Entry posted by Sardonic
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Currency in Cybernations: A meaningless personalization choice? Not so.
Some might think so, most probably do. To Goons however, there is but one true currency: the Dong. Why is this you might ask? There is humor in it. A subtle, almost self-deprecatingly ironic, immature humor. This in many ways encapsulates the goon mindset of maximizing humor, and the type of humor we find hilarious. this does not however mean we find everything hilarious, far from it, we have very strict humor standards in certain fields of humor.
We *Hate* "LULZ"
This is a distinction that I am surprised we have to make. The very *word* "LULZ" is a 4chan construct. For a long time on SA it has been bannable to even use it. "LULZ" comes from a mindset of unintelligent humor. At its core, Goon humor can be described as whimsically irreverent humor. The humor, for the most part, also transcends the misguided "offensive for edgyness' sake" branch of humor, that has sadly become synonymous with us, even though it does not define us. While elements of that exist, I would be a fool to deny it, they are not the primary focus.
Pubbies: Why are Goons so condescending?
We feel superior to 'normal' players of games because with each Goon group in an online game, we bring our culture. In many ways Something Awful is seen as a walled city, jutting up from a sea of filth. Central to Something Awful is the motto "The Internet makes you stupid". We don't see ourselves as part of the unwashed masses, we are special and unique snowflakes, we paid $10 and we'll be damned if we don't use it. We think of ourselves as an internet community beyond internet communities, an internet community with standards. While on its face this seems patently hypocritical, but our standards are not what you'd expect.
What happens?
Simply put, if you violate any written rules, or even any unwritten societal rules you will get probated (no posting for a day, few days, week, or even month), banned, or even permabanned. Bans require $10 to overturn. Take for example these three actions:
These are minor offenses, but still indicative. If these users continue, they will probably be banned down the line. In general though, you have to try pretty hard to get outright permabanned. The standards relate to using AOL speak, being a 4channer, being a furry, saying something terrible unironically, or just posting the goatman. There are a variety of standards, and they shaped the community into the large hivemind of roughly similar people it is now. If you are interested, please check the ban list here. I forget if it requires a login or not.
What does this mean for GOONS the alliance?
Well as you might expect from an alliance derived from such a community, we too strive to meet the same standards, but in a different way. Here the leadership has to keep the torch lit and the standards high, without risking alienation of the general membership. Naturally, we don't charge entry into the alliance, so a certain level of cultural contamination is assured. A typical pattern of large-scale Goon game operations is the letting in of non-Goons (pubbies). Fortunately, for the most part, they adapt to our culture, rather than them changing us. Some elements certain pubbies brought in were central to the alliance's success in the original CNGOONS. Many people joined SA after having been in the original CNGOONS.
In summary:
The culture of the original GOONS was it's main selling point. It grew and grew and grew until its peak at 1200 or so. A part of me hopes for a return to those kind of numbers, but it will be quite some time, and we will have to convert many pubbies to do so. We have a lot of work to do on getting our own culture into high gear. Our culture will not be the exact same as the old GOONS, we came from a place where we had to diplomatically fight for our lives to survive, and we put a high focus on prudent diplomatic action. This is not to say we fear war, in truth, we relish it, but we also have the benefit of knowing the benefit of allies.
A favorite quote of mine from Al Capone was "You can get further with a kind word and a gun than you can with just a kind word". I personally extend the meaning to. "In the absence of a gun, you can get more with a kind word than an unkind one". We're not so bad if you get to know us.
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