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So the night before last I was a little shocked to find my blog had fallen victim to a downvote rampage by a power tripping blockchain bully who sees fit, it would seem, to use their power to come after anyone who dares talk to the ‘wrong’ people on here - all but one of my active posts downvoted at once within about an hour of leaving a comment on a friend’s post who had just announced his imminent departure from the blockchain over similarly being tyrannized simply for talking to the ‘wrong’ user... Sorry to see you go, @shepz1
Then, after responding to a comment left in response to the initial comment which had incurred the wrath of this faceless bully, wherein I simply stated the fact of what had just befallen me and voiced my opinion that such behavior seemed psychotic, my last remaining active post was almost immediately zeroed out, a new first for me. 5 posts hit with big whale downvotes in one night, seemingly entirely unrelated to the content of the posts themselves, not a single active post spared, one entirely zeroed out, for simply having a cordial discussion with fellow Hive users and friends who just so happen to have also fallen victim to such indiscriminate abuse before me.
I’ve become accustomed to receiving downvotes unaccompanied by explanations over difference of opinion in a post, a pretty regular occurrence for myself and a number of others over the course of the year, as many independent personalities regularly voicing politically incorrect/anti-establishment views can attest to; but never did I imagine that there were users who would stoop to a level this low. How can anyone stand for the systematic targeting of users for simply talking to the ‘wrong’ person or people. It’s frankly childish behavior, both vindictive and oppressive, unbefitting of a platform priding itself as ‘decentralized’, marketing itself as a friendly censorship-free haven for free expression conducive to entrepreneurial growth for original content creators looking to escape the draconian policies of oligarchical Big Tech social media platforms and establishment echo-chambers. And I am truly surprised the powers that be allow such a pathetic form of rampant abuse to fly on here, and to continue unhindered, unchecked and without condemnation.
Maybe some of the devs and whales are simply unaware such practices are being employed against unsuspecting targets. This is is one of the biggest reasons I felt compelled to make this post, in hopes of bringing awareness of this abuse to those who may not be aware, so they may once again have the opportunity to address it or to continue to turn a blind eye, whichever response they think to be right. In my mind, this is wrong, so wrong, and more than anything it is unfair to my followers and the followers of others whose stake is being redistributed, their upvotes nullified, and their curation rewards greatly diminished.
I understand, based upon the previous behavior of this petty tyrant, that making this post will likely land me on his ‘hit list’ and result in perpetual indiscriminate downvoting of all of my future content, but I have stayed silent for too long, watching the merciless harassment of @lucylin in a nonstop 6-month targeting of his blog - for no clear reason whatsoever, opting not to meddle in the business of others and refraining from pointing fingers at those who have done me no wrong, but it has now just been very much made my business, and I refuse to sit idly by in silence in hopes of being spared from future troubles. A number of good people who consistently made authentic original content I and many others appreciated are fast exiting Hive, in large part due to the irresponsible and unjust actions of this one bad apple.
I do not know who this Azircon is, I had never once visited his blog, never been tagged by him, never mentioned or interacted with him, never to my knowledge even been downvoted by him before, and never received a ‘warning’ for any behavior deemed ‘inappropriate’ or unwelcome by this user before suddenly and unsuspectingly ending up on the receiving end of this vindictive downvote spree, without so much as a single comment accompanying these actions explaining what ‘wrong’ I had in his mind committed. The posts that were indiscriminately targeted were not spam, nor were they unusually high payout posts that were trending; on the contrary, they were original and comprehensive well-sourced investigative journalistic pieces (and one video) that together took countless hours of work to produce, each with pending payouts under $40.
If this constitutes ‘spam’ worthy of being indiscriminately downvoted into oblivion over, then this blockchain as a healthy independent platform is broken, seemingly beyond repair, in large part by a single bully who appears to have the blessing of the blockchain hierarchy, or at the least is being met with indifferent neutrality.
Certainly wasn’t plagiarism, either. And if zeroing out a $6 post in retaliation for a comment made to a ‘targeted’ user, a comment simply stating the fact of what had befallen me, if this somehow constitutes a legitimate ‘disagreement over rewards’, then the notion that downvotes are a necessary tool to reign in abuse can be clearly seen as a facade being used to justify and encourage that which is itself destructive indiscriminate abuse of stake and the downvote feature.
If such absurd behavior were isolated, it would be one thing, though still disturbing, but it is not isolated; it has already been going on, as I have come to discover - the targeting of entire blogs over a single comment, the targeting of users for simply conversing with the ‘wrong’ people. And simply telling others about such an experience in a comment brings the full weight of the perpetrator’s power down upon oneself.
I didn’t ask for this, I didn’t call azircon out for anything, didn’t call him names, didn’t accuse him of anything or attempt to provoke him in any way or even so much as mention this user until they decided to retaliate against me - for god knows what words they found offensive or for merely speaking with the ‘wrong’ fellow - by targeting an entire week’s worth of work in one swift, sweeping, vindictive act of oppression. And even then, all I did at that point was tell the story of what had happened to a concerned fellow Hive blogger, and voice my opinion that such behavior was psychotic, bringing additional punitive action down upon myself. If such an unprovoked and unforeseen downvote spree were to be carried out upon anyone else’s account, I am fairly certain most reasonable folk would likewise view such an action to be psychotic.
To be fair, and for the sake of transparency, one of the 5 posts was a double-posting, an honest and entirely unintentional mistake of mine due to technical issues I was having at the time; and had only that one post or even both of the doubles been downvoted, I would not be writing this right now, readily accepting the consequence of being flagged for my unintentional blockchain ‘crime’. But that is clearly not what took place, as evidenced by the indiscriminate nature of this act, the timing, and the fact this same behavior is being employed against others in similar fashion for seemingly similar reasons.
Please, if you are reading this @azircon, at least explain your actions like an adult instead of cowardly hiding behind that mask of yours as you indiscriminately downvote content, not based upon the merits or demerits of the posts themselves, but out of spite for a user who has apparently committed such an unforgivably heinous act to your mind that it merits the vindictive targeting of his entire blog. Please explain to me how this is not a pompous, spiteful, psychotic display of power-tripping retribution for breaking a subjective blockchain ‘rule’ the vast majority of users are unaware even exists. Please explain to me and the Hive community why you did not first ‘warn’ me of my ‘transgressions’ before taking to downvoting an entire week’s worth of original posts, even zeroing out a relatively low paying post, why you did not simply ask me to cease from behavior you apparently found distasteful, and why you have not so much as even left a single one-line explanation of why you have done what you did. Same for all the others you are doing this to.
Of course, this petty tyrant does not like to converse with those questioning his madness, he only wants you to listen.
He does things on the blockchain the “right way,” and no one should question that; so is going on downvoting sprees against targeted users over a comment they didn’t like the “right way” of handling disagreements on Hive? If so, this is not a very inviting place, and people will continue to exit faster and faster to friendlier environments.
He doesn’t want people meddling in his affairs, in “complicated” things that involve his abusive pattern of downvoting, just leave it be, don’t question his use of downvotes, and enjoy Hive!
Stay out of the mask’s business... Or he’ll “handle you.” Oh yes, he doesn’t hide his domineering vindictive nature either, threatening those who dare question his tactics - “I WILL handle you, and that will be the consequence.”
Only problem is, that is exactly what I did. I minded my own business, I left well enough alone, I stayed out of the drama between this control freak and his victims, and still he comes after me. This is madness. And it’s plain for all to see.
You see, there are consequences for exercising free speech on this platform, if it offends the mask. Tyranny can flourish in ‘decentralized’ platforms too, apparently, when code is law and ethics are thrown out the window.
Everyone else who defends this bully’s indiscriminate use of downvotes in the name of protecting the integrity of Hive and combatting spammers, please explain to me and everyone else who has been harassed in similar manner exactly what it is that justifies such behavior, what written or unwritten Hive ‘rules’ I and a number of others in the very same boat have violated to deserve such ‘punishment’, to warrant such a vendetta against us personally and not particular pieces of work in question.
Is this really acceptable? Will no big accounts dare to stand up to such abuse? @aggroed, @ura-soul, @r0nd0n, and all other witnesses and devs who I know are voices of reason and claim to stand for freedom; is this really acceptable, and what this blockchain stands for? Is there no way to reign in such abuse of power? Can this at least be discouraged by the powers that be? Or is this what they, what you, what everyone here wants Hive to become?
Those who have weight and power here and don’t speak up against such insanity are only aiding in the collapse of the Hive ecosystem; already people are leaving faster and faster due to abuse like this. The exodus started months ago, but this increase in abuse level is prodding a lot more people to pack up and leave...
Like @wil.metcalfe, a big promoter of Hive and 4-year user, he sees this is no friendly atmosphere for freedom and entrepreneurship.
@phusionphil, also leaving after getting similar treatment as mine, all posts downvoted over responding to a comment he was tagged in by this bully.
@palikari123 already pretty much done with his account over perpetual abuse, and @shepz1 also leaving for being targeted for simply talking to @lucylin, the #1 target of this bully, over 6 month downvote spree on all posts, reason for being targeted unknown, although we speculate it must be in regards to nonconformist political views. If you can notice a pattern, those targeted by the mask tend to be independent voices of reason, truth seekers and promoters of freedom. Tyrants hate voices of freedom, they can’t stand the truth, and they use fear to remain in power, so those with the courage to speak out against their oppression terrify them.
Well, I’m not afraid of the mask, although I may soon be making my departure (at least powering down my few thousand Hive) if I continue to receive such treatment on a regular basis. I will not be silenced however, and my research and reporting on the crimes against humanity being carried out by the global control freak tyrants with mindsets just like the mindset of this arrogant mask will continue, on here or elsewhere. For now I shall remain, and see where things go from here, but it’s not looking good for the community of independent freedom lovers on here, as our numbers seem to be dwindling by the day, and for good reason.
If this is turning into the likes of a Big Tech environment that only allows one mindset to flourish without punishment, there is no reason to feed such a system, just as there is no reason to feed the Big Tech monsters. People are fleeing those dying platforms, and they’ll be fleeing this one too if some radical changes aren’t made to reign in this rampant abuse of power. Indeed, many already are.
