Volunteering for an open source project has been a learning experience.
I have experienced the kindness of strangers
I have been thanked for helping others
I have had the privilege to meet a wide variety of people scattered around this world. This shows me that people have an intense drive to communicate and build.
I have also experienced the cruelty of those protected by their keyboards. This has been the most difficult experience to face. You do something routine, send an off line message you hope to clear things up and then you and others who have spent countless unpaid hours get accused of lying, deception and other random falsehoods from someone who makes money and benefits from your and countless others contributions.
This is the most difficult part of volunteering in an online community. Realizing that those with an ax to grind, an agenda, a fear will lash out and slander you in an attempt to justify their fears and desire for some goal or desire or power. It is even more difficult when these accusations come from someone whom you have provided help and trust in the past but has not been active for the last year suddenly do this.
It is particularly difficult when people use rhetorical devices to cloak their attack. When challenged, they accuse others of falsehoods and consistently ignore questions but answer with oblique mis-directions. It is much like the tactics made famous by Karl Rove.
It makes continuing to contribute difficult, but perhaps that is the goal, to drive out, poison collaboration, distort and cause confusion. That seems to paranoid. Perhaps that is the goal. I don’t know, it’s hard dealing with people’s fears and cruelty.
I am going to try and ignore the attacks and the cruelty but am not sure I will succeed. I don't know that I have that much patience and understanding.
Persevere
Hi Steven,
I can only imagine what precipitated this response *now* (as opposed to all the other times it might have been appropriate), but I have a good idea...
A couple things I've learned by experiencing similar feelings to what it sounds like you are experiencing now:
1. One fool can keep a thousand wise people busy. Sad, but true. Try to take this fact of life into account with humor, patience, and planning, and by sometimes outright ignoring the fool(s). In other words don't be tempted into feeding the trolls (some of them have an endless appetite)...
2. Do what you want to do, when you want to do it, so that you do not end up feeling resentful. If it hurts to give, then don't give. At some point, that's not selfish, it's self-survival. Surely, you will be giving a whole lot less if you're not even around anymore. :-(
Let the good outweigh the bad
He's a fool and keeping a lot of people busy like anon said. I've been trying my best to not let him get to me. Hope you can manage as well. I know he's not the first and likely won't be the last. It's just a sad fact that every community has bad apples. You just have to move on and try not to let them get you down.
There's a lot more of us out there in Drupal land that appreciate all you've done.
Michelle
What is the background info
What is the background info on this? I'm very curious!
Are you talking about this
Are you talking about this thread: [link removed]? Easier said than done, but don't let it get to you.
Its frustrating enough to watch the OP refuse to acknowledge answers to his concerns by continually diverting the discussion, I can't imagine what its like to be included in the finger pointing. Based on what I've observed, I would trust Dries and the DA over DD and any co-op/group-think.
Apart from using up some disk space, that proposal/discussion (?) is going nowhere ...
...
While I have my opinions on the idea this is separate from the person who originated the idea. When that person then starts calling me and another who were only performing our roles on drupal.org names, accusing us of lying and other nefarious deeds, it causes me to lose all respect for them. I and one of the other admins were just doing a routine admin task, nothing more, nothing less and suddenly we are the great oppressors, liars, arrogant, smug and condescending. It is hurtful and destructive.
I and Michelle were specifically called names and accused of misdeeds repeatedly. As far as I am concerned nothing good can come from someone who acts in this manner.
I never said he couldn't post the thread, I wouldn't have locked it, it never occurred to me to delete it. The thread itself was something that would resolve itself given the inflammatory title, intro and approach. He violated policy and the only thing that happened was his post was removed from the front page. That's it. Then he, someone not active on drupal.org for some time, decided to go against a logged reason and re-promote it.
How can you call people names like a school yard bully and claim the high ground?
I'm pretty proud of myself
I'm pretty proud of myself that I didn't take part in that discussion. I felt I had some perspective to give, but recognized early that the thread was one deep and dark hole that was best not to be entered.
Steven, all I can say is that you are appreciated. Those of us on the sidelines know full well which players are important to the team and which are not. You are definitely one of the important players on Drupal's team. It's just too bad that you and others like you don't get hear us cheer for you as much as we do.
-Bryan
Support from a stranger
I just want to add my voice to the list of strangers who say Thank You for the work have done.
If it is the 202638 thread that has caused this angst, I'm sorry to hear that one misguided voice is causing so much trouble to good people. I had stopped reading the thread shortly after it started when I realized that it was going to no place productive. It seems to be mostly theories on top of edge cases in a worst case scenario. And all of that is based on the assumption that Dries has somehow sold out Drupal from day one and is hiding it all in some secret NDA'ed contract. I personally have seen no hint of that. If anything it seems that he has taken steps to keep these things from happening.
Also he seems to state everything as either/or situations, and somehow ignores the fact that improving Drupal itself IS part of Dries job at Acquia
Whatever you decide, I (amongst others) appreciate the work you have done, and hope to see your continued presence here(in Drupal-land) in the future.
Reputations
Given how passionate contributors are about Drupal I'm impressed how little friction there usually is in the community - the majority of the time we agree to disagree, and threads like the one mentioned above are surprisingly rare.
Steven, everyone involved in the Drupal community knows how much time and effort you've put in to helping others, and is in no doubt abut your integrity. Anything negative that anyone says about you is not going to affect your reputation one bit, it will just bounce back and damage the credibility of the person saying it.
Hope you had a great Christmas, and wishing you a happy New Year!
Water off a ducks back...
Sepeck, I still love you. Pay no mind to the troll! He's the one who's going to have to jump through hoops to earn my respect.
You would be missed.
I don't know what caused the conversation to turn the way that it has, but I have learned a lot from the both of you in the time I've been involved with the community.
FWIW, I'm supportive of you staying. I think this will just blow over and I, for one, don't take the personal attacks seriously.Your actions and contributions have and will continue to show people the truth.
Where's the beef?
So where's the link to the source of all this drama? I want the full dirt!
easily found
It's easily found Harry. I have also had someone post a list of propaganda (which I've deleted as this is _my_ blog) ignoring completely the baseless attacks and name calling by the originator. Frankly it taints all they have done.
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