I am a newbie here and I don’t know anybody around much.
I’ll just share what I felt when I saw this thread.
The first thing I felt when I saw this thread was “who is this urlforce studios who’s asking us to sign something he’s dreamt up? Another kid hankering for identity?”
So, I took a look at the profile of this guy who’s started the thread, and then checked the other threads he was involved in. One thing became clear, this is a person who has actively contributed to the community with Lemur Mod, and did not need introduction except to newbies like me. So, he is not hankering for identity, and does not require to.
That done, I felt reluctance to sign again. Something inside asked me, is this guy trying to be my moral leader or what? I remain half-starved and go without luxury only because I am always paying, and paying for licenses and software. I do not need to seek anybody’s approval or declare my innocence in public to prove that I live by the law.
I am answerable only to myself, the Lord, and the Law, and I live my principles, do not talk about them.
Once, I calmed down I realized that no question has been asked in this thread that doubted my principles. It was just a call to seek my approval and public endorsement of certain common values upon which the survival of this community depends. It was definitely not a call to judge me.
But, again I felt doubts. There are so many threads against piracy already, what purpose was this somehow theatrical act of signing the pledge going to serve? Does it serve any positive purpose at all?
I took a step back and considered the situation. It seemed this was a call to build peer norms and pressure, and it was true that my minute conduct in the workplace is more controlled by peer conduct, examples and approval than by the rules laid down by the employer. In fact, I am more concerned with schedules and delivery and regularly ignore HR rules as mere formalities, unless of course, there was anything that everybody else was following.
I have not yet gone into that thread about Note on Piracy on the forum yet, for I do not engage in piracy and I do not need to know what’s in it. And it seems official, started by a Moderator.
But if I were coming in absolutely new to the forums, a thread like this with good numbers behind it would immediately tell me the trend of peer approval. It does not prove anybody’s innocence, but just declares the solidarity and establishes the strength and feelings of the community. It just tells newcomers to Rome, how the Romans live.
I sign.
Still moving in circles.
