As most people who know me are aware, I was recently kicked and banned from #41plus by a small group of people who chose to impose their personal preferences and dislikes on an entire channel and have used standard bullying tactics to claim exclusive rights in deciding who may and who may not be on that channel.
It has come to my attention that people who have spoken up to protest this action have either been shouted down, insulted, or been verbally beaten into submission and silence by a gang of bullies citing arbitrary rules that the channel never set.
I am very grateful for the care and support of all who have had the strength of purpose and courage to put their principles and ideals on the line and speak up. Character is very important to me, so it is no accident that you are my friends, and whether your support came loudly and publicly, or quietly in private messages, it is all noted and more than appreciated - it is cherished.
However, as much as it is appreciated, it is really not necessary. For a long time I have watched the channel I helped bring into existence and have enjoyed for so long , deteriorate. Many of the people whose charm and wit I looked forward so much to sharing have either left entirely , or have become more and more silent on the channel as conversation has become increasingly vacuous, vicious, mean-spirited..or just downright uninteresting - with the bully faction taking over and imposing their rules and mores on the whole. Gay bashing, anti-semitic and anti-black "humor", insulting Uncle Remus dialects, blatant sexism and other outrages became commonplace, and the only transgression was daring to speak out in protest. More and more it seemed to me like a meeting of a skinhead dating service and my last few months on there felt as if I were watching a horror picture - appalled and shocked at everything going on, but too fascinated to stop looking.
Several people voiced similar feelings and expressed a wish for a place where we could gather and enjoy each other's ideas and points of view. We wanted an open, accepting channel where people were welcomed because they were interested and interesting, regardless of age, location, or any other consideration. Thus #Ageless came into being. The people who made #Ageless their home, or a favorite visiting spot on the net, did so because that is what they wanted as well. The desire was real and genuine, since they have been, and continue to be, harassed by the same faction who decides what may or may not take place on #41plus. They were and are insulted, hounded and ridiculed for daring to go someplace the "leaders" of #41plus deem unacceptable. Bullies never seem to understand that adults make choices freely and neither require permission, offer apologies, nor seek approval for what those choices are.
#Ageless as a growing and dynamic channel is better discussed in our vision statement, as #Ageless is not my channel, but rather a cooperation of friends and friends of friends and is run by everyone and no one. But, as #Ageless has grown and evolves, more and more it has become the place I want to be and my online home.
The time I was spending on #41plus was more in defiance than from a wish to be there. I wanted to serve as an irritant to those who so openly wished that anyone who spoke up to say "this is wrong" would disappear, and they could continue believing that bigotry and ignorance was entertaining and clever. I was wrong in making that choice. That is a terrible reason to be anyplace.
IRC is a place of recreation, knowledge gathering and dispensing, sharing and fun. #41plus no longer offers that to me and I am simply not interested in paying the price of waging a war I did not start and never agreed to participate in, to be somewhere I don't want to be in the first place.
So, for those of you who are protesting this banning on principle, simply because you think it is wrong, no matter what personalities are involved, more power to you. You have my respect and support. For those who are upset because it is me, please do not allow that to interfere with your enjoyment of online time. I no longer want to be a part of #41plus and it and the things said on it, hold no interest for me, so the ban is really meaningless. Please save your precious time and energy to battle Titans, not ants.
I care about you and am more grateful to you for your support and caring than you will ever know. See you on #Ageless!
- Iris
