Deep Breathing

Day 808, 10:57 • Published in Ireland Ireland • by einberliner

Dear eIreland,

This is a game. It's a game we're prone to taking seriously - hell I myself recently fixated so hard on getting FM just in case Ireland ever needed me that I pretty much eBankrupted myself - but it's still a game.

Yes, it's an involved game and very political in nature. We're going to disagree, there's going to be debate and a need to question the decisions our public officials make. People will make mistakes, decisions will have to be reviewed, there will be machinations that people do not like. I'm all for all of that, I even enjoy it when it's done with maturity.

But for the love of God all the sniping and melodrama around here is getting migraine-inducing. There's going to be a degree of mud slinging in any political situation, and a small degree is acceptable, but atm it seems like that degree is something like 360 (which I know it isn't, there's plenty of people involved in discourse and debate around here that are operating with a great level of maturity and displaying fantastic levels of integrity, even when faced with the brattishness of others).

This isn't a particular dig at anyone. I've seen people who I like a lot get involved in all of it as well as people that I don't like or don't even know, I've seen people who I otherwise agree with at it and I've seen people who I couldn't disagree with more too. It just seems to be a general thing around here right now that people are making things, or taking things that aren't, very personal/personally. Often to the point of nastiness.

It tires me. And honestly it kinda cheapens what you're saying if that's how you're acting, as it's the sniping that's going to stand out. Even if I think you're right - I'll be entirely honest here - when you get patronising/insulting/highly offended over small stuff I pretty much instantly find myself reviewing my opinion of the entire thing, and occasionally even starting to the lean the other way. And note I said small stuff. Of course if someone says 'You're a [insert whichever insult here]' you've every right to lose your cool, though there'll always be some people who can take that better than others.

And God, the melodrama - have you seen the ads going on today? I don't know who put them up and tbh I don't care, they're just symptomatic of a general problem around here. Because they don't say "This is what I'll do right...." they say, "THIS OTHER PERSON IS OMG WRONG!". Incidentally they make accusations that the articles they link to don't appear to back up at all (at least not the ones that I've seen), which is just sloppy work. And yeah, I voted for Edana, but I'd feel just the same if I'd seen similar regarding Dubh, who there's no denying works his butt off, or Thomas Page (who honestly I don't know at all).

I'd like to see more constructive criticism, or more criticism that is along the lines of 'I don't agree with x because of y, and if I were in that position I would do z'. And God I'd like people to realize that the phrase 'I don't think you're right' (and variants thereof) don't mean 'I think you're an idiot and you're worthless'. I disagree with some of my closest friends, in RL and on here, all the time. It's allowed, it's fine, just because your idea/opinion/whatever is well-thought out doesn't mean there aren't alternative equally good ideas. Sometimes there is no right answer, sometimes there's a hundred right answers, and you can't please all the people all the time, that's just the way of it.

Also, re: one ad because it's bugging me - it's manifestos. Not manifesto's. I figure if I'm gonna be venting I might as well get it all out in one go.

Now I'm not even calling for peace here because I doubt it'd do much good. It'll become 'but he did this' or 'but she did that' and cba, I really can't.

But if you're similarly sick of this crap please consider voting up this article, or even just commenting on it, because I'm sure the majority of the actives here in Ireland are done with it and maybe those involved will see for themselves how many people they're boring/alienating/upsetting/exhausting/a ngering/other [delete as appropriate] and they might take a look at themselves.

We've had a phase of this before, things settled. Here's hoping that this time it happens sooner rather than later because I swear, it's RL Irish pride that keeps me from getting citizenship elsewhere some days, not eRep Irish pride. And we've plenty people - good people, experienced players and fighters and politician - around here that aren't RL Irish, there's no RL world tie to keep them here if we don't cop on and God knows what the newbies must think of us at this point.

Surely if we can agree on nothing else we can, most of us, agree that we want what's best for Ireland? Because this current snarky climate we have is only good for anyone hoping to do harm around here.

Anyway done ranting. This is not any kind of manifesto, just in case people think it's motivated by ambition of some kind. There'll be no Donut-run Ministry this coming term and I prol won't stand for TD either, I'll be proud CO of the Munster Rangers but in no other position for the foreseeable future, partly due to RL and partly due to need for a rest.

With love for the country, and most of the time for the people in it,
Donut