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Gaian Day Of Silence: October 13 |
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After quite a bit of careful thought, I have chosen to support and participate in the Gaian Day Of Silence protest scheduled for Sunday, October 13.
What the organizers have asked is that people not post, and preferably not log in, to Gaia Online for one day to make visible what happens when the players leave. Which the incessant pimping of Gaia Cash is doing.
I have chosen to participate not because I think the Gaian Powers That Be are going to look at the site that day, and proclaim "My Goodness, How Could We Have Been So Blind? So Short-Sighted? The players DO have a point, and we must change our direction Right Away!" In fact, I'd be completely floored if they did. Change just doesn't work like that. And anyone who is expecting one day of people not posting/logging in to have that kind of effect is doomed to disappointment.
There are other reasons I think this is a worthwhile endeavor, starting with the sayings "It is better to light a single candle than sit and curse the darkness" and "Things cannot get better without change". Doing something almost always trumps doing nothing - in this case, doing nothing (on Gaia, at least) IS doing something.
Another big reason for me is that I am *very* interested in what the Gaian Powers That Be will or will not do in response to this protest.
As I mentioned earlier, recanting their increasing pressure to GIV US UR MONEEZ is probably not going to happen. I put the probability somewhere lower than my odds of winning the lottery. Since I don't buy lottery tickets, it's mighty low.
The most likely reaction will be no public reaction at all. The Gaian Powers That Be will go about their business as if nothing unusual is happening. What actually happens behind closed doors there in San Jose may be a whole 'nother kettle o' fish, but I expect no official notice. This is the way of corporations.
Public acknowledgement isn't as important as private discussion when it comes to corporate change, anyway. But that's another entry unto itself.
What I fear might happen is that the Gaian Powers That Be get snotty, and do something juvenile like create a special object or achievement that you can ONLY get by logging in and posting on Sunday October 13. This would be a pure power play on their parts, a demonstration that the addictive allure of pixels or numbers or words under your avatar is stronger than any abstract principle.
Such an action would send two messages. The first is arrogance: "See? You ARE lab rats. We know what makes you tick and we can manipulate you because we have you by the short and curlies." It's blatant disrespect.
The second, however, is fear. The fact that a company that is always screaming that they are short on resources chose to spend some of those scant resources combatting a player action shows that they took it seriously, that they were afraid of the results. Taking *any* active countermeasure means they're engaging in battle because they think there is a chance they might not win.
But that's all hypotheticals; I don't know what's going to happen. But in lending my own support, I help us all find out. (And I've written it all down here just in case any of these things do come to pass. You'll have heard it here first.)
I'll admit there's also an element of selfishness in here. I've been playing Booty Grab to the limit daily mostly to help friends and support tanks. Since they killed zOMG and Flynn's a** has more or less killed vending, there's really not much else I enjoy doing around here, and I'm bored shitless. A day off, especially if tank owners have pulled their fish, sounds wonderful.
So there's my reasoning as to why I am supporting the action, and why I will be pulling my fish and not posting on Sunday, October 13.
I encourage everyone to think it through for themselves and follow their consciences. What I discourage is harassing those who choose differently - and that includes making it difficult for them to follow through on their decisions.
(*)Please note that I reserve the right to make an "oops" login from my phone. Sunday is a gym night, and after my first set I always log in for the Daily Crap from the iphone app. It's habit at this point. I will do my best to NOT do this, but if I do, I'm only human, and it does not change the fact that I'm not really here.
ETA: if anyone is doing the Seven Tanks Challenge for Pesty Elf's Giveaway, I have moved the challenge day to Mondays until further notice.
purplewiz · Tue Oct 08, 2013 @ 07:55pm · 3 Comments |
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