((I feel like a lot of what was said in this video is applicable to tumblr, as well, if not the internet as a whole. Such as the belief in elitism, the belief of what effects that elitism has on the tumblr community, follower counts, possessiveness, quality pegging, feeding the rumor-mill via vagueblogs or what have you, and the general need for more positivity in the community as a whole.
I myself am guilty of many of the behaviors above in the present, and in the past, otherwise known as “The Dark Ages”, as my friends and I call it. However, while I am exceptionally bad at saying, “hey, can we be friends again?” I have solemnly reflected on this all afternoon, and think that I, along with many of the other members of the community, should try and exercise that more often. I have had many conversations about RPers that have essentially been “oh, I don’t like that person because they x, y, and/or z to me two years/four months/last summer ago. I understand that sometimes there is nothing that can be done, as has occurred just recently in our community, but I also think that we should acknowledge that people make mistakes. Humans are fallible, and just as they are fallible, they are just as capable of growth.
There is a lot of general negativity that we carry around with us, and I believe that this affects the roleplaying community. But in the end, we are here to write with each other, engage in a motivating hobby, to have fun. A lot of behaviors need to change in order to stop our “self-fulfilling cycle of pessimism”, but I believe that it can, and should, be done. Again, in the end, we are all here to have fun, so that makes sense that tumblr should be a fun place, yes? Rather than the unhealthy and abusive environment that it has been turning into since 2013 or so. Where people block or harass others for writing the same muse as them, for not having as many followers, or not having a popular theme, sending anonymous hate, and judging someone’s writing ability based off of their graphics skills. All of these things have become normative behavior as part of that “pessimistic cycle of I’m Better Than You”.
So how about we all just pause, take a breath, and stop looking at what is different about everyone? Yes, this person may be popular, or that person may have a selective niche, but we are all here for approximately the same reason: to have fun writing with each other. So, let us all do our best to help promote a healthier tumblr, starting with our respective role-play communities. Yes, you may not like someone, or may not feel comfortable around them, and that is perfectly fine: just remember to still give each other a level of mutual respect. Do not send people hate, do not make vagueposts, do not promote a hateful environment, give people a chance to grow, and remember to respect each other. Remember: we are all here to have fun. Or at least, I hope we are.
Hippie Sage, signing off the soapbox, and tagging a bunch of people that I think may feel similarly.))
@quizzical-and-quarrelsome @kiingpengu @wxddle @walkingaloneinthelight @your-loving-spy @flightlessgothamite @bloodthirstybirdbabe @doctorkiebeth @doomedanyhxw @misskringle @norafriies @harharhxrley @askcecewells @phobiiia @umbrellabcy @unriddling @xlousyxshotx @dark-forest-knight @ladyofthespade @interfectors @noxthyme @realityhelix @apathetic-apache @daddies-biggest-enigma