Journal of Other Forum Analysis

[BIONIC]

https://www.resetera.com/threads/stellar-blade-previews-demo-thread-staff-post-threadmarked.831270/page-52?post=121245348#post-121245348

Took some time to play, but looking at the skill tree they might be able to help with that feeling. I know there is a gif somewhere of eve fighting faster with equipment/skills?

1. Who the fuck is this person and how are they a moderator?

2. Why have a confirmed incel chud (the only kind of person who would play this game*) as a moderator?

*Except for Queen Kuntyuuji of course

[Potato]

Im missing the part where the Matrix 1 is some sort of transgender movie... Like what in the movie gives them that Idea? I mean... what???

It's the same as the part in Harry Potter where Joanne (TERF cunt) reveals her long held and blatant Nazi sympathies. 

How did you not understand that?

[I don't swear]

Where's the ban bot when you need one :/

[Potato]

Im missing the part where the Matrix 1 is some sort of transgender movie... Like what in the movie gives them that Idea? I mean... what???

You see exiting the Matrix was leaving the gender role assigned to you by the cold heartless machine patriarchy. Entering the world of destitute post-society nuclear winter is the same feeling as being reborn as a beautiful trans butterfly.

That would almost be believable...if Neo exited the matrix and was actually a fucking woman.

However, don't let the reality get in the way of you and your headmates' fetishes.

[Potato]

https://www.resetera.com/threads/israel-begins-bombing-of-southern-gaza-following-collapse-of-ceasefire-see-staff-posts-for-posting-guidelines.772478/page-296?post=121247334#post-121247334

A brain tumor can't take this cracker bastard [Biden] out soon enough. Makes me want to puke.

Just for this take:

"He kind of went back to that and said, 'You know, I hear what everybody's saying, but like, think about the young people that were killed on October 7.' And it kind of dismissed the over 30,000 people dead in Palestine," she said.

I’m more surprised of the ability of ArabAmericans of ignore why there was a retaliation (even if disproportionate) in the first place. 

Also, shoot is still not banned.

Nepnep alt?

[Potato]

Bonus

Excuse me as I melt into a lesbian puddle.

https://www.resetera.com/threads/why-women-criticise-sexualised-character-designs-ot3-make-her-look-more-corpulent-more-stuffed-where-the-eyes-cant-escape.275780/page-355?post=121256031#post-121256031

Transbian club behavior

Hilariously, that is a highly sexualised costume. It just doesn't show a lot of skin proving once again that these people are just prudes in sensible shoes and ill-fitting dresses.

[Potato]

Anyway the whole comparison with what's just as bad or worse kinda sucks and doesnt seem sincere, especially from people who use things like "but its based on a real woman" or "but his wife drew designs". Just be honest and say you like what they're doing.

I like how when their takes are so bad and easy to counter that people just use the same obvious points to counter them, they think people repeatedly undermining their takes somehow strengthens their takes.

"Ugh, not this 'video evidence from space' and 'you can book a flight going around the world' argument again. Just admit you get off on the idea of a round Earth."

They do this with everything, their favorite "debunking" is laughing and rolling their eyes never realizing nobody's ever taken down the counterargument. It's hilarious when compared to how often they spam thought terminating cliches and all use the same exact language. (LOUDER FOR THOSE IN THE BACK!)

I think the best example remains the "I identify as an attack helicopter" because it so clearly enrages them since they have no answer to it. To where they viciously went after that trans woman for writing a story about it in an honest way. And they think it's dismissing the argument by yelling "ONE JOKE" without ever identifying what the joke is even about.

I think you're giving them way too much credit by assuming they even read the attack helicopter story. 

Someone on Twatter told them they should be offended and they were duly offended.

[Boredfrom]

ERA is shocked that the "body positivity" movement's been co-opted by food corporations: https://www.resetera.com/threads/as-obesity-rises-big-food-and-dietitians-push-%E2%80%98anti-diet%E2%80%99-advice.833724/

If they were honest with themselves, this should be the least surprising thing ever.

This is really fucked up. Do these registered dietitians/influencers have no conscience at all? The linked TikToks in the article are awful,

But TikTok is saving democracy.

[Potato]

The Matrix was a Kung fu movie distilled into palpable chunks for white cis folks. I remember seeing Crouching Toger Hodden Dragon in Central California opening weekend and people were laughing due to the "physics." A bit later, Matrix comes out and everyone is blown away and retroactively were like Hero and Crouching Tiger is cool.

Read that as Crouching Todger.

[benji]

ERA is shocked that the "body positivity" movement's been co-opted by food corporations: https://www.resetera.com/threads/as-obesity-rises-big-food-and-dietitians-push-%E2%80%98anti-diet%E2%80%99-advice.833724/

If they were honest with themselves, this should be the least surprising thing ever.

Look, I don't think anyone should subject themselves to Marxism but if you're going to be an anti-capitalist you should probably at least have some passive awareness of the subject. Corporations sell you things? Individual tastes, style and identifies are commoditized in capitalism? Wow, that's shocking! Who could have ever seen this coming?!? (Well, capitalists. But the Marxists also picked up on it too despite being wrong about capitalism in nearly every other way possible.)

[ComeAgain]

I am not surprised.

Yeh no major shock there. So much of the game is designed with appealing to men in mind and I imagine most of the women that form the 16% know large portions of the game will likely be spent groaning or rolling their eyes.

“But enough about that, look at this sick move I’ve discovered after I played the demo for the 10th time”

So…these women are going to spend 70 dollars to groan and roll their eyes?

[benji]

I think you're giving them way too much credit by summing they even read the attack helicopter story. 

Someone on Twatter told them they should be offended and they were duly offended.

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that they did. I just wanted to point out how they viciously harassed the writer and everyone involved until the editor pointed out it was from a trans woman and what the story was actually about.

[ComeAgain]

The refusal by Era to admit how many women love these kinds of games, both for the gameplay and yes, maybe even being attracted to the main character like those terrifying Straight Cis Men, never fails to amuse. 

And trying to rewrite history to say the likes of 2B and Bayonetta weren’t just earlier versions of Eve? Era just loves playing all their hits.

[Potato]

ERA is shocked that the "body positivity" movement's been co-opted by food corporations: https://www.resetera.com/threads/as-obesity-rises-big-food-and-dietitians-push-%E2%80%98anti-diet%E2%80%99-advice.833724/

If they were honest with themselves, this should be the least surprising thing ever.

The bigger scandal in this is the fact that for the millionth time influencers have been shown to be complete shit bags with no moral or ethical standards whatsoever and no one seems interested in stopping the sort of bullshit that would pass no tests in the mainstream marketing world.

Morons on Resetera ear this shit up constantly in their hyper consumption of  YouTube/Twatter/Instagram/whatever while convincing themselves that advertising and marketing NEVER works on them.

[ComeAgain]

I’d pay any amount of dollars necessary to watch a live stream of Era members going to a beach to take in what real life women are wearing as they are laying out tanning.

[benji]

I’d pay any amount of dollars necessary to watch a live stream of Era members going to a beach to take in what real life women are wearing as they are laying out tanning.

I really don't think they should be putting themselves in danger by going out in public where the fash will get them.

[Averon]

Aren't they body shaming the model by constantly saying it's "unrealistic?"

[Potato]

ERA is shocked that the "body positivity" movement's been co-opted by food corporations: https://www.resetera.com/threads/as-obesity-rises-big-food-and-dietitians-push-%E2%80%98anti-diet%E2%80%99-advice.833724/

If they were honest with themselves, this should be the least surprising thing ever.

Look, I don't think anyone should subject themselves to Marxism but if you're going to be an anti-capitalist you should probably at least have some passive awareness of the subject. Corporations sell you things? Individual tastes, style and identifies are commoditized in capitalism? Wow, that's shocking! Who could have ever seen this coming?!? (Well, capitalists. But the Marxists also picked up on it too despite being wrong about capitalism in nearly every other way possible.)

Look, you'll eat your state-madated gruel and wear your state-mandated hessian sack clothes and you'll fucking enjoy it comrade! 

[ComeAgain]

Kojima took a picture with the director of Stellar Blade. Looks like another round of trying to cancel Kojima just popped up on the menu!

[Potato]

I think you're giving them way too much credit by summing they even read the attack helicopter story. 

Someone on Twatter told them they should be offended and they were duly offended.

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that they did. I just wanted to point out how they viciously harassed the writer and everyone involved until the editor pointed out it was from a trans woman and what the story was actually about.

Didn't stop them from harassing the author though

[ComeAgain]

Looking on global PSN preorders a version of Stellar Blade is :

#1 in 59 countries.
#2 in 29 countries.
#3 in 10 countries.

Digital Deluxe is by far the most popular SKU.

Game gonna top some charts and go the way of the dodo bird on Era due to the screeching brigade getting their way yet again. Can already see it coming.

[benji]

Aren't they body shaming the model by constantly saying it's "unrealistic?"

She deserves it for choosing to support Gamergate.

[HeavenIsAPlaceOnEarth]

I'm 22

Least believable thing they've posted.

[kaleidoscopium]

Cis people downplaying the films being the biggest trans films ever and then wanting to take them away from trans voices is how every Matrix thread goes.

Framing the defenders of Resurrections as people who solely were obnoxiously "tut tutting" detractors for not comprehending the film ignores that me and many others had a emotional connection with the film. I'm not expecting everyone to try to view the film through a trans perspective , but there's a consistent practice to ignore our experiences and opinions, if not outright deny the series being a trans work.

Around the time of Resurrections release, there was a thread here about which director should replace it. It was a frustrating example of how myopic a lot of these self-confessed fans of the Matrix, as almost every post was the same five cis white directors that are are the go too "great directors" of cis video game nerds. Drew Godard wasn't anyone's pick, but seems to slot right into that mold.

PlanetSmasher is on the ball that if the Wachowskis are not coming back, it should be a vehicle for marginalized voices. His most recent exchange in this thread also exemplifies what I mean by the ignoring of the series transness. The poster just stopped responding after Smasher said it's outsider fiction/trans allegory, instead responding to another poster with "we did get it, we're not meatheads."

https://www.resetera.com/threads/new-‘matrix’-movie-in-the-works-at-warner-bros-from-drew-goddard-lana-wachowski-will-ep.833649/page-6?post=121263906#post-121263906

This exchange continues on with too many long ass posts to quote like this, but shows just how self absorbed these people truly are into fiction like this. It all screams “ME ME ME ITS ALL ABOUT ME” to me.

[nobody of note]

After B-Dubs shut down the 'can we wish death on people or not' discussion in Constructive, things turned towards general statements about the miserable hellhole vibes of the forum:

Since the implosion of PoliERA a few weeks back I've been thinking about some of the issues here, namely what is and isn't okay and in what contexts.

In political threads it pretty consistently seems like the more the moderators and administrators agree with whatever sentiment you're expressing, the more you're allowed to break the site rules without facing significant consequences. This has always been there a bit but it's gotten noticeably worse in the past year as we stumble towards a bunch of elections. People will hurl insults and invective at one another, or say sketchy violent things, or veer into conspiracy, sometimes in violation of both sensitive thread rules and site rules, I report it and ... there's a very consistent pattern to which ones get immediately actioned and which ones get a slap on the wrist or nothing at all.

I could cite a bunch of specific examples here, but the point isn't any one specific person or thread. It's that the more we're allowed to attack and insult people as long as we're righteous and they're wrong (or whatever) the more toxic this site becomes. Yes, I get that person a might be upset about item x y or z, and that they are feeling angry or hurt. Do I get angry at people on this site sometimes? Of course. Are there certain public figures I wish would die? Certainly. Do I need to be allowed to post those things on Reset ERA dot com? No I do not.

Attacking, insulting, hurling invective, violent rhetoric, etc are against the rules for a reason - they're there to keep the site from becoming toxic. When those things are given the OK is it any surprise that we've arrived at a point where people are using unrelated threads to attack each other over unrelated beef or cut down one another's supposed political ideologies? It happened in a gaming thread recently, it's happening here now, it's happening over more and more of the site. The other online spaces I occupy that haven't descended into toxic shit are invariably the ones who are consistently moderating toxic behavior.

ResetERA has become a lot more toxic since 2017. A lot. We all know it. It's extremely obvious. And it'll keep getting more toxic, and keep driving communities away, unless something changes.

It's a shame. I remember the early days of the site when people were trying to really make it a better place than GAF, which turned into a toxic blackhole in its last few years. What went wrong? What can we do to fix it?

This is a fantastic post. For what it's worth, I simply wanted to let you know that you're a thoughtful, introspective poster with whom I may disagree at times -- but that's the interesting bit! It's why I would enjoy conversations with you! Historically, I took significant personal enjoyment out of engaging with people I've disagreed with, because that can lead to personal growth or, worst case, an affirmation of my own beliefs.

But now I'm tired.

I have abandoned political threads on Era entirely, and I intend to keep that promise to myself. Major threads here are basically vibes-based and ignore potentially relevant information that's simply not posted. There's too much risk of dogpiling. I suppose that's because posters don't provide that information, but I can't really blame them. People do perform this function ... it's why journalists exist and why they earn paychecks.

As far as moderator bias, of course it exists. How couldn't they be? They're human, and if you moderate a site like Era, you're going to be invested. I would doubtless be biased too were I performing the same role. Whether or not posting in threads with significant moderator contribution is more likely to lead to a warning/ban if you disagree with them is a knowable and measurable thing (i.e., someone really could do that analysis)... however, I'd rather just avoid it altogether. It's a rule that hasn't failed me yet.

Put another way, I now value posting in sports and Final Fantasy threads over making any contribution in a contentious OT thread.

It's also knowable and measurable whether Era is gaining or losing users and whether threads are disproportionately frequented by the same posters. For what it's worth, I'm part of that crew, having entered here on a Discord lifeboat. Anecdotally, it does feel like these spaces are shrinking, and that's probably because it's a forum. Which is terribly sad, because it's my preferred way to interact. For whatever reason -- and they're probably all different -- Era has lost a number of communities. They're probably not coming back. The halcyon days of the immediate post-GAF transition period really do look brighter. (Here I'll indulgently toss a shout out to SweetNicole for launching our lifeboat and being awesome during those days.)

Anyway, I suppose this is my plea, echoing yours: There is an undeniable sentiment that things aren't trending in a positive direction. (I won't even use the "toxic environment" phrase, because I personally think that's loaded!) Are we going to continue on life support? Is there anything we can do?

I really do suggest some blue skying here, some kind of cross-functional, multi-community approach ... because if Era dies, it's not like we get another lifeboat situation. It'll just die for everyone, and that really will suck.

Guess I'll end with this: if you're reading this, I respect you as a human being and I'd buy you a beverage of your choice if we ever met.

Absolutely agreeing with this. Giving people leeway to be toxic just can't result in a good environment. I don't think it makes things for the mods easier either as every post now needs to put under a microscope about how justified that person is for being toxic. At the same time the toxic person is very likely to not contain that toxic behavior to that one singular topic but will rather spread that to the whole site

There's some more agreement, and things turn towards ban baiting:

Oh yeah, especially with how some people will ban bait within a thread, discouraging me from engaging with said thread entirely.

This imo is one of the biggest issues with this site. The baiting is completely outta control.
Even worse is when you see someone get hook, line, & sinkered, a lot of times it's like the hounds got sent on they ass via some unseen Discord clique bullshit.
I've never used Discord, never even downloaded the app, I'm too damn old for chatrooms, but it's blatantly obvious when clique brigading goes down.
"Just report them"… that's the problem — what is there to report? Some off-site speculation that can't be confirmed with hard evidence?
Just something I've wanted to get off my chest for a min, god bless

Dawg, from what I've heard and personally seen, it really do be Discord cliques brigading a thread. A thread will be going just fine with discussion then people come in dominate threads, stinking everything up. Then people wonder why they get ignored - yeah, because it's obvious what you're doing.

Random statistic: we are at 60,571 members as of time of writing. An easy way to gauge the total number of members that have joined the site is to go into the new member thread and look at the number appended to the end of the link of the latest member that announced themselves or newest member on the home page. Era's total member count (banned, unbanned, and alts) is around 167,000 when looking at the latest anounced. 60,571/167,000 = 36.27% users compared to the 63.73% accounts that were either banned or deleted.

And B-dubs enters the discussion! ...to address this gross misrepresentation of user numbers.

I'm just going to say this: your numbers are not even close to real. The system is a little more complicated than you realize.

So with Cerium, the founder AFAIK, being 3, and you being 143, along with my understanding that you all were at ground zero... Then looking at my own number appended to the end along with a member who signed up 2 months later with them having a number greater than mine, would not that number mean I am the X user to have joined the site? I'll take the L here, I am not the GM, but unless something is being done to make that number inaccurate, what else does that number mean? JoeBudden just joined at 167190, and I remembered that being a different member and a number that was 167198.

Look, all I know is I can see a list of all members ever and it sure as shit ain't nowhere near close to that number. Trust me, we have not banned no hundred thousand people. That's a pretty easy thing to keep track of and even counting deletions and random troll accounts, it's nowhere near that number.

Dubs and I joined the site on the same day and our profile numbers are 6000 apart. I don't think you should be using user numbers as a sign of anything.

Hell, you were a mod before I was iirc. Probably got in before me as well.

[img] https://imgur.com/a/upzKpGY[/img]
If it truly is as you say it is, I give up. I give you my word.

That's the ID number assigned by the system dude, not the order you joined...

EDIT: I used to think it was the join order, because it kinda made sense to me, but that was before I got to see all the back-end stuff. Forums look simple, but there's a shocking number of moving parts beneath the surface that keep this place going.

This gross misrepresentation of user numbers is so critical it requires a second member of staff weighing in:

Even if it is the join order it is not really a good representation of the figures.

The "banned" accounts are grossly inflated because of the number of accounts that are "created" but do not make it to a point that is allowed to make posts. Numbers do not appear to be recycled. Accounts are created relatively easily but might not be activated due to spam/alt checks within the system. At times the system would flag something suspicious that needs manual review, while this account is in limbo users often make an alt thinking that might be faster. Similarly alts are sometimes made to try and appeal a ban. Sometimes we allow users to change accounts for security reasons. We have a few assholes dedicated to creating accounts to troll us in the ticket systems.

Also, the method you're using assumes new members make the post in the new member thread. It is just a suggestion, not enforced or anything.

Edit. Tell me you didn't just go trying to create an alt for an experiment on this... smh...

Sushi for Kalos is now banned; I can't see a banner on any of his posts, but I assume it's the alt thing Snormy's referencing. Staff has once again effectively shut down a site policy discussion with some irrelevant bullshit.

[benji]

Cis people downplaying the films being the biggest trans films ever and then wanting to take them away from trans voices is how every Matrix thread goes.

Framing the defenders of Resurrections as people who solely were obnoxiously "tut tutting" detractors for not comprehending the film ignores that me and many others had a emotional connection with the film. I'm not expecting everyone to try to view the film through a trans perspective , but there's a consistent practice to ignore our experiences and opinions, if not outright deny the series being a trans work.

Around the time of Resurrections release, there was a thread here about which director should replace it. It was a frustrating example of how myopic a lot of these self-confessed fans of the Matrix, as almost every post was the same five cis white directors that are are the go too "great directors" of cis video game nerds. Drew Godard wasn't anyone's pick, but seems to slot right into that mold.

PlanetSmasher is on the ball that if the Wachowskis are not coming back, it should be a vehicle for marginalized voices. His most recent exchange in this thread also exemplifies what I mean by the ignoring of the series transness. The poster just stopped responding after Smasher said it's outsider fiction/trans allegory, instead responding to another poster with "we did get it, we're not meatheads."

https://www.resetera.com/threads/new-‘matrix’-movie-in-the-works-at-warner-bros-from-drew-goddard-lana-wachowski-will-ep.833649/page-6?post=121263906#post-121263906

This exchange continues on with too many long ass posts to quote like this, but shows just how self absorbed these people truly are into fiction like this. It all screams “ME ME ME ITS ALL ABOUT ME” to me.

If it's so obvious why do none of them ever explain it? They just yell at you.

After B-Dubs shut down the 'can we wish death on people or not' discussion in Constructive, things turned towards general statements about the miserable hellhole vibes of the forum:

Absolutely agreeing with this. Giving people leeway to be toxic just can't result in a good environment. I don't think it makes things for the mods easier either as every post now needs to put under a microscope about how justified that person is for being toxic. At the same time the toxic person is very likely to not contain that toxic behavior to that one singular topic but will rather spread that to the whole site

 Kinthey is definitely one of the most toxic posters and spreads it all over the site.

[benji]

Remember that Bethesda lawsuit by the trans woman they were all talking about as if it was this horrible crime and how people needed to hang for it and how the cis didn't care and were ignoring the thread? Dismissed because the evidence showed it was the fault of the plaintiff not notifying people and Zenimax tried to reinstate the coverage anyway when notified. Which I'm pretty sure I made a Bore post about when reading the original filing.

Looked up the thread, guess the judge didn't watch the video in the OP:

There's also a 4 hour long video filled to the brim with evidence:

[Taco Bell Tower]

Dora the Explorer is an amazing trans allegory, as she's always going off to discover something (like discovering your true self). The song "I'm the map, I'm the map, I'm the map, I'm the map, I'm the map, I'm the map, I'm the map, I'm the map, I'M THE MAP!" is a heartwarming allegory of daily HRT leading you to the goal. Then Swiper of course represents the chuds trying to steal your stuff (i.e. KILL YOU), and finally, it shows how if you just repeatedly shout loud enough ("Swiper no swiping, Swiper no swiping, SWIPER NO SWIPING!") you're definitely gonna win without having to actually do anything.

Incredible allegory way ahead of its time, I mean, just look at her haircut. What do you mean I just made all this up?! Stop trying to take queer art for yourselves, chuds!

[Alpacx]

I’d pay any amount of dollars necessary to watch a live stream of Era members going to a beach to take in what real life women are wearing as they are laying out tanning.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/crazyclipsonly/status/1728093117189071133?t=EkPopGyZrSmKAZvLL2pl7Q&s=19[/tweet]

[Potato]

Cis people downplaying the films being the biggest trans films ever and then wanting to take them away from trans voices is how every Matrix thread goes.

Framing the defenders of Resurrections as people who solely were obnoxiously "tut tutting" detractors for not comprehending the film ignores that me and many others had a emotional connection with the film. I'm not expecting everyone to try to view the film through a trans perspective , but there's a consistent practice to ignore our experiences and opinions, if not outright deny the series being a trans work.

Around the time of Resurrections release, there was a thread here about which director should replace it. It was a frustrating example of how myopic a lot of these self-confessed fans of the Matrix, as almost every post was the same five cis white directors that are are the go too "great directors" of cis video game nerds. Drew Godard wasn't anyone's pick, but seems to slot right into that mold.

PlanetSmasher is on the ball that if the Wachowskis are not coming back, it should be a vehicle for marginalized voices. His most recent exchange in this thread also exemplifies what I mean by the ignoring of the series transness. The poster just stopped responding after Smasher said it's outsider fiction/trans allegory, instead responding to another poster with "we did get it, we're not meatheads."

https://www.resetera.com/threads/new-‘matrix’-movie-in-the-works-at-warner-bros-from-drew-goddard-lana-wachowski-will-ep.833649/page-6?post=121263906#post-121263906

This exchange continues on with too many long ass posts to quote like this, but shows just how self absorbed these people truly are into fiction like this. It all screams “ME ME ME ITS ALL ABOUT ME” to me.

Can someone tell me where the marginalised voices were represented on The Matrix 1? Seems to me it was made by two cis white men...