Not for me, but for you guys.
I'm writing this on my way to work on a rainy day at the end of June, but it will be posted when the time is right; when things are wrapped up and I'm ready to say goodbye to this blog - and I guess if you're reading this, that time is now.
Long goodbye posts are a little cliche in my opinion, but I'm writing this because I think what I have to say about my time on simblr and what I've observed here is important and it is not in my nature to leave quietly.
This is not a community. People in a community usually love and support and teach one another. People in a community do not treat one another like trash. I have seen only a little of the former and a lot of the latter.
The way people on simblr pounce on anyone who says/does something they do not agree with is a little terrifying. No chances are given to these people to learn from their mistakes and apologies are picked apart so more blame can be applied. I am built out of compassion and it has broken my heart to see this cycle play out every week of the two years that I have been here.
Because of this cycle, I feel like I am stepping on eggshells every time I make a post - I am terrified of being the next person “cancelled” or the next person to be deemed problematic in some way.
Please do not think that I am calling people over-sensitive; I think it’s incredibly important for people to know that they have been problematic or have toed that line, but I also think it is equally important that these people are given a chance to learn from their mistakes. There is always a small minority of people that will want to remain ignorant and believe they can do no wrong, but you must not let them ruin it for those who genuinely don’t understand why they have upset someone - especially the younger people on simblr.
There are simblrs as young as 13 and 14 years old that are being “cancelled”. These are children; people who are still learning and growing and trying to understand this ever-changing world. Imagine yourself at 13 - you were a completely different person back then. Unless you were directly affected yourself, you probably did not understand things like racism, ableism, sexism and the many other something-isms out there. You did not know what you know now. If someone attacks and publicly shames a 13 year old for something they have done wrong, how will they ever learn what is right? They are being setup to become hostile and ignorant.
It’s also worth noting that the maturity difference between a 16 year old and an 18 year old is massive, as well as 18 and 20, 20 and 22… I have seen 24 and 25 year olds on here berating 16 year olds. That is almost a ten year age gap. This “cancel culture” is so toxic and so vile and I am so tired of it.
Simblr is not a community.
I think hierarchy would be a better word for simblr. A hierarchy is “a system in which members of an organisation or society are ranked according to relative status or authority”. It sounds very familiar, doesn’t it? There is a gross kind of pecking order within simblr - at some point we have all wanted the top spot. Those in the “top spots” appear blissfully unaware of their influence - until someone has done something to upset them. But I have covered that already.
I have watched “big” simblrs copy “small” simblrs without crediting them (this has happened to me and to my friends) - but when a small simblr copies a big one, they are rebuked. I have rarely seen it happen vice versa.
It’s the same cycle every single day. I cannot help but wonder how some people on this site manage to cope in the real world, considering how they choose to behave online.
I’m not saying simblr is the only imperfect place on tumblr, but I have seen and been in more positive spaces. This is what I have observed in the two and a half years that I have been a sims 4 simblr - other peoples experiences may differ completely, but we cannot deny that simblr has a severe attitude problem.
I am someone who loves to create. Being a visual person, the Sims has been an amazing medium for me to do that (and will continue to be) and Tumblr a great site for me to share. But I am tired now. I am older now. And this space hasn't been all negative - I have met some of my best friends on here and I have learnt so much. This is why I still leave with a heavy heart. Is there still more for me to learn? Still more to share? Yes, but I need to draw the line at some stage - and that's today. This rainy day at the end of June 2019.
I don't know when this will post, but I do know 2020 holds big things for me. Maybe you will hear from me again - in another medium, another time, another place free from negativity, where I am not afraid to share and create my ideas.
With all that being said... I hope this space will one day be more positive than it is right now, for the good of you all.
Thank you and goodbye 💖