continuing to make DART awesome :)

-Brian
Again, I expect him to accept this resignation. When he does, and I am aware that he has, I will update this thread with that information, as well as any other information as may be pertinent.
Vader
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Goodbye Bsh1. It was a pleasure being a Liasion under you. You will grow from this

As King George said, “The most honorable man is the one who steps down from power.” He was referring to George Washington, the GOAT of Presidents


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@bsh1
I have come to find this community similar to DDO, with many of the same pitfalls, but devoid of some of the people that I found DDO great. As a result, I've stuck almost exclusively to the games forum. I cannot truly speak to what happened, but it seems from my limited information you made a serious mistake.

I think that your decision to step down as head moderator is the correct one. Like you said, mods should be above the fray. Good on you for recognizing that.

Thank you for your efforts to make this community (and DDO before it) a better place, including this decision. I, for one, appreciate that in your final act you're attempting to make the site a better place.

If this is the final contact you and I have, I wish you well. Have a good life.
Speedrace
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Given my recent role, I'm going to make a thread responding to this tomorrow, after school. I hope everyone sleeps well.
RationalMadman
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Virtuoso, you have truly earned your position, congratulations.
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@RationalMadman
Thank you, RationalMadman. I look forward to serving the community in my new capacity. 
Castin
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@Annie_ESocialBookworm
This (post to gather pity) could have been avoided if you'd acknowledged your mistake and genuinely apologized. Your lack of remorse leaves me with a distaste and honestly, I used to like you so it's a pity you didn't mature over the years. I am sorry for kicking you while you are down (this is one way to apologize by the way) but I suggest you find some way to work on yourself to handle the responsibility of being a moderator and deal with the personal issues we have discussed privately that lead you to this point. 
Given that the person he made the remark to said he was quite all right, and that no harm was done at all, I'm not sure who you expected him to apologize to. You, and all the other people who were offended? That is just not how it should work, and yet I see it working more and more like that in PC culture.

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@bsh1
Well, this is a bit of a shocker. Good luck in whatever you choose to do, my good sir.
Vader
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@Castin
PC Culture is toxic...extreme PC culture is inherently a violation of the 1st amendment 
RationalMadman
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If you don't want to be politically correct, you don't get to have a politically powerful position in your community. That's all.
Vader
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Fair enough. I have enough PC to refrain myself from doing anything dumb
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@Castin
I'm not sure why it isn't common sense to you that it isn't okay for a 24-year-old to make sexual comments to a 16-year-old. You say "no harm was done at all" but I'd like to think of the moral and legal repercussions of this. Please use the good brain that was given to you. 

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@bsh1
It's so sad to see you resign over... basically nothing.

Anyways, like the rest of the DART community, I will deeply miss you being head mod, and I wish all the best for you in the future.

Shit... I'm just wondering how it went so wrong, and what caused it.
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@Vader
PC Culture is toxic...extreme PC culture is inherently a violation of the 1st amendment
Don't forget silly, tribal, and overreactionary. Doesn't matter if the person you addressed wasn't offended, you still have to apologize to the whole world and everyone's feelings. The mob won't relent until you do.