NOTE:
Please don't respond if this is something you don't want to take seriously (aka spam and pointless comments). The people which this targets won't take it seriously if the people who are trying to help don't either. And PLEASE, read ALL OF IT before responding. (please @ali @marg)
So, people on here and in the game are constantly complaining about how toxic the community is on Era. Story time real quick.
Just about 30 seconds ago, as I currently sit online, someone commented on my status. My status reads as follows:
Spoiler
I get someone who pms me with their opinion of the matter, which I respect. He then proceeds to suggest that words mean nothing to him, so therefore they shouldn't offend any other person. Then proceeds to call me the f-slur. And then proceeds to say if someone doesn't like what another person says, they can "go home, and get acquainted with a rope, stool, and a high hanging rod."
The fact that someone thinks it is okay to say that is horrifying, but people are too numb to it at this point to realize it. The thing is, as he put it, "there's a fine line between caring about someone and tending to their every whim". That's very true. Respecting someone's values and not completely harassing them verbally, which is what I'm talking about in my status, is caring about someone, NOT "tending to their every whim".
That got my gears chugging (obviously, because here I am shoving an essay down everybody's throats again). You can't change everybody. He, obviously, is stuck with this, and I respect his opinion.
...
However, some just need to see the other point of view in order to turn a new leaf. We have to keep in mind how diverse this game base is; you may think cursing is okay, your household may too, your city may too. You may be in the LGBTQ community and think the f-slur is okay, but others may not. If something is obviously meant for insult, if something is obviously offensive, it doesn't matter how you take it when you say it to another person. They may be in a religion where cursing is forbidden, a culture where slurs are viewed as insulting.
Anyways, back to the point of this thread: the Era community is awful.
There's some gems within it, that I've been blessed to know. But there's a good amount who are either insensitive, harassing, or just... angry (?).
I'm not saying it for myself, and I know some people are more sensitive than others. An example? When being called a noob sends you into a spiral.
What I'm describing is offensive things such as racism, cursing other players out (direct cursing, not vulgarity used in jokes, sentences, or not directed towards somebody), and slurs. There's too many who consider this okay, and that's on them, but they don't have to spread it and harm another person in a way they don't understand. I think this is the root of a lot of the toxicity in Era, and if we find a way to prevent it, then it will eventually be relieved, one way or another.
I made this thread to try and gather opinions, other sides, and ideas for somehow finding a way to make the game's community less toxic.
And keep in mind the game isn't a classroom full of kindergartners, but a vast majority of these players are teenagers and up to their mid 20's.
(And don't throw the "It's my right to say what I want!" argument at me; that right, like ALL rights, comes with limits. When you abuse your right of speech to abuse or harass another, it's not longer "your right". You're limiting another person's freedoms and rights in doing so, and making them feel like less than. That's a choice, but not "your right".)
And also, note, I already know "that's what PRs are here for!", but obviously that isn't enough; there needs to be more. If it's a problem, then you need to find a way to fix it, and if that's not the fix, we need to find another. PRs are fine as is, but obviously we need more help. My goal isn't to change other people's opinions, but to make sure they don't spread it in flat out offensive and insulting ways.
Thanks to any and all that read this and try to think of an idea! If I'm wrong in any way, please, let me know. I'm not perfect, I'm learning too, and if I'm wrong in any way I should be called out.
