Additional Administrative Update: Festavo/Dionysus

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All —

Yesterday we announced that an indefinite ban we had placed on Festavo in 2018 was being lifted.

Our policy has always been that bans are not about punishment. They are about safety. That is always why we strive to never impose administrative bans with a fixed time limit. We have strayed from this rule a few times and always regretted it, because a time-limit gives the false expectation that a safety concern will be resolved by a fixed date. Thus, a ban represents the current status of the subject, but it is never immutable. We are open to reconsidering bans if we have reason to believe the risk of threat has diminished or additional evidence becomes available that changes our analysis.

When Festavo approached us, we engaged in an interactive conversation with him where we discussed his past actions and he displayed what we interpreted as sincere remorse. In our view, this was not someone throwing up an apology to save their career or reputation, and pretending like they changed overnight. He discussed with us about how he had evolved over the past six years and regretted his transphobic and anti-LGBTQ+ comments. The key question we had to consider: Does it seem like this individual would put our members in danger?

We reflected on this question very seriously. Our administrative team is majority LGBTQ+ with queer and non-cis representation, and we are not naive to the harm that words can do — many of us have been on the receiving end of harassment and bullying.

But after our conversations with Festavo, we were convinced that he longer posed a safety concern to our community.

We knew that any return to the community would have to mean Festavo revealing his identity, public apologies, and facing the consequences of his initial deceit.

Additionally, we weighed whether more people should be brought into the conversation. Traditionally, we have tried to keep our decisions close to the chest and free of external influence. This policy has served us well in many instances where we had to make unpopular or surprising decisions. In this instance, it may have been a mistake, and we will be thinking of formalizing our processes of ban reviews and soliciting feedback from persons or groups who may be impacted.

On announcing this news, we received a lot of feedback, and this morning Administrator Malashaan formally asked for thoughts to be shared with them or in public. Based on that, it is clear that many members are not comfortable sharing an online space with Festavo.

As an administrative team, we believe in redemption. Many of us have been playing this game for a decade plus, and have seen the power of our community — this community — to change hearts and minds. Even in the hours since our announcement yesterday, we worked as an intermediary to try to arrange a personal apology from Festavo to one of the players he harmed back in 2018. We think that is meaningful and important.

But while we may believe that the balance of evidence shows Festavo no longer presents a safety concern, and while we may desire our community to offer the coveted second chance, we cannot force those feelings on the community as a whole.

Some valued members are understandably not willing to look past the things that Festavo said six years ago, and we cannot and will not force them to do so.

Given that, we are reimposing the indefinite ban on Festavo.

It is worth noting that every single ban status review in our administrative team’s history has brought significant stress and left people dissatisfied. Beyond the feedback we have received today, we are open to suggestions on how to improve the reviews process or, indeed, if we should shift to a system of “permaban” where administrative bans are not open to review .

To address a few final points:

— It has been suggested by some that HEM’s comment noting that Festavo’s behavior took place outside Europeia indicated that we did not care about Festavo’s conduct because it took place elsewhere. That is obviously not the case, as he was banned for six years and numerous members have been banned for conduct outside Europeia.

— We are appreciative of everyone in our community who openly expressed their feelings and shared their thoughts. Your feedback is a gift, and we are grateful. We are also appreciative of non-Europeians who reached out to us individually with information or questions in good faith.

— We heard reports that some community members received some targeted backlash for expressing their views on this contentious matter. We understand that this is an emotionally-charged topic, but ask that members be charitable toward each other and assume good intent when it comes to respective views on this specific issue — and frankly, all contentious issues.

— As a team, we are reflecting on how we may have missed the mark here. As stated above, many of us have dealt with both harassment and bullying, including in this game. On top of that, we are an older group of players both in-game and IRL who have far too much experience with previous administrative investigations. Our formative experiences of the internet were different than many members, and it might be easier to compartmentalize things said online than those with different digital experiences. This is something we will also be considering with our future decision-making so we maintain the trust you've put in us as a community.

Signed,

The Administrative Team
 
Ultimately, I don't think there is a "right" way to approach this... everyone feels different degrees of danger or fear because of this person because we're all different people. But I do think the admin team is right in listening to the wider NS community and our Europeian family. Thank you for considering them and not taking their words for granted. ❤️
 
Echoing Sanju - there’s no “right” way of going about this, but ultimately the safety and comfortability of the community always comes first. I hope Dionysus/Festavo’s growth is genuine, and serves them well on their journey beyond Europeia/NS.
 
If the admin team believed he genuinely has changed than they should have stayed the course and let the IC process play out. He already had his citizenship revoked and was facing some further ban (He was basically guaranteed to get some ban after the court case). If he still wanted to return after that, it could have been adjudicated by the IC government. He would still have been subject to a one strike rule by the admins regardless. The community should have at least given him some chance and let the process play out.

At what point are we just forever doomed by our past actions? No matter what was said, six years is a really long time among a community that can have players as young as 13. Many of you, including myself are completely different people from when we started playing this game. I think it is very unfortunate that the offered opportunity for a discrete and poignant second chance has basically been immediately revoked. The player now won't even get their day in court at the veto of a handful of players exerting social pressure.
 
Ultimately in this case this was the right choice, though I do worry about this style of reasoning for any future happenings like this.
 
At what point are we just forever doomed by our past actions? No matter what was said, six years is a really long time among a community that can have players as young as 13. Many of you, including myself are completely different people from when we started playing this game. I think it is very unfortunate that the offered opportunity for a discrete and poignant second chance has basically been immediately revoked. The player now won't even get their day in court at the veto of a handful of players exerting social pressure.

This. So much this.
 
At what point are we just forever doomed by our past actions? No matter what was said, six years is a really long time among a community that can have players as young as 13
As someone who was…. 15/16 saying some of the stuff I did, this does make me think.

What is the line of redemption? Where do we draw it? How much is unforgivable?

There’s no easy answer and I suspect we will be playing it by ear for a while.
 
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If the admin team believed he genuinely has changed than they should have stayed the course and let the IC process play out. He already had his citizenship revoked and was facing some further ban (He was basically guaranteed to get some ban after the court case). If he still wanted to return after that, it could have been adjudicated by the IC government. He would still have been subject to a one strike rule by the admins regardless. The community should have at least given him some chance and let the process play out.

At what point are we just forever doomed by our past actions? No matter what was said, six years is a really long time among a community that can have players as young as 13. Many of you, including myself are completely different people from when we started playing this game. I think it is very unfortunate that the offered opportunity for a discrete and poignant second chance has basically been immediately revoked. The player now won't even get their day in court at the veto of a handful of players exerting social pressure.
I still believe he has grown and changed and is no longer the threat he once was. But his presence here was untenable with the feelings of so many people in the community. That's not an IC issue, it's entirely separate from the criminal aspect.

We were in a position where either Dionysis goes or other members of our community who have done nothing wrong feel they have to go. I don't have any regrets about choosing the innocent over the person whose own actions put them in this situation

That said, I'm disappointed. The apology he wrote is everything I want to see one day from the transphobes that harass me regularly on social media. And they say equally vile shit regularly. I saw the apology and was happy that someone had grown. But that doesn't invalidate the feelings of people who aren't willing to take that risk, and my trans family feeling safe here will always outweigh my own desire to see people reform and get second chances.
 
If the admin team believed he genuinely has changed than they should have stayed the course and let the IC process play out. He already had his citizenship revoked and was facing some further ban (He was basically guaranteed to get some ban after the court case). If he still wanted to return after that, it could have been adjudicated by the IC government. He would still have been subject to a one strike rule by the admins regardless. The community should have at least given him some chance and let the process play out.

At what point are we just forever doomed by our past actions? No matter what was said, six years is a really long time among a community that can have players as young as 13. Many of you, including myself are completely different people from when we started playing this game. I think it is very unfortunate that the offered opportunity for a discrete and poignant second chance has basically been immediately revoked. The player now won't even get their day in court at the veto of a handful of players exerting social pressure.
Fully agreed - I didn't interact with Fest as Dionysus, but I do think that it is impossible for them to show growth, change, or remorse for their past actions when those same actions are being re-broadcast for those who weren't around for the initial ban 6 years ago. So, for those players, these comments may as well have been said yesterday, which feels unfair to a person who has spent years growing and maturing (presumably).

It definitely feels like we're shutting down any possibility of someone growing out of being offensive and rejoining a community.

If the admins had determined to their satisfaction that Fest/Dio was no longer a threat to the community, the re-ban then feels disingenuous and reactionary.
 
What happened to the "no contact/no engagement" policy?

Edit: Link

Edit 2: I realize this was tailored to Discord interactions, but I still wonder to what extent the "just block them" option was discussed. I echo others' comments that it's been 6 years and the guy was trying to genuinely apologize.
 
What happened to the "no contact/no engagement" policy?

Edit: Link

Edit 2: I realize this was tailored to Discord interactions, but I still wonder to what extent the "just block them" option was discussed. I echo others' comments that it's been 6 years and the guy was trying to genuinely apologize.

It was specifically tailored to keep me and Kari from murdering each other on the daily in Eurochat.
 
feels unfair to a person who has spent years growing and maturing (presumably).

It definitely feels like we're shutting down any possibility of someone growing out of being offensive and rejoining a community.
The only thing I feel I can say to this is to echo what Malashaan has already posted, and say that we will continue the conversation in the coming weeks on regional and social expectations going forward in the hopes that future decisions of this scale have more community buy-in before the time of their issuing in a way we did not achieve this time around, for a myriad of reasons discussed in the post at the top of the thread.
We were in a position where either Dionysis goes or other members of our community who have done nothing wrong feel they have to go. I don't have any regrets about choosing the innocent over the person whose own actions put them in this situation
 
Ive not really been paying attention to any of this, given I havent spent much time on the forums these last years, but it seems to my like the prime issue here is people misunderstanding what the job of the admin team is. Or, given some of the statements about leaving it to the IC authorities, what the RP governments job is.

The admin teams job is to protect the community. The RP governments job is to enforce the law. When the admin team decided that Dionysus apology and proven ability to spend time in Europeia without relapsing into the issues that had caused his ban merited the removal of that ban, they were saying that in their opinion his ban no longer served to protect the community regardless of his lying on his citizenship application. When the RP government chose to prosecute Dionysus for lying on his cit app, which he had admitted to, they were doing their job to enforce the law. Whether Dionysus was a danger to the region or likely to recommit the crime would have been, at best, matters for sentencing. The IC process would not have, and should not have, looked at whether Dionysus were a danger to the region before then. And even then they would have been bound by the RP laws we have. The admin team can not, and should not, abdicate their responsibility as admins to keep the community save to the RP government. It is not the RP governments job. It is the admins.

And if, even after they decided that in their opinion the Festavo ban no longer served to protect the community, the community itself disagreed, as it seems at least a part did, then the admins had better listen. I dont know who went to the admins and asked them to reconsider the lifting of the ban. I dont want the admins to out those people. People should absolutely feel free to go to the admins and privately, without fear of public reaction, be able to tell them they fear for their safety. And at the end of the day, the admins are obliged to act on reasonable fears in order to keep the community safe. The only question here is if those members fears were reasonable. I for one am not prepared to tell our LGBT members that they werent. Part of that is because I am truly checked out of the regional happenings and dont really know Dionysus, but another part is simply that we live in a world that is terrifying at the best of times. Much more so for people who are LGBT, given the vitriol and hatred spread against them all over. If the admins have to err on the side of caution in order to make Europeia be and actually feel like a safe space for them, then, sadly for Dionysus, that is what they must do.

It sucks for him. It truly does. His apology seemed heartfelt. It must suck to do the hard work of bettering yourself and then, after managing to get his ban lifted, having the rug pulled out under him. But the admins job isnt to help Dionysus better himself or making sure that his hard work to do so is properly rewarded. Their job is to protect the community. Not from Dionysus, who does seem to have changed much for the better, but from the consequences of allowing Dionysus back into the region. There is no good solution. Every option sucks. I think the admins made the best of a bad situation. It is what it is.
 
Honestly I do not think that enough time has passed on this matter for me to fully settle my own opinion. That said, I would like to share some of the thoughts that I have been considering.

I am a mostly cis, mostly het dude. I can sympathize with the transgender members of our community, I can listen when they speak, and I can try to change my behaviors in such a way that may make this region just that little bit more open and welcoming for them. And I try to do these things! But I cannot put myself in their shoes. I cannot know their struggles as intimately as they do. And so this is one of those times where listening to what these people are saying is extremely important.

I think that it is ok for there to be a certain level of discomfort about some of the topics we discuss in this region. It is ok to be exposed to people with different political views or life experiences than us. I have certainly felt discomfort sometimes during discussions of transgender and other minority rights -- topics that make me question some of my behaviors in a way that my relatively sheltered upbringing never did. This sort of discomfort helps us (and certainly me) grow and improve as people.

But there is only so far we can go with this discomfort. No one should feel unsafe in Europeia. And it is clear from the pushback that this decision has received that it made some of our community members feel unsafe.

Transgender people and members of other marginalized groups are not obligated to forgive people, even if those people have grown and changed. Some damage simply cannot be undone. I think Mal's attitude towards the redemption of transphobes is commendable (read her post if you haven't already), but one thing that she makes very clear is that this is her choice. And if other members of our community are not willing to make that choice, they are well within their right to do so.

I do not know for certain if Dionysus is being sincere. I do think that it is very possible. The fact that he willingly initiated this discussion is admirable, for what it is worth, and I do sincerely hope that people bear that in mind. It is clear from the admin announcement that Dionysus could very well have continued to remain under the radar and none of us would have been any the wiser. But he came forward willingly, not just to the admin team, but to the region (and thus to all of NS) as a whole. The people who are arguing that this and his initial apology were not enough are correct, and I have been saying that as well, but even that step takes a lot of courage.

There has been a lot of discussion about whether or not anyone is 'owed' a redemption arc. I don't believe that, but I doubt that anyone else participating in this discussion does either. I do think that people can earn a chance at redemption though. And I feel like Dionysus has at least earned that chance, even if the place for that is not here.
 
I'm a bit sadden by the decision initially, because I would of liked to see the good in this individual come to surface. I genuinely did view the apology as sincere from the context we were provided. Whether that is silly of me is not upto me :p

I would still say this is a very crude way of welcoming someone back (and yes, this being directed at the IC government was a misfire), but I also realize the importance of the administration team responsibility to the community first, and honestly... we all realize the world is not fair in the slighest and it gets significantly worst for the people most effected by this individual's past actions.

I do hope that Dionysus fìnds a place to call home on NS. I think they've earned that given the trouble they've gone through to be as up front about themselves as possible.

I know this was a tough decision for the admin team and I think we all appreciate your efforts as a team to make the best decisions for us.

UPC's thoughts on the rest of this is a written entirely better then my midnight shower thoughts, heh.
 
I resigned my citizenship earlier today, so I do not have a lot of stake in the matter now, except for the people I care about I am leaving behind. I think two (2) things should be highlighted here: (1) the Administrative Team decided not to disclose the sentiments expressed by Festavo those years ago -- this allowed newer people, such as me, to not fully realize and understand the severity of the transgressions, and (2) it cannot be underscored enough the violence of Festavo's statements in the past -- they weren't merely transphobic and homophobic, they expressed deep-seated hatred beyond ignorance.

I do not necessarily know the solution here and it's not my prerogative to do so either. But I do hope the people who express sympathy towards Festavo will take the time to realize the alienation transgender members are feeling, such as myself, especially considering the departure of McEntire. To me, the decisions made by the Admin Team in the last 24 hours show a systemic issue within Europeia.

Icarus . . . McEntire . . . now, Me. This is the cost being exacted.

Now that I do not feel compelled to keep things inside, I think it should be clear that I felt exactly what Icarus felt when she was a Citizen in Europeia. Unlike others, I do not have an issue with naming names: @Olde Delaware, @Rand, @PhDre, and @August De Brus. Whether in the Empire of Great Britain or the Republic of Europeia, I never felt more talked down to, berated, or lesser. Olde Delaware, ever since I returned to Europeia months ago, though luckily not so much since he was banned from the Discord Server, made me feel unwelcome, unsafe, and unwanted within the community. Rand and PhDre, while accomplished and capable statesmen and parliamentarians, infantilized me and put me and others down in the Grand Hall during debates on the Constitutional Convention and the Weighted Voting Amendment. A feeling that was shared by McEntire and something we DMd each other about every time it happened. Now, I came to Europeia after I had originally left the Empire of Great Britain because of August. Throughout my Premiership there, he made it an absolute pain, and the region I had called home for four years wasn't the same to me. Now, he's here in Europeia and I feel like I cannot escape him. He consistently overreacts to everything I do, jumps down my throat, and is, in general, a complete asshole.

I have really enjoyed what I've done in Europeia and the friends I've made, but I don't like how it makes me feel.
 
I do just want to very briefly reply to what Josi’s said about me. I’ll not deny it, I was horrible to her and others and I take full responsibility for it but I was disciplined by the EoGB admin team. I also have not engaged in the behaviour that led to me being disciplined in a long time and I’ll admit to thinking Josi had moved past it considering we are working together in the RAF sans hitches and that since joining Europeia I have not attacked, belittled, berated, defamed or jumped down Josi’s throat in any way shape or form. Anything I did that was wrong I have learned from, apologised for and was disciplined by the EoGB admin team. My behaviour since last year and the way in which I approach people has changed dramatically and whilst I’ll accept that some people may remember the old August and not the new August, I am still always, constantly working towards being better. I’m not going to point fingers or be rude or shout back at Josi, however I did want to respond to what was said about me. I do also want to highlight I have never expressed transphobic sentiments and resent any implication of that if they were implied.
 
Don't tag me in things. I reached out to you to apologize several times and explained what happened. You said you needed time, which I understand but don't then come back and tag me as if I'm some unholy monster without a shred of remorse.

Edit: we disagreed over OOC politics, I cant believe i have to defend myself over that. Unbelievable.
 
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