Today I got some terrible news. One of my favorite diary authors, one of the best writers hands down at dailykos, the fairest community moderator/administrator I have ever come across on the web, is leaving. MB, you were an inspiration to me, I know we have never met, but you taught me what activism and loyalty to the cause were really about. Your fairness, empathy, experience in the field, intelligence, and warm heartedness will be missed. Nobody will ever be able to fill the void you left here. Of all the people who could have had the job of doling out punishments for bad behaviors here, I am glad it was you, MB. I can't think of a single person who could have handled that unpleasant task with more grace and fairness. That you didn't ever lose your temper, or play to personalities, or choose favorites and let them wreck the place speaks to how much of a decent guy you are.
Which brings me to my next point, our mediator is gone. No one, at least for the time being, is going to bring peace and civility back to the land of dKos. I know that since dkos4 rolled out, his role as community moderator was in question anyway, but it seemed like MB was putting out our fires up until the very last. Now that he is gone, there is no one to broker peace between the citizens of this website. Perhaps it is time for us to start brokering our own peace. This website may belong to Markos, but we make -- or break -- the community we have spent so much time building. It is up to us -- as kossacks -- to ensure that this place is safe and free from bigotry, xenophobia, homophobia, hatred, racism, sexism, pettiness, and undue angst. It is up to us to ensure that the bullying and vendettas stop. We can no longer rely on one (very busy) man to sort out all of the varied personal drama that happens around here. We can no longer turn to that wise soul and ask for guidance and leadership. Its all us now.
Near the bottom of his diary, MB said something that made my ears perk up.
Of course, Daily Kos is not a platform that has eliminated human nature. Pettiness, personal grudges, jockeying for power and attention, preening and pretending that only the other guy's shit stinks make daily appearances here. All too frequently, respected individuals are viciously attacked because their attackers can't read or simply to score points with their pals. Labels are attached on the flimsiest of excuses or none at all. Some say that the in-fighting is worse than it's ever been. If only they were running things here, if only this group or that group were banned en masse, the site could get much more accomplished, they imply or say directly.
In fact, much more would be accomplished if just half the energy that goes into this internal battling went into the real activism that we see recounted or proposed in diaries every day. Some of the viciousness would probably be undermined if the "Preview" comment button were replaced by one saying "THINK!"
MB is giving us the keys back, right here, in this bolded passage. Community moderation and mediation boils down to one thing:
"THINK!"
Think about how your diary or comment will effect people. Don't get too personal. Don't get angry and double down. If you are wrong, apologize. Don't pretend like you or your faction's shit doesn't stink, because it does. He is giving us back the ability to be adults without him. It may have been a small portion of his diary, but his words (like they so often do) say a ton. Be kind, be generous, highlight the good aspects of this website in every comment and diary. Its as simple as that. If we all just worked at that a little bit at a time, it would make a huge positive impact on the environment around here.
Of course, we will never fully get rid of the arguing and bickering, but we can work to make dKos better and more comfortable for everyone. If we don't, there is no longer someone there who will settle things for us. If we are going to make dKos work post-Meteor Blades, then all of us, individually, is going to have to work to keep this place one of the best communities on the internet.
I will miss MB greatly, from his short quippy comments to his long, insight filled diaries, the loss of his perspective and ability to negotiate peace between people will be tough. But if we are all adults and really work at it, we wont need someone to come up behind us and clean up our messes. It will take time, but perhaps we can evolve past the need for a community moderator and settle our own problems. I am sure that is what MB wanted to see -- less focus on community moderation and more focus on good writing, action, and politics.
And I don't think that goal is out of our reach.
Thanks for listening.