What's in a name?

Day 3,691, 15:03 • Published in USA USA • by MaryamQ



Hello, eRepublikans!

Recent events have reminded me of a recurring concern of mine in this game we love to hate, that of labeling other players. RF Williams’ most recent article, [FUPQ-07] Be reflective when armed, along with the ensuing discussion in the comments, has caused me to think a lot about what I believe, how I behave, and how I view the words and actions of others in eLife and RL.

To start with, I want to share a little bit about who I am and what I believe in RL, because this largely informs who I am in game. According to the Political Compass, which I feel is pretty accurate in my case, I am near the middle of the left libertarian quadrant.

Economic Left/Right -4.63, Social Libertarian/Authoritarian -5.59


I have consistently tested in this area over a number of years. My Myers-Briggs profile is also consistent over time, strongly INFP, meaning I am an idealist and tend to be a mediator. Friends have labeled me patient and adaptable. I am also endlessly curious about how others think and why, and I do not believe in absolute answers. This means that I rarely take strong positions, often don’t share my positions because I am also an introvert, and can see many points of view. In addition, I am proud to be an active member of a church where people are open, accepting, and stand on the side of love, fighting actively for the poor and oppressed of this world.



Why does this matter? These are labels, labels that only give a limited view of who I am, although I sometimes like to share them to offer a bit of insight into why I think as I do on given subjects. But labels are also weapons that are used to limit other people. Words like “idiot”, “cheat”, “liar”, “pig”, “elite”, “Nazi” (Godwin’s law inevitably at work), “hypocrite”, “retard”, etc., etc., ad nauseum, attempt to force others, usually inappropriately, into neat little boxes tied up with string, to limit the way people who don’t know them may perceive them, and to inhibit their ability to function as free citizens in the eWorld. Insults also often tell you more about the person hurling the word bricks than about the people being targeted.



Anyone who has been around this game for any amount of time knows that these word wars do happen from time to time. I have personally been targeted by populists in eBE and eUK in the past, including by one player who was reported (not by me) for making really crude vile comments about me and my family in public, and who also made RL threats to me and others in private. I have seen close friends subjected to sexist and homophobic slurs or to accusations of dictatorship. Many of us have made sincere efforts to include “outsiders” in our parties, MUs and country governments, only to have some of them turn around and bite us, stealing, insulting, and lying about what happened. Some of these “outsiders” clearly wanted to remain outside, where they could get their fun with their friends by spouting populist rhetoric against those who actually worked to make the eWorld better. In this way, a small number of players may tear down what it has taken years for others to build.



This brings me to the current situation in SFP. I was confronted recently about whether I, as a member of the Revolutionary Committee, agreed to the banning of two players from our forum and Discord channels. I did, reluctantly, as did most of the RC. Why? SFP is a party that appreciates freedom and diversity, but we are human, too. After weeks of insults to and lies about party leaders, some of whom have been active in the party for many years, some of whom have worked throughout their eLives to help and support other players with goods, advice, or damage on the battlefield in their fight for freedom, it was agreed that the atmosphere had become too toxic and was a threat to young players and to party stability. Some of these people, I have called friends for 5-plus years, both inside and outside the game. I know who they are, how they think, and how they approach the game and RL, and I know they have earned respect both inside and outside the party, but people who do not know them and viewed the spam in the party feed would never guess that. Most of us agree that it is better to ignore the onslaught of shouts and comments, but everyone has a breaking point, and many of us have reached that point from time to time.



So, here we are. This is my personal viewpoint. I was not asked by anyone to write this, nor do I claim this to be anyone’s opinion but my own, but it is the truth as I see it. All I ask of you, the reader, is to examine the evidence, look beyond the labels, and decide for yourselves what is true. And please, think before you use labels. We will all be better for it.