I've had a while to think things over now, so I'll state my position with regards to the fracass over the GC thread and clarify my thoughts as to leave no room for speculation or conjecture as to exactly where I stand.
First of all, I'd like to state here and now for the record that I am not in league with any other members of the board including the folks belonging to Koi Unit. Contrary to what many people have inferred or outright accused me of by email or PM, I'm not associated to anyone that posts here save the act of selling them a magazine or advertising for them in Koi-Bito. Anyone that suggests that I play favorites or take sides with regards to posting is both ill-informed and simply wrong. The record here speaks for itself, and I don't feel compelled to get defensive and try to prove this fact as anyone truly interested in seeing if this is the case can simply wade through the board history and see for themselves.
Secondly, I don't have the time to sit around monitoring what you folks do on the forum every waking hour of the day. There is a big time difference from where I am (Japan) and where most of the action takes place for the board. In this particular incident, everything happened while I was sleeping snugly in my bed. I awoke to find a skirmish underway, and that an advertiser had concluded their business with me. I was shocked to say the least, as I had not made a single post in this thread indicating that my thoughts or loyalties laid one way or another. This board is open to anyone as long as they follow the simple rules that are explained to everyone upon joining and are a condition for membership. I'd like to remind you that this is a CONTRACT and anyone wishing to make use of this forum needs to honor the stated terms.
Now, I've heard the argument that "nobody actually reads" the user agreement. I find that to be a pretty poor defense for not abiding by the rules. The body of the agreement is relatively short and purposely written in layman's terms in order to be easily understood by anyone. There's not a single part of this agreement which is not clear. Any of you that blindly agree to a contract that you've not read with at least some degree of diligence do yourselves a disservice. That's all I'll say about that.
When you post on the forum, you have to take personal responsibility for what you say. By that I mean if you post questionable material, provocations, accusations, etc etc, then you'd better be ready to be taken to task. Don't expect me to intervene except for the following reasons:
- profanity
- outright libel
- ad hominem attacks
- copyright infringement
- racial,sexual,religious slurs aimed at denying a member their human rights
- impersonation so as to make your indentity appear to be that of another
- situation where a minor is being unduly harrassed or abused
That's it. I will not get into the middle of a mess that I didn't create. Period. Especially when the parties involved have a history of bickering outside of this forum. You need to be prepared to stick up for yourself and fight your own battles if you choose to participate. I will move threads that I think have degraded to the point of personal fighting to the "Outside" subforum in order to spare the other members from being subjected to this type of unpleasantry.
Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I'll be more subjective with regards to the GC thread and make my position known here and now. It seems that the thread started innocently enough and then broke down into squabbling which obviously has a history that originates elsewhere. It has nothing to do with Koi-Bito or with me personally. After reviewing the thread numerous times, I can see a bit of banter going back and forth between two parties, which were both obviously willing participants. Nothing about this board in and of itself influenced them or suggested to them that they make posts lampooning one another in the way they did. As a neutral observer, I can see fault on both sides, and both sides will just have to accept their respective INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY for the comments they've made. According to the user agreement, all users absolve me of any liability for comments made and also of any duty to censor posts that aren't to their liking. If anyone has a problem with that, I suggest that you familiarize yourself with the terms "accountibility" and "contractual obligation". Our members are mature adults, and I expect that they act as such in their conduct on this forum and with respect to their attitude towards the part they feel I should play in it's operation. I try to be TOLERANT and to treat everyone as equally as possible. Again, I've banned very few people so I think that my record speaks for itself on that subject. I also endevour NOT to censor with the exception of breaches of the user agreement which I've listed above. Under these criteria, I reserve the right and do from time to time edit posts that fail to meet these expectations, without regard for who the poster is. Again, everyone is equal here as a poster unless they are in gross violation of the rules.
How would my reputation fare if I edited posts or banned users every time there was material that didn't suit a particular party? What would you think about the content and accuracy of the magazine if I bent everytime that something potentially embarrasing to an advertiser was posted on the forum? If something is clearly false or if I see a financial conflict of interest, then yes, I may feel compelled to step in and either steer things back on track or inform the poster that I'm aware that they have a conflict of interest and that they should take a step back. If it's fighting between individuals simply because they have a difference in beliefs or genuinely dislike one another, then it's not my duty to step in and say anything one way or another. Again, personal accountibility is key here.
It seems to me that aquitori and Stephen were all too happy to throw barbs at one another. Anyone that's impartial can clearly see that. There was intimidation from both sides. I will say however, that things got a bit nasty as the pack mentality set in and other joined in to "settle scores" that again were created elsewhere...not on Koi-Bito. I personally don't think that Stephen deserved to be ganged up on like this. If he and aquitori want to scuffle, then they're both adults and that's their decision. It doesn't involve me. I don't know the history of the bad blood, and frankly have more productive ways to spend my existence than to get involved in other peoples politics. I'm pressed for time as it is.
Stephen up until that point was an advertiser on the forum and was well within his rights to promote his upcoming show. Aquitori seemingly asked a simple question and there was a bit of going back and forth before things got ugly. Again, both parties seemed more than willing to participate in the banter. Where I grew up, if two people wanted to fight, you let them. When one didn't want to fight anymore, you stopped the other one from pounding him. If someone tried to jump in, you pulled them out and ensured that things were fair. I don't see any reason why everyone chose to dogpile on Stephen here. Doesn't seem very fair to me, and I really don't give a hoot what goes on elsewhere. If someone has attacked you someplace else, that's none of my affair and you shouldn't bring it here. E-mail and the telephone are great mediums for talking out your differences. Hostilities such as these should really end with the passing of your teenage years, and I can't stress that enough. Koi are supposed to be fun and fulfilling, but from where I'm seated over here across the pacific, they seem to be causing anything but that back in my native land.
So you're probably asking yourself now why I just didn't delete the thread, aren't you? As I've made known before, I don't censor except in extreme cases. Had this been a case where Stephen had not been a willing participant, then I would have very seriously considered it if it was only an out and out personal attack. Again, to me it seemed to be a two-way affair at the outset. The only parts that I find in violation of the user agreement are the vulgar language. I am disappointed by the "gang mentality" directed towards Stephen, but I can't prove that the statements are libelous so I can't consider them to be violations, even if I find them personally objectionable and perhaps a bit distasteful. Luke has used profanity in an attempt to ridicule yet once again, so he's going to get a week off as a penalty, and his profanities have been edited. That's the extent of the censorship that I'm willing to do. No amount of leverage applied is going to make me change my mind on this. I hope that you all appreciate my decision of being fair and impartial.
After all is said and done though, I'm still left alone here to reflect on a few thoughts.
I've received numerous mails, PM's etc that were rather hostile in nature. They ranged from requests to cancel accounts (tantamount to one country recalling their ambassador from another in order to make a point) to questioning my personal ethics and/or the quality of my magazine. Well, I really don't know what to say. The one thing that I can say is that it's not very effective to threaten someone with potential business. I think the world of my supporters, and I know who's been with me from the early days. Anyone that thinks that I'm going to get lose any sleep because someone tells me that they were considering taking out a subscription, but have changed their minds due to my position on the GC thread is sorely mistaken. My reputation means more to me than that. Also, people who don't know me or aren't familiar with the magazine and it's role in putting the highest level of information out into the English-speaking koi world aren't really qualified to make those sort of comments in the first place. Anyone that knows me knows that I am not a snob. I come from very humble beginnings which I am neither overly proud of nor ashamed of. I've come a long way in the short time that I've been on this earth, and I've learned a lot about human nature and the games people play and the pleasantries of politics. Anyone that tries to apply undue pressure to me had better have their facts straight. Nobody questions my ethics or quality of work without at least claiming to know me first. All the criticism I've received is from people that either barely know or absolutely do not know. I'm always open to fair and constructive criticism, but blind and unfounded rage doesn't set well with me. If you want my respect and my ear for criticism, you need to demonstrate that you know what you're talking about and also capable of independent thought. Otherwise, you're wasting your time and mine with the criticisms, and I'm not saying that to be spiteful. Not one bit. I would like to think that the majority of people in this hobby are capable of judging for themselves and not susceptible to the Jonestown mentality.
It's not secret that Mike Snaden and I are great friends. We both confide in one another and try to keep each other in line. When I get too emotional or of kilter, then I can count on Mike to bring me back to earth and make me reason myself back to the logical world. I do the same for him, and that is the mark of a true friend: someone that will tell you in a calm, firm voice that you're out of line and need to re-evaluate things. That's how we all grow as human beings, and I'm grateful for the few true friends that I do have. More than anyone will ever know.
My other thought that I've been reflecting on is that I am just as much a victim here as anyone. Even more so when monetary considerations are taken into account. Regardless of the how and why, I'm left with a financial loss as a result of him pulling his advertising from the forum and magazine. I don't think any of the other participants in that thread have really sat back and thought about this in detail. No, I don't hold anyone personally resonsible, and I stick by my guns for not caving in and censoring or removing the thread. But let me ask some of the instigators here this: How would you feel if I had a personal problem with one of your customers and showed up at your place of business and starting having it out with them? I'll bet that any businessperson wouldn't stand for it, and I would expect that the police would be called to drag me away. I wouldn't be surprised at all if I were invoiced for lost profits either. I just want you all to think about that and the fact that a few thousand dollars worth of business just went "poof" before my eyes. All for something that had nothing to do with me, regardless of who's at fault.
Now the fact that Stephen decided to cancel advertising is his own decision, and I respect that. No hard feelings and I wish him and the Koiphen show great success. I hope it's the best show ever thrown in the US, because that's exactly what the hobby in the US needs right now...a big shakeup. I do take issue with the comment about Newt (which I confess to not understanding) and am a little disappointed at the explanation that was later given as to why. I'm sorry, but I just don't buy it, and that's not sour grapes talking either. When you've got an onion to peel with someone, it's best to take it up directly and not punish others to make a statement. I can't help but think of the wartime tactic of executing innocents in order to flush out an enemy. Not an honorable tactic in my book any way you try and slice it.
I'm sure that people will talk and that there will be more fallout because of this. There will be ill talk of Koi-Bito and of me. From the messages I've received, I'm almost sure of this. That's one of the reasons why I've chosen to leave the thread as it is, so that if and when negative statements are made, that people can come here and take a look for themselves and make their own conclusions. Advertising wasn't cancelled due to quality of the magazine or anything related to Koi-Bito in and of itself. I think that's pretty clear for those that want to see it. Perhaps that sounds a bit petty, but I've made a stand here and I need to protect my reputation for being fair and impartial as possible.
I've got a little daughter now who's becoming keenly aware of right and wrong and I try to teach her about the issues of morality. When she's a bit older I'll have to teach her about integrity and not folding under pressure. I've found nothing more effective or awe-inspiring in my live than learning or leading by example. I'm not about to change course on that now, and whether I like it or not, I'm the moral compass for that little girl. She picks up a lot more than I realize sometimes and asks me about things that I didn't even realize she was aware of.
Sorry to ramble on here, and thanks for taking the time to read this post in it's entirety. In closing, I'd just like to remind you that unless a post falls under one of the 7 criteria in the list, don't expect me to come down on anyone. Be accountable for your own actions and own them.
Best regards,
12-03-2005
Reflections... 
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