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I think that's a great idea, I just have no idea how to do it. The discussion also lasted for about an hour and a half (I think, it could've been longer), so a log would be very long.

As someone who believes that the discussion on the Discord was not a witch-hunt, can you please post a complete log of said discussion for those of us who do not wish to visit the Discord? I suggest posting it in reply to Desdendelle here.

hS

I would agree, but Ix wasn't thinking straight when they posted. It's completely not their fault that the medication caused them to feel like this. And I do have experience with a situation similar to this. My sister was on a medication with side effects like the ones Ix described, and she said some pretty awful things a few times that she would never have said otherwise. Therefore, I have first hand experience with how medications can impact what people say.

Additionally, about the "witch-hunt" you mentioned happening on the Discord chat, we were merely trying to decide how to proceed with investigating Ix's accusations of bullying. That's not a witch-hunt.

I would also like to add that if Ix hadn't been on medications when they posted, then I would expect them to be ashamed.

As Neshomeh has rightly pointed out, Iximaz has mental health issues that can lead to her not being 100% rational all the time. This is very clearly one of those times.

What you have just said is extremely close to "Iximaz should be ashamed for having a mental illness".

hS

I've said as much elsewhere, but you also need to be aware of this: Ix caused something despicable to happen and it's very much something to be ashamed of.

First of all, getting rid of the permanent invite is jumping at shadows. At no point did we have a problem with someone abusing it to return to the channel after being kicked. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Second, are you ready to accept responsibility for kicking someone unjustly? Are you ready to face the consequences of that, whatever they may be?
Third, I don't get how we (or rather, you guys who were around for that) could've stopped what happened two days ago. If you could go back in time, you'd go and kick Ix from the channel at the middle of her shouting? Would that solve anything?

July is a human being whom I happen to trust and respect a great deal, despite, I feel it relevant to note, having personally fallen out with her in the past. She's not perfect, but none of us are. We all have our issues, and none of us deserves to be treated as an acceptable target whenever something goes wrong. She has feelings, too, and it is not acceptable to tread on them with impunity.

I can't let this go unsaid: Iximaz is a wonderful person whose presence we value, and they do deserve to be taken seriously. However, we cannot properly do that without also bearing in mind that their mental illness, and sometimes side-effects of the treatment for it, means that they are not always 100% rational. Let us strive not to fall into the trap that turns understanding and accepting into enabling. This is as much for their sake as for ours as a community. It doesn't help anyone to encourage them to persist in destructive behaviors (internally or externally directed), and we can't be bending over backwards and changing the very structure of our community every time something goes wrong with someone's meds. This is a pattern at this point, and I would rather not see it play out again if we can avoid it.

Just to be clear, I don't mean this as a criticism of Iximaz. I state that they have a mental illness not as a slur, merely as a fact. I mean only to encourage a deeper understanding of their issues and more responsible behavior toward them on the community's part.

~Neshomeh

The Discord chat (or specifically, the people present yesterday) owe(s) July and apology for the witch hunt conducted against her yesterday. I don't think a discussion about bullying can be held in clear conscience while that's still in the air.

It was wrong of me to say what I did and I'm sorry. I said things in anger that should not have been said and were unfair accusations.

I said it in a post below, but it's a bit buried, so I'll say it here, too:

Please know that your health and well-being are very important. Take whatever time you need and do whatever you need to do to feel stable before thinking you need to engage again. Like hS said, we'll be here when/if you're ready to come back.

~Neshomeh

I agree, I think the people who were specifically called out deserve specific apologies.

In general, too, I feel that this community has a great deal of patience, understanding, and forgiveness in it, and I think its members deserve the same from each individual in return, especially considering the immediate, maybe even extreme reactions that take place in an attempt to make restitution and set things right every time something like this happens. We're not perfect and never will be, but I don't think you'll find a community that tries as hard as us to do right by everyone here. That must not be ignored.

That said, Iximaz, your health and well-being are very important. Please take care of yourself, take whatever time you need, and do whatever you need to do to get to a place of stability. Like hS said, we'll be here when/if you're ready to come back.

~Neshomeh

...for Ixi to not only deliver a general apology for their outburst, which they did, but also to apologize to the people they called out by name in said outburst on a more personal level. Referring to everyone else around here as bullies is one thing, but accusing several Boarders of specific, individual actions they perceived as being offensive is a different albeit related matter.

I know I'm not the foremost authority on handling instances like this, but I've dealt with tense periods like this before in multiple online communities. Based on what I do know, I feel that even if everyone accepts a general apology there are those who will still feel that the person in question has yet to address specific issues with them in particular.

Be that as it may, I accept Ixi's general apology, in part because from what little I was aware of when all this escalated I doubted that they'd had a clear head when they posted the outburst in the first place, what with the effects of their drugs and such. This acceptance comes with the caveat however that personally talking with the people whom they specifically called out would also help a great deal and is recommended as well, so that everyone who got dragged in has a role in defusing and ultimately resolving this kind of situation.

Just take a step back for a bit, give yourself as much time as you need.

You owe SeaTurtle and Zingenmir an apology for saying that they didn't give a rat's ass about your feelings.
You owe the Board-at-large an apology for calling everybody here bullies.

But most of all you owe July an apology. Even if you didn't mean to, you've set off one of the ugliest witch hunts I've seen here against a person who wasn't around when you were coming off your meds, wasn't around to defend herself against all of the accusations and mudslinging, and has zero ill intent toward you. Your actions made people consider publishing July's private conversations in public. You've basically made her feel like you're driving her away from the Board. She was unjustly scapegoated because of your feud with her. At the very least you owe her an apology.

This went downhill very quickly. That is all

You'll always have friends here when you're ready to come back.

-hS and Kaitlyn

We all know that you're going through a difficult time. Just know that we'll be here waiting with open arms when (and if) you decide to come back.

Actually, your post was surprisingly beneficial, in that the PPC is now looking at some form of reconstruction, which (quite obviously) needed to happen.

I wish you the best of luck in whatever you choose to do, and I hope that you will find true happiness (I mean, what kind of a friend would I be if I didn't hope that for you?).

Have a seal:
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/54/ef/9a/54ef9a417ffa92309dccfbe59112cb4a.jpg
:)

Frankly there are more questions than answers at this point, but here's a few thoughts from how the Discord seemed to be leaning:

* Impeachment would be carried out by community vote. A member of the community with a grievance would state their grievance in a board post and present their evidence, and there would be a voting and discussion period opened to the community (1-2 weeks?) where it is determined whether or not the grievance merits removal, or possibly some other sanction.

* Moderators would be either newly selected, or empowered PGs.

* Moderators would not get a vote in impeachment proceedings, for reasons relating to potential conflicts of interest.

* I jokingly suggested we dispense with the idea of democracy and just appoint hS king of the PPC, but I don't think anyone would like that.

As for your other questions, I'll have to come back to this. The traits and skills that make a good moderator are obvious. The process to select and prove them, not so much.

I've been withdrawing from a medication with nasty side effects like anger outbursts and hearing voices, and I posted in a moment of rage. I know that is not an excuse for what I said and I should have known better. I just hope that can at least provide an explanation for why I did what I did.

That being said, I think I should stay away for a while to let things cool down.

I'm so very deeply ashamed and can't say I'm sorry enough.

Any time something bad happened in IRC, you had calls to dispense with it entirely. Wouldn't have fixed the problem then, won't now.

I mean that. Have fun. Be who you want to be. If the PPC has no place in your happiness, leaving is totally fine. If we were making your happiness impossible? I don't blame you for leaving. All of us should have been there for you.

I never really knew you that well. I never heard you accusing July. I never saw the cruelty. But I still feel like I should have been there for you more.

So go forth and do wonderful things, Iximaz. The people here who love you will be here if you want to talk to us again.

I've been sans-Internet the last couple of days due to moving to a new apartment, I'm tired, and I'm sick of crap like this, so I'm not going to say much right here.

However, I think it is important to note that neither July, nor Ekyl, nor GlarnBoudin have been particularly active, nor—as far as I'm aware—so much as spoken to Iximaz since the incidents she mentioned as driving her to self-harm, quitting, etc. I have strong feelings about things like this due to Tray-Gnome's attempts to turn the community on me by claiming I was making them feel unsafe just by existing, despite also not having spoken to them since one single incident where we had an Issue (which I had apologized for and taken a leave of absence after, incidentally). I don't think this paints a picture of people who are bullies.

More when I'm more sane, please don't burn down the Board while I'm otherwise occupied, thanks.

~Neshomeh

However, as it stands now, who would we choose? The PGs? Ignoring current events and questions, I'm pretty sure they're not chosen because of their finely-tuned moral compasses. They're chosen because they can look at somebody's work and determine, well, whether or not said person is ready to write for the PPC. Unfortunately, however, they're basically the highest authority figure we have around right now, so if we wanted to make the position equivalent with previously existing structures, that is who would get the job.

Also, there is the question of qualifications. What makes somebody good for the job? How do they prove they fulfill those requirements? And, of course, what do we do when somebody looks to meet them, but falls short in practice? As I believe you mentioned an impeachment process in Discord and it might as well be brought here, what on your thoughts on how that would work?