Well, thanks to the picking and bickering, we've lost a content creator.

[JCitron]

With all your picking and bickering and poking, you've driven away a long time contributor to the Trainz community. Dragonharh is no longer with us. He pm'd me yesterday and has stated he is gone. Never here anymore - you guys won your battle. He was picked on one time too many and lost it. To tell you the truth, I would leave too after being treated that way. We know he has spelling issues. I discussed this with him privately and he has tried the spell checkers and other tools available, but due to the severity of his dyslexia, his spelling is beyond what a spell checker can repair. This is a sad position to be in as it affects not only hobbies such as Trainz but also work and education. I know because my brother-in-law has the same condition. He's a hard worker but cannot get ahead because of his disability. This has left him at a disadvantage as to what kind of job he can do, and this of course affects other aspects of his life both socially and economically.

We have to remember that no one is perfect in this imperfect world. We all have faults and issues and we need to accept those faults of others just as we face our own. This is not just an international community but is also one made up of people from all ages, income levels, and abilities. There are some people here who are retired. Others are terminally ill, while other have disabilities, and also others with disabilities so severe that they are confined to a wheelchair or bed. They are here to enjoy the virtual railroading just like the rest of us. Learning to accept others and their disabilities is part of maturity and growing up, and apparently there are some people around here who haven't learned that part of life yet.

This was once a community to be proud of and one that I enjoyed being a member of, however, as of late this place is no longer as enjoyable as it used to be. We need to work together to bring this community back to where it was once before. Accept others as we accept ourselves. Using the internet and usernames to badger others because of your own insecurities only reflects the real person you really are, and only leads to an environment that is no longer enjoyable to be in.

John

 

[Zeldaboy14]

How did all of this start anyway, by Dragonharh leaving I mean? I just saw him on yesterday.

 

[shaneturner12]

It's never good when a long time contributor leaves the community - especially someone like dragonharh.

Thank you for posting this John, as I'm one of those who understands that people can be great contributors regardless of whether they have a disability or not. I have Aspergers Syndrome for example, which can affect some of the things I do on these forums. I also have a family relation with dyslexia, so I know first hand what that's like.

Shane

 

[shaneturner12]

My understanding from what I saw is it was relating to people objecting to the way he spelled words.

Shane

 

[H222]

It is sad, he had some nice reskins but he certainly got aggressive easily. He's also not really good when it comes to constructive criticism or people helping him

 

[Zeldaboy14]

yah, and Trainz is too addictive to leave.

 

[shaneturner12]

That may be true, but even then there's a line somewhere.

The problem I've seen lately is people attacking people who have a disability (like dragonharh), which is never a good thing to do and is a contravention of CoC item 13.

Shane

 

[boleyd]

There is a lot of anger and angst in the general population with a small part of that group on the forum. Quick social judgements may be the result of the pressures of our new high speed society. So many things are instantaneous that there is little time to reflect and instead people react. I have been there and done that. Eventually you see how foolish you are and how nothing positive comes from bullying and nasty comments.

If the forum does not "self-clean" the people to are anti-social will eventually band with other like personalities and develop their own support group within the forum. In the long run, unless the nasty types are purged, they can take over the forum as nice people move away in disgust.

 

[Zeldaboy14]

It's never good when a long time contributor leaves the community - especially someone like dragonharh.

Thank you for posting this John, as I'm one of those who understands that people can be great contributors regardless of whether they have a disability or not. I have Aspergers Syndrome for example, which can affect some of the things I do on these forums. I also have a family relation with dyslexia, so I know first hand what that's like.

Shane

I hate to say this but I have Aspergers as well.

 

[shaneturner12]

That makes two of us. Don't worry, I'm well familiar of the effects of it, so I know what to expect.

Shane

 

[JCitron]

Thank you, Shane for pointing this out. I forgot to mention this in my post.

If I see this continuing with other people, I will round up the instigators and ban them without warning. There is no reason for this kind of activity on these forums.

@Jamie,

He starting fighting back after being picked on for quite some time. After awhile people become defensive as they expect another volley of hits coming their way.

John

 

[shaneturner12]

No problem (I'm hoping that it wasn't a problem with me pointing it out - if it was a problem with me doing that, I apologise)).

I agree that certain users have made things go downhill here. I do not want to be one of them, or get involved with them either as I don't want to get dragged down as well.

If there's anything I can do to reduce the anger and trouble that seems to crop up here, I'd like to help.

Shane

 

[ray_whiley]

I'm sure that it is using Trainz, creating new assets, and enjoying these forums is what keeps many people going despite - or perhaps because of - the problems that they have. It is surprising that we have in general become a much less tolerant society in all walks of life despite the greater knowledge we have of both physical and mental difficulties. I fully support your suggestion, John, of banning without warning those who are intolerant.

Fortunately, my only problem is increasing age - but I really appreciate my involvement with Trainz and asset creation, learning something new every day, my contact with friends throughout the world, and keeping those 'little grey cells' active.

Ray

 

[johnwhelan]

It is sad, he had some nice reskins but he certainly got aggressive easily. He's also not really good when it comes to constructive criticism or people helping him

Think about how you wrote this. Could it have been written differently? "I found it difficult to express a suggestion in a way that I feel he understood and accepted."

Ever heard of the expression "its for your own good", it rarely is.

He made content and if he was happy with what he made then this is good. If we were paying him to make content then we might expect a certain level of quality but I've seen payware with non-rotating wheels so that doesn't work.

I think you have to accept people as they are, especially ones who make content such as reskins and meshes there are too few of them as it is.

Cheerio John

 

[Bluewater]

Oh jeez. He was a friend of mine. I'm sad to see him leave the community. He was a really nice guy when you treated him right. John, thanks for pointing this out. Hopefully we'll be able to fix stuff like this from happening again.

 

[sawyer811]

It is sad, he had some nice reskins but he certainly got aggressive easily. He's also not really good when it comes to constructive criticism or people helping him

That may be true, but even then there's a line somewhere.

The problem I've seen lately is people attacking people who have a disability (like dragonharh), which is never a good thing to do and is a contravention of CoC item 13.

Shane

Like Shane said, there's a difference between constructive criticism and just hammering someone's work though: frankly from what I've seen that line got crossed and re-crossed in threads about his content repeatedly. I'll admit, I'd get a little irritated seeing his posts sometimes, and I feel terrible for it, and felt terrible for it even before this all came to light. However, I stutter, so I can understand Dragon's frustration: After a while, it becomes such a trigger that literally even minor criticism is enough to hit a beserk button and send someone flying off the rails, as it were. I know that personally, I do this even today (and my speech had gotten miles better than it used to be), I can only imagine that Dragon had similar triggers. It's frustrating when people seemingly choose exclusion and belittlement over compassion and understanding.

And I do want to make a personal apology here: I never voiced my feelings as far as I can recall -- though don't quote me on that since my memory is not to be trusted -- but Dragon, I know that I harbored many of the same harmful thoughts and feelings as many who posted in your content threads did. Dragonharh, If you happen to see this, you have my sincere apologies, for I feel disgusted with myself for judging you like many others did, without knowing the full extent of the problem you faced. For all my knowledge and attempts to remain objective and compassionate, I let myself become no better than the rest of those who made fun of you.

 

[Craig72]

It makes me so angry when small minded people who have nothing better to do then to find faulty with everything else other people do.

My own spelling/grammar is not perfect by any means, so I hate it when people have to point out that fact to members, I see posts with spelling mistakes or grammatical mistakes, but I don't point them out to the poster as I don't think there's any need to.

Perfect spelling/grammar is not necessary on a forums as I'm sure we are all intelligent enough to know what the OP means.

I will round up the instigators and ban them without warning. There is no reason for this kind of activity on these forums.

I hope you and the other Mods/admin do ban members who are nasty/disruptive as another forum I used went down hill fast due to a few malcontents who wanted nothing to do but annoy other members.

Craig.

 

[cascaderailroad]

He'll be back ... and I urge him to return ... he, and anyone else, can contact me using free Skype, anytime.

 

[norfolksouthern37]

My understanding from what I saw is it was relating to people objecting to the way he spelled words.

there is a difference though to outright attacking him for his bad spelling and him attacking those who simply said "we cannot understand you" which is what he did very often and really makes him no less at fault than anyone else.

It is sad, he had some nice reskins but he certainly got aggressive easily. He's also not really good when it comes to constructive criticism or people helping him

i agree. even a simple question was often met with foul language or attacks from him. disability does not give anyone the right to act that way to others or to break the rules here on the forum.

if he is really leaving i wish him luck but honestly we could do without all of that mess.

 

[Zeldaboy14]

Nobody's perfect.