(source)
So the night before last I was a little shocked to find my blog had fallen victim to a downvote rampage by a power tripping blockchain bully who sees fit, it would seem, to use their power to come after anyone who dares talk to the ‘wrong’ people on here - all but one of my active posts downvoted at once within about an hour of leaving a comment on a friend’s post who had just announced his imminent departure from the blockchain over similarly being tyrannized simply for talking to the ‘wrong’ user... Sorry to see you go, @shepz1
Then, after responding to a comment left in response to the initial comment which had incurred the wrath of this faceless bully, wherein I simply stated the fact of what had just befallen me and voiced my opinion that such behavior seemed psychotic, my last remaining active post was almost immediately zeroed out, a new first for me. 5 posts hit with big whale downvotes in one night, seemingly entirely unrelated to the content of the posts themselves, not a single active post spared, one entirely zeroed out, for simply having a cordial discussion with fellow Hive users and friends who just so happen to have also fallen victim to such indiscriminate abuse before me.
I’ve become accustomed to receiving downvotes unaccompanied by explanations over difference of opinion in a post, a pretty regular occurrence for myself and a number of others over the course of the year, as many independent personalities regularly voicing politically incorrect/anti-establishment views can attest to; but never did I imagine that there were users who would stoop to a level this low. How can anyone stand for the systematic targeting of users for simply talking to the ‘wrong’ person or people. It’s frankly childish behavior, both vindictive and oppressive, unbefitting of a platform priding itself as ‘decentralized’, marketing itself as a friendly censorship-free haven for free expression conducive to entrepreneurial growth for original content creators looking to escape the draconian policies of oligarchical Big Tech social media platforms and establishment echo-chambers. And I am truly surprised the powers that be allow such a pathetic form of rampant abuse to fly on here, and to continue unhindered, unchecked and without condemnation.
Maybe some of the devs and whales are simply unaware such practices are being employed against unsuspecting targets. This is is one of the biggest reasons I felt compelled to make this post, in hopes of bringing awareness of this abuse to those who may not be aware, so they may once again have the opportunity to address it or to continue to turn a blind eye, whichever response they think to be right. In my mind, this is wrong, so wrong, and more than anything it is unfair to my followers and the followers of others whose stake is being redistributed, their upvotes nullified, and their curation rewards greatly diminished.
I understand, based upon the previous behavior of this petty tyrant, that making this post will likely land me on his ‘hit list’ and result in perpetual indiscriminate downvoting of all of my future content, but I have stayed silent for too long, watching the merciless harassment of @lucylin in a nonstop 6-month targeting of his blog - for no clear reason whatsoever, opting not to meddle in the business of others and refraining from pointing fingers at those who have done me no wrong, but it has now just been very much made my business, and I refuse to sit idly by in silence in hopes of being spared from future troubles. A number of good people who consistently made authentic original content I and many others appreciated are fast exiting Hive, in large part due to the irresponsible and unjust actions of this one bad apple.
I do not know who this Azircon is, I had never once visited his blog, never been tagged by him, never mentioned or interacted with him, never to my knowledge even been downvoted by him before, and never received a ‘warning’ for any behavior deemed ‘inappropriate’ or unwelcome by this user before suddenly and unsuspectingly ending up on the receiving end of this vindictive downvote spree, without so much as a single comment accompanying these actions explaining what ‘wrong’ I had in his mind committed. The posts that were indiscriminately targeted were not spam, nor were they unusually high payout posts that were trending; on the contrary, they were original and comprehensive well-sourced investigative journalistic pieces (and one video) that together took countless hours of work to produce, each with pending payouts under $40.
If this constitutes ‘spam’ worthy of being indiscriminately downvoted into oblivion over, then this blockchain as a healthy independent platform is broken, seemingly beyond repair, in large part by a single bully who appears to have the blessing of the blockchain hierarchy, or at the least is being met with indifferent neutrality.
Certainly wasn’t plagiarism, either. And if zeroing out a $6 post in retaliation for a comment made to a ‘targeted’ user, a comment simply stating the fact of what had befallen me, if this somehow constitutes a legitimate ‘disagreement over rewards’, then the notion that downvotes are a necessary tool to reign in abuse can be clearly seen as a facade being used to justify and encourage that which is itself destructive indiscriminate abuse of stake and the downvote feature.
If such absurd behavior were isolated, it would be one thing, though still disturbing, but it is not isolated; it has already been going on, as I have come to discover - the targeting of entire blogs over a single comment, the targeting of users for simply conversing with the ‘wrong’ people. And simply telling others about such an experience in a comment brings the full weight of the perpetrator’s power down upon oneself.
I didn’t ask for this, I didn’t call azircon out for anything, didn’t call him names, didn’t accuse him of anything or attempt to provoke him in any way or even so much as mention this user until they decided to retaliate against me - for god knows what words they found offensive or for merely speaking with the ‘wrong’ fellow - by targeting an entire week’s worth of work in one swift, sweeping, vindictive act of oppression. And even then, all I did at that point was tell the story of what had happened to a concerned fellow Hive blogger, and voice my opinion that such behavior was psychotic, bringing additional punitive action down upon myself. If such an unprovoked and unforeseen downvote spree were to be carried out upon anyone else’s account, I am fairly certain most reasonable folk would likewise view such an action to be psychotic.
To be fair, and for the sake of transparency, one of the 5 posts was a double-posting, an honest and entirely unintentional mistake of mine due to technical issues I was having at the time; and had only that one post or even both of the doubles been downvoted, I would not be writing this right now, readily accepting the consequence of being flagged for my unintentional blockchain ‘crime’. But that is clearly not what took place, as evidenced by the indiscriminate nature of this act, the timing, and the fact this same behavior is being employed against others in similar fashion for seemingly similar reasons.
Please, if you are reading this @azircon, at least explain your actions like an adult instead of cowardly hiding behind that mask of yours as you indiscriminately downvote content, not based upon the merits or demerits of the posts themselves, but out of spite for a user who has apparently committed such an unforgivably heinous act to your mind that it merits the vindictive targeting of his entire blog. Please explain to me how this is not a pompous, spiteful, psychotic display of power-tripping retribution for breaking a subjective blockchain ‘rule’ the vast majority of users are unaware even exists. Please explain to me and the Hive community why you did not first ‘warn’ me of my ‘transgressions’ before taking to downvoting an entire week’s worth of original posts, even zeroing out a relatively low paying post, why you did not simply ask me to cease from behavior you apparently found distasteful, and why you have not so much as even left a single one-line explanation of why you have done what you did. Same for all the others you are doing this to.
Of course, this petty tyrant does not like to converse with those questioning his madness, he only wants you to listen.
He does things on the blockchain the “right way,” and no one should question that; so is going on downvoting sprees against targeted users over a comment they didn’t like the “right way” of handling disagreements on Hive? If so, this is not a very inviting place, and people will continue to exit faster and faster to friendlier environments.
He doesn’t want people meddling in his affairs, in “complicated” things that involve his abusive pattern of downvoting, just leave it be, don’t question his use of downvotes, and enjoy Hive!
Stay out of the mask’s business... Or he’ll “handle you.” Oh yes, he doesn’t hide his domineering vindictive nature either, threatening those who dare question his tactics - “I WILL handle you, and that will be the consequence.”
Only problem is, that is exactly what I did. I minded my own business, I left well enough alone, I stayed out of the drama between this control freak and his victims, and still he comes after me. This is madness. And it’s plain for all to see.
You see, there are consequences for exercising free speech on this platform, if it offends the mask. Tyranny can flourish in ‘decentralized’ platforms too, apparently, when code is law and ethics are thrown out the window.
Everyone else who defends this bully’s indiscriminate use of downvotes in the name of protecting the integrity of Hive and combatting spammers, please explain to me and everyone else who has been harassed in similar manner exactly what it is that justifies such behavior, what written or unwritten Hive ‘rules’ I and a number of others in the very same boat have violated to deserve such ‘punishment’, to warrant such a vendetta against us personally and not particular pieces of work in question.
Is this really acceptable? Will no big accounts dare to stand up to such abuse? @aggroed, @ura-soul, @r0nd0n, and all other witnesses and devs who I know are voices of reason and claim to stand for freedom; is this really acceptable, and what this blockchain stands for? Is there no way to reign in such abuse of power? Can this at least be discouraged by the powers that be? Or is this what they, what you, what everyone here wants Hive to become?
Those who have weight and power here and don’t speak up against such insanity are only aiding in the collapse of the Hive ecosystem; already people are leaving faster and faster due to abuse like this. The exodus started months ago, but this increase in abuse level is prodding a lot more people to pack up and leave...
Like @wil.metcalfe, a big promoter of Hive and 4-year user, he sees this is no friendly atmosphere for freedom and entrepreneurship.
@phusionphil, also leaving after getting similar treatment as mine, all posts downvoted over responding to a comment he was tagged in by this bully.
@palikari123 already pretty much done with his account over perpetual abuse, and @shepz1 also leaving for being targeted for simply talking to @lucylin, the #1 target of this bully, over 6 month downvote spree on all posts, reason for being targeted unknown, although we speculate it must be in regards to nonconformist political views. If you can notice a pattern, those targeted by the mask tend to be independent voices of reason, truth seekers and promoters of freedom. Tyrants hate voices of freedom, they can’t stand the truth, and they use fear to remain in power, so those with the courage to speak out against their oppression terrify them.
Well, I’m not afraid of the mask, although I may soon be making my departure (at least powering down my few thousand Hive) if I continue to receive such treatment on a regular basis. I will not be silenced however, and my research and reporting on the crimes against humanity being carried out by the global control freak tyrants with mindsets just like the mindset of this arrogant mask will continue, on here or elsewhere. For now I shall remain, and see where things go from here, but it’s not looking good for the community of independent freedom lovers on here, as our numbers seem to be dwindling by the day, and for good reason.
If this is turning into the likes of a Big Tech environment that only allows one mindset to flourish without punishment, there is no reason to feed such a system, just as there is no reason to feed the Big Tech monsters. People are fleeing those dying platforms, and they’ll be fleeing this one too if some radical changes aren’t made to reign in this rampant abuse of power. Indeed, many already are.
I don’t feel your posts add any value to this blockchain in my opinion. Including this one, which is nothing but a rant.
If posts do not add any value it can be posted for sure but doesn’t need to be rewarded. This blockchain haven’t made any contract to reward you. Rewards are optional.
In addition I do not appreciate personal threats .
Edit: upvoting my comment mildly for easy viewing for you Jason.
FYI. Most of your posts, including this rant still earns money at this point. So I really don't see how all your posts are zero'ed though if that happens in my opinion that will be appropriate.
Most people commenting here are either known farmers or spammer. So don't get your hopes up.
First off, I did not threaten you, so I don’t know where that is coming from. But thank you for clarifying that you believe posts you disagree with should be zeroed out.
I note that the only reason all of my posts are not zeroed out is because you lacked the downvote power to do so, and you chose to zero out the one post you could.
That dozens of users found them to have value is evidenced by the many upvotes and multiple reblogs to your single downvote, and this belies your belief that your sole determination trumps the consensus of dozens, or hundreds of users. This is the type of domineering mindset held by tyrants the world over.
I also note that the only way one could make a rational determination on whether or not a post lacks value is by reading the post in full, and your simultaneous downvoting of 3 posts at once indicates you likely did not do so. Maybe you did, I am not jumping to conclusions, only pointing out the obvious. It would have taken at least an hour to go through all three of those posts, far longer if you were to review the source material. I will also note, however, that if you did read them in full and still found them to lack value, you are revealing that you find no value in extensively documented fact- and evidence-based research, nor in the findings of over a dozen scientific and medical studies, many peer-reviewed, from which I quoted directly. So you do not value facts, evidence and scientific research? If this is so, you are an enemy of truth and freedom.
You have proved my point, and I maintain my case. You are acting like an arrogant petty tyrant. Tyrants all act in the name of the ‘greater good’, but your actions are not in the interest of the greater good of those you target over difference of opinion or choice of who they interact with, nor the many users supporting their content, but rather only the greater good of the elitists in your circle. Have a nice day, and enjoy the bullying.
This is a DPOS blockchain. Reward of every post is based on stakeholders or delegated stake weight. People are free to upvote what they want, people are free to downvote what they want. It is as simple as that. If you find more people to upvote your post, go ahead and find them.
Majority of the posts at Hive are auto-voted. A handfew of people read posts. I do not agree with any rewards in your post. I did not do any name calling to you personally. But you did. The record is right here in your response. I have been courteous to you, and will continue to be in my response. I am a busy man though, so it would be hard to me to engage and respond to you continuously.
If you do not prefer downvotes, there are other blockchain out there which do not have downvotes. Steem and Blurt comes to my mind. Feel free to join them.
In future, I will not give you any further explanation of any vote, up or down to your post. This is my final word on this matter.
This is my opinion for past, future and new hive users.
The posts don't need to add value to the blockchain !
Does this blockchain as any contract with anybody ? With who ?
The blockchain seems pretty well growing without having an extensive set of rules for posting. There is a whole ecosystem giving value to hive apart from blogging so what you are doing here is taking value from someones work / art / creation, which you can, but what is seen is that you are countering investigative work for crimes against humanity, so i consider you to be in that special category COINTEL-PRO !
Also there is stunning amounts of money in the DAO, which yes it is used to bring value to the hive blockchain, people if they want to make a billboard, conference, whatever, they can make a proposal and be voted if the comunity wants to share the stake with that cause.
For the ones that are reading this, this happened before, in steemit, there was berniesanders and others (if you want to search it), you can counter this by downvoting their content but really only the oposite would work, as @ura-soul mentioned, comunities or the whole hive needs to be more active in this, there is Freezepeach which upvotes downvoted content like this, others should do it or join forces, consider in the future as you grow your account to dedicate HP to this kind of effort, also can be made a proposal to fund more of this.
This only happens because of the silence / inaction of many.
You are like the school bully, but the blockchain version, you accuse people re farming but probably have multiple accounts, I have one, you accuse people regards spam, but you spam via comments like a dick-tator that you seem to think you are.
You can downvote my hive posts for ever, shame you missed out on down voting my wedding, that would have really made you cream your pants in your mothers basement.
You just down voted a post about me home schooling my daughter, you disgust me.
Do us all a real favour and go forth and for gods sake wear a condom, and do not multiply.
You maggot of a man.
I will say 3 things pertaining to this matter.
if another user I have a beef with, is complaining about me off chain on some 3rd party app like discord, how does that have anything to do with other users
if AZ is working in a consensus, to moderate content and distribution of wealth HIVE IS A SECURITY
Yes, this downvote business based on "consensus" of the few illuminates that Hive is a security, run by a cartel.
Numbers talk louder than words.
It's a group of Orca whales who want to be bigger holders with whale status on Hive.
Thanks for sharing your story here. As someone who has been censored by silicon valley to a criminal degree for decades, I specifically value Hive as a way of overcoming that. We have all probably already heard the arguments for Hive's downvoting 'not being censorship' because it doesn't actually remove anything from the blockchain, but this is a half truth since people rely on reward payouts to help fund future content creation and to fuel growth. If an account is limited in terms of it's rewards compared to others, then it will probably be limited in growth and reach too - which amounts to an outcome that is equivalent to censorship. Perhaps censorship is the wrong word and we might perhaps be better to use the word 'controlled'.
The valid argument for downvoting is that ALL rewards on Hive come from the stake that stakeholders put in, so while we don't directly send a reward to someone we upvote from our own wallet, we DO effectively pay for it from our wallet since the constant inflation process devalues the value of Hive overall. This, though, is also an argument against downvoting too - since downvoting effectively allows people's stake to be devalued maliciously.. If we don't get upvotes coming in, then our own stake loses value over time due to inflation.
The bottom line is that this is all an experiment and it needs to be carefully adjusted to generate the best outcome for everyone. There are definitely those who don't seek to achieve that and instead intend to just generate the best outcome for themselves personally while claiming to be acting in everyone's best interests. Yes, this is identical to the centralised political systems. I have said since the very beginning that this would happen because the problems are inherent to capitalism. There is no technology that can fix this cause unless it fundamentally changes the nature of society as a whole.
In terms of practical ways to address the issue of malicious and heartless downvotes on Hive, there are only so many options. The one option I suggested years ago is for UIs to include a page where downvotes are listed and monitored, to allow the community to expose malicious patterns and take action as a group if they disagree with the 'policing' that others are enacting. This has never been done and remains a good idea imo.
Unfortunately, taking action to target one account that causes problems and lowers the value of the entire network can easily be spun as exactly the action that you are trying to stop - since the SUBJECTIVE valuation of posts is exactly that - subjective. Each individual person can view the same scene in a completely opposite way to someone else. They may not be able to prove their position to others, but they hold it none the less. Stake weighting allows for this. Unfortunately, again, the level of delusion held by many people means that they will argue to their death that filling the sinking ship with water is actually the solution to the fact that the ship is sinking and not the other way around.
Arguably, then, community response to malicious attack is necessary and this requires community spirit and the shared understanding that such response is needed. Exposing the attacks is step 1.
Thanx for explaining the logistics of it, it all makes sense now.
And now you see why pocketnet is much more calm and serene.
The sad part is it has become a norm on hive, not an exception.
I have had it many times before. Say the wrong thing, someone with more stake takes it offensively, all your posts voted down to zero by them and their bumpals.
Never had it happen like now just for talking to the "wrong" person.
And this is the problem with this shitshow, free downvotes cost "nothing" do they?
This has always been why mass adoption will never happen on this site.
I will keep my POB and dump my hive and stick to pocketnet where downvotes simply do not exist, only positive votes or walk on by mentality.
Thanks for the mention my friend.
I'm just doing a post right - posting in 5 mins - with my apologies to Hitler (and Stalin).
Why?
For bringing their characters into disrepute by comparing them to some accounts on hive ! lol
That video made me laugh out loud, thanks for that. If only the covid cultists could see the absurdity of their nonsensical creeds.
Now they can see, I wonder how they respond when forced to hear what they are truly demanding of the rest of us...
Sorry to hear you got bullied man fuck those motherfuckers
Who. me, or @jasonliberty ?
He's only had a tiny taste of it - A teaser! lol.... see my 6 month blitzing...on every...single... post (and many comments)
His post says everything about the toxicity of hive, and how it'll destroy itself if left to continue on as is...
Hmmmm I never encounter one on hive bullying since I mainly post art and stuff. However I left twitter for federated servers and also to hive as well. This is concerning for me since I'm helping with my LIA with a Hive Account.
Well I got one now.
ah, thats nothing...mine are $10 puss on every post - at a minimum (-$130 on a big one!)
Holy shit!
Oh I've had a bit more than a taste, just not by this particular bully. Posts systematically downvoted for months, I would estimate a good third of total investigative/research posts and those voicing nonconformist politically incorrect views downvoted over the course of the year. Thanks to 'altleft', 'smooth', 'curangel' trail, and others. There seems to be a whole gang of them, and it seems coordinated. When one leaves off, another steps in. More than once I've had entire strings of posts hit, up to 7-10 in a row. Granted, you've gotten the worst of it in regards to azircon, but this is clearly a coordinated effort leveled against targeted users, I second @zedikaredirect, it looks a lot like a cointelpro operation. They are and will continue to be exposed; the more brazen their cowardly acts become, the more they shall be called out for their petty tyranny.
It's cartel action, pure and simple, as you have said. There is a "consensus" about what constitutes value, and it overrides the consensus of users and their votes. It's an arbitrary fixing of the value of posts, detached from the will of those who wish to support the content, based on the subjective determination that nonconformist views are worthless. On the contrary, they do not lack value as evidenced by the many who see value in them, but rather threaten the perceived monopoly on narrative. When the will of a few can override the will of a majority based exclusively on the power in the hands of the few, there is tyranny.
No different than Big Tech policies, apart from being done within the perception of 'decentralization'. But this "consensus" by a few with greatest power is itself a centralization of power, centralized off chain and then enacted on chain. It's fraudulent to the core, and only continues because of the silence of so many who know better. Keep exposing the madness, their fall will come. I will check out operation Erika.
Some of us can never utter a single word ever again on this blockchain, and are reduced to this as a short term solution (very short).
You would be amazed how two-faced some "so-called" pro free speech/freedom lovers/anti-authoritarians are really all about....it's all a sick joke with a mask that has been ripped off. They only believe in their own freedom, an nothing more - you only get "freedom" if you give them more (of everything), and constantly pander to their egos. They are literally dictators with a mask on.
I dont believe in any of this anymore - it is just another and more brilliant way to control people and do everything they claim to oppose....it's literally disgusting. Be careful who you think your likeminded friends are around here.
I've been tagging the v. big accounts/witnesses, ever since this debacle started...nada, nothing...tumbleweed.
Their silence says everything (and on so many levels).
But, operation ERIKA has been brought forwards now, with pocketnet. (seems like a much more 'grown up' platform, but I've yet to spend time on it as yet)
Operation Erika (you need to read my post I'm about to publish!lol) will do what the big account holders fail to do - transparency on the blockchain, right?
How about transparency off the block chain to ? - A marketing of sorts...
The truth will always stand the spotlight being shone on it.
The cowards live in the shadows.
Lets see what hive really is, eh?...
Willing to contribute all 15,000 HP I have to a flag war, minnows vs the big fat bully
lol - I love the sentiment - I was thinking of using my account to draw delegations into it for just that - but decided not to.
Why?
It fixes nothing.
Nada.
Fixing is required, not perpetuating a broken system by engaging in the said broken mechanisms.
just posted - Operation ERIKA !
Not true, AZ clearly stated that Lucy was pulling top 10% rewards for bashing the platform that was rewarding him.
This was his stated reason for the flags.
I don't know how shepz1 got involved, I haven't put much effort into finding out hoping it would blow over.
I like the content of both of those accounts.
Or, maybe it is a no win situation for them and they just stay out of it as much as possible.
I'm glad that you will be staying, and I suspect the #steemicides will continue in their normal progressions.
Hive is a social platform small enough for everybody to know everybody, though not all do.
Kudos for speaking up, consensus can be reached no other way.
Without dissent there is no way to know if you aren't just fooling yourself into believing what you want to believe.
Not true, AZ clearly stated that Lucy was pulling top 10% rewards for bashing the platform that was rewarding him.
The platform rewards no one.
People with accounts do.
People who support your work.
Using illogical, nonsensical argument to support tyrannical action is nothing new.
Cults do it all the time.
Being 'punished' for dissent is a hallmark or tyrannical organizations.
Defending an indefensible position is silly and unintelligent. (and I don't think you are either of those things).
That was his stated reason.
While I agree that that isn't a reason I would use, it was the reason.
I can see his point, you are not the only one that got this, the others just got it from bernie.
If you would stop with the third rail and go back to current events, maybe that would help.
I have no idea either, the coward hides behind a mask.
I've asked for his reasoning for flagging you, but haven't received an answer, yet.
Real life keeps taking me away from the keyboard.
Thank you, but he made it clear to me in the following words, and I think I understand:
Since my posts he downvoted are extensively documented fact- and evidence-based posts quoting over a dozen scientific journals, I must conclude that the Hive “consensus” is that facts, evidence, and science are not considered valuable, at least not if they challenges azircon’s covid dogma. If not the consensus, then this behavior should not be tolerated.
When I asked him if indeed he thought facts and science were not valuable, he sidestepped the question and told me he was being courteous, because apparently sweeping downvotes of all active posts is a courteous way to treat someone you disagree with. It is becoming clear to me that Hive is not welcoming of the very free speech it marketed itself as being geared towards. I was encouraged to leave if I didn’t like the downvotes, because:
It seems a big part of downvoting by these accounts is punishing and chasing off the dissenters. Just like Big Tech social media. Not the kind of ‘community’ I came here to be a part of. At least now I know why my posts are and may be downvoted from here on forth, because truth has no value on here.
Each individual gets to set their own parameters, it's just how dpos was designed.
I feel for you getting singled out in this, but unless you join the conversations that are taking place, it is harder for your voice to be considered in the consensus.
The links to the conversations are in my daily posts.
I hope you persist, but, it is more for those that do if you go.
It's a conundrum.
Maybe that is case for Lucy, not for me, he clearly stated he thinks I deserve no rewards for my content, no value in my posts according to him, no value in facts, evidence or science I suppose, no value in truth for those who live by lies. But the downvote spree followed comment I left for @shepz1, that’s where it started, if not in response to the comment it was how I got on his radar.
This isn't about me bashing the chain or having overly highly valued post, it is about a bully or gang of bullies who sees fit to determine value and redistribute wealth in accordance with that determination; it is cartel behavior in the name of 'freedom to vote how I see fit' with disregard for the standards of downvoting we thought were clear - plagiarism, spam and excessive over rewarding of poor quality/non-original work. I spend hours of research on my work and it is top quality, the enemies of freedom just don't like it and instead of debate the content they use power to punish dissent and say dpos is just that way. No ethics, just code and highest stake wins.
If this continues with all posts, I will likely not be staying long, this is becoming a toxic environment for truth seekers and freedom lovers, especially trying to find ways to make a living off crypto platforms. I will be using others soon, and may all but abandon hive if the leadership accepts this as a tolerable norm. All shepz1 did is talk to lucy, just like all I did was talk to him. So we got on the radar I guess, and then there’s no going back into hiding...
Try pocketnet bro, I can send you a referral code and gift you enough coin to get you started, with no payback expected.
I was targetted by the mask too and saw my earnings go down by about 2/3 and have not bounced back. No doubt they will target me again just for commenting here but I already commented on 'lucylin and @shepz1 anyway so in for a penny.......
I came here from FB because of censorship and bans and got the same treatment here albeit a little more subtle it's the same as a shadowban but worse for people who actually want to make a living.
I have followed shepz over to pocketnet now and can tell you it's like meeting the gang behind the bikeshed LOL. I have powered down my HIVE and am gonna see what happens, like if POB can splinter away from HIVE maybe that would be worth sticking around for.
I never post on HIVE now anyway, always on POB.
Hi to you,
If you intend to take the fight, I would accept that you play by your opponent's rules and - since you do not have a similar voting-power - organise some fellow combatants who regularly use their VP in the same way as it was used on you. It seems obvious to me that someone who uses DV will not mind if his own postings are voted down in return. The one you accept as an enemy, their language wants to be spoken because it is the one they are willing to accept. Why not take him at his word? I would think that the obvious need not offend anyone. A fight is a fight or it is not a fight.
Not being able to fight when someone has thrown down the gauntlet to you can do one of two things: either ignore the matter until it settles itself (it inevitably will at some point) or pick up the gauntlet and fight it out according to the usual options on the Chain (which obviously can't be changed). Since you will be defeated in one-on-one combat, since you are in different weight classes, you have no choice but to find fellow combatants who will commit to the cause for exactly the duration it requires (duration uncertain). Such things can probably only be discussed in the back rooms, and the recruitment of fellow combatants must mean a voluntary "commitment" for all, otherwise there is no point in starting the fight in the first place.
You won't find out in the comments section who is really willing to do this. You could only agree on a binding strategy with those affected by DV, which you have to be sure will be adhered to. The question "do I go along with this?" must be answered honestly by those involved. In this way you will find out who is only paying lip service in your direction and who will ultimately be left to support you effectively for the duration of the issue. If, in the course of your strategic discussions, you find that you have, say, 10 people who decide to regularly damage the opponent with a VP similar to his, that may be enough. However, it may of course be that the opponent in turn mobilises comrades-in-arms who increase the overall force for his side.
Basically, everyone knows that this can happen and usually decides not to take up this fight themselves. Those who do, however, want to be prepared to fight a cause for which they are devoting themselves.
Excuse my honesty when I say the following:
The threat of leaving the blockchain falls flat in this respect. In the same way, psychological means that assign blame to all those who do not want to take part in such fights fall flat. It actually serves the mindset of the so-called opponent. You thereby serve your opponent exactly what he intends to do: that you leave the scene. Since I don't know how seriously you intend to commit your time and energy to this fight, I would just ask you: "how determined are you yourself to work out a war strategy, find recruits, find a giant for your army, etc.?"
Because naming or publicly denouncing someone who obviously has no respect for you may only attract those who like to see and share the public ridicule, but probably won't necessarily support you wholeheartedly in your battle.
I believe the enemies of truth and freedom fear a light being shined on their strategies, fear the truth. So speaking my truth and sharing my experience is one way of ‘fighting back’. Also, I will not stoop to the level of downvoting, I do not believe in ‘punishing’ those I disagree with; I only want to live and let live, and not be bullied. I am not ‘threatening’ to leave the blockchain, simply stating the fact of the matter that it may soon occur. I will likely not disappear entirely if I do so, only focus more time and effort elsewhere and power down my HV. In the same way Big Tech social media hopes to drive independent users off their platforms with censorship, bullying and such tactics, so do some powerful characters on here. Does that mean we should stay in such a toxic environment in which we are stifled? I think not; to support such platforms is to support the very tyranny they encourage and engage in. So in a way, yes, leaving is appeasing to their wishes, but also, enough people leaving any system will cause that system to collapse and implode upon itself, which is certainly not what they want. There are different ways to fight battles and win wars. I do not have a well-planned strategy to fight any particular one who has made themselves my enemy; my strategy as I know it against the powers of darkness as a whole is to speak truth and shine light on darkness in the best way I can, and attempt to survive the insanity this world is coming to. I also made this post to make others aware of tactics being used to target dissent; what comes of it or not was not my main concern, but simply shining a light on bullying many may not be aware occur on the blockchain.
Thank you for the comment, as always! To truth and freedom. I hope you have a wonderful day.
People see themselves as truth seekers, but they do not belong to the same truth camp. An environment always has elements of agreement and conflict or it appears neutral. If the environment is large enough to contain different views of life, these different views will express themselves. Some moderate, others offensive.
In the vast field of possibilities, there are forms of expression that make neither one truth nor the other the object. As I see it, precisely because of this, they can often express more truth than a direct focus.
I see it more as when the people cannot get hold of those who made their situation the way it is, the people turn on each other. The question is how much consciousness is actually left in this case, where one can no longer see friends in front of all the enemies.
What irritates me about both mentalities is the attitude "whoever is not for me is against me" or the statement "whoever does nothing is complicit". I actually see such statements as mutually confirming, especially from the strongly opposing camps, and my perception of what is happening is that it perpetuates the conflict by creating guilt and shame. Even though that may not be your intention, couldn't it be seen that way?
Exposing your opponent in public I think is an unclean means, where if it were used on you, it would probably be strongly opposed by you? Are you sure that you are not ambivalent about punishment, or from an external point of view, the public exposure of an opponent could not be perceived as such?
The search for the guilty can be very effective in preventing me from coming into contact with my other qualities.
All that said, I would actually like to differentiate between what you research and publish in terms of found materials. I have often left you a comment or an upvote on this. ... For me, I find that I am less and less interested in it and want to go further, because in my opinion the issue will only be settled when people finally "forget" about it, as they actually always do.
But according to my self-understanding, there is not THE point in time when this could be transferred from me to others. It is not up to me to control when one intends to settle a matter.
Greetings to you.
No offense, but your comprehension of strategy is...er...lacking.
If you intend to take the fight, I would accept that you play by your opponent's rules
Big mistake.
Ask the french in WW2 , when 'blitzkrieg' was enacted - they just didn't play by the agreed rules of war - rules the opponent laid out.
Pesky Germans!
....Ergo - the premise of finding allies to matching voting power is null.
The conflict can never work in the favor of the lower voting power. If the opponent is par tof cabal with 10 million HP (as they do), it can never work.
When 'the enemy' has tanks, and aircraft, and guided missiles - _asymmetric warfare is the answer....(See the Taliban in Afghanistan as an obvious example - there are multitudes... Vietnam, the french resistance..the list goes on...).
(whispers... 'operation Erika'...observe).
no offense taken.
Obviously. After all, I'm just the one who encourages contradiction of the adage that you have to take up the fight by pointing to something that obviously doesn't work, but lingers between the lines. I'm with you on the strength of arms. To take this to mean only to defeat with equal strength of arms, precisely what is taken to mean victory in this context, can also be taken to mean the opposite.
Not playing by the rules, if you can do that, go ahead. If asymmetric warfare works without collateral damage and the war is won, I would be in awe. After all, the Germans have lost the big war, even though they had victory in the small ones. If you can't find the guerrillas, you can of course bomb the whole area, then you will most likely catch them. But you risk to lose the support of the locals who may have given you a hiding place and a warm meal.
Not playing by the rules, if you can do that, go ahead
Have you read 'the rules for radicals', (saul alinsky)
I'd highly recommend it (free pdf online)
If asymmetric warfare works without collateral damage and the war is won, I would be in awe.
You never tie your own arm behind your back before getting into the boxing ring - that's stoopid..lol
note: I don't know of a single historical conflict - asymmetrical or otherwise, without collateral damage. It's the nature of war.
In terms of this current disagreement, I'd count the cutting off of my granddaughters education as collateral damage (part of my rewards were allocated towards that purpose)
(How I chose to get around the problem caused, is neither here not there).
If you can't find the guerrillas, you can of course bomb the whole area, then you will most likely catch them.
Incorrect - you'd be unlikely to catch them.
....But you risk to lose the support of the locals who may have given you a hiding place and a warm meal.
...too much aggression by the tyrants always results in the local populations finding resolve to counter them and aid the rebels .
It only takes a tiny % to make this relevant...(i.e less than 1% of a population)
No, I haven't, thanks, maybe I'll look into it.
Good, I was waiting for this answer.
It will be interesting to see what your grand daughter will have to say to it when she is an adult.
Provide me with a good story, please. One of which it is said to be true.
Then, we are one a good way, I suppose.
Why on earth would she even get to know about it?
(her job is an her education, mine is providing the resources for it - I can't imagine why I'd ever explain any of this to her).
Vietnam and the carpet bombings/agent orange deforestation.
Intended to inflict causalities and demoralize - but only added resolve to the viet-cong army and the villagers who helped to keep them supplied.
(The went underground, literally).
I was also thinking of my son (and other kids I know). I am not telling him anything about my struggles or losses, either. Nevertheless he will get glimpses here and there, through comments from family influencing people who visit or talk to each other, not expecting a child to listen or understand what's going on. Through phone calls or curses made etc. etc.
I talked to the adults after I was perceived as mature enough to ask them about their experiences. Decades after the nest protection for me was long over.