/ laugh at PosterX / GroupOfPeopleY who thought / believed *insert though/belief here*"
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Originally posted by Sweabs
What happened to the Pacers Digest I used to know?
Pacers Digest began with a clear and simple philosophy – one that stood in clear opposition to the IndyStar message boards (i.e. RATS). After numerous unfair and unjust bannings, Hicks et al., began a new Pacers forum with the intention to create a more open, friendly, and just forum. They named it Pacers Digest.
It is true, that such a place existed at one point in time...that was the real Pacers Digest. But today, the forum compares more closely to RATS as it seeks to emulate the very principles with which PD supposedly stood in opposition!
Don’t let yourselves be fooled. PD is not the democratic, fair, open or just forum it would lead you to believe.
It is run by one man and one man only. His power is absolute. His opinion is the only one that matters. And he derives a very real (and somewhat sick) pleasure from this power.
With the exclusion of one individual, he has surrounded himself with other moderators/admins who will not question his power...who will not speak up against his rulings. And this is the way he likes it. His power has gone unchecked for far too long without anyone speaking up. Posters are dissuaded from speaking up, as they see a collective “group” of admins who seemingly all agree with Hicks’ temperamental decision-making. Such is not the case, however, as these same people are also discouraged from voicing a dissenting opinion.
After all, it is Hicks’s board – and he has made that clear to everyone. He can do what he chooses as the PD CEO or PD FOUNDER. We are all supposed to be forever indebted to his graciousness for bestowing upon us the greatest NBA forum of all-time.
Forget about the POSTERS...the COMMUNITY...YOU - who are the real people to make PD what it is. The only community that remains important to Hicks are an exclusive collective of people, whom he has either labelled as a fellow admin or deemed worthy of posting on “The Front Page”. These are the great basketball minds – or, in Hicks’s view, his tickets to something much grander. He realizes what he has in these people’s writings – and he will exploit them for the benefit of “his board” for every penny they’re worth. Even those who go so far as to design professionally made logos in their spare time are not given as much as a simple thank you. Everyone should just be thankful they have the privilege to partake in this medium that is PD, and read this “exclusive” group.
But if you aren’t a part of this group, you’re not all that important to Hicks. Respected posters who have been part of the PD community since the RATS days are given the banhammer without any notice. Misinterpreted words deemed unacceptable by the ruler/CEO are worthy of an instant ban. Not even so much as a simple PM asking for further clarification – just a permanent ban...to a member of 6+ years. Dispensable.
Rating too many threads with five stars? Banned. Dispensable. No questions asked – no discussion made – to a member of the community for 6+ years. Apparently those who only used thread rating as a tool to discourage others (i.e. handing out a 1-star) were deemed more appropriate by the CEO.
Do not try to even make contact with the ruler once you have been banned. It is no use. He refuses to talk. You must “honor thy ban”. In fact, that is the message displayed as justification for your banning when you log into the page. After trying to contact Hicks through countless different mediums (facebook, PD, e-mail, etc.) – you will never receive a response. He just doesn’t care.
If you somehow do get in contact with Hicks during your banning, be prepared to jump through numerous loop-holes...including quizzes that must be answered correctly in order for reinstatement. Some of the questions include “Do you think I’m racist? Yes/No?”; “Do you think you ****ed up tonight? Yes/No?”. I wish I could say I was making this up. They are nothing more than a fleeting attempt to display the Ruler’s absolute power at the expense of the helpless user’s dignity. It is truly sick and perverse.
He just doesn’t care. And you’ll never receive this sort of treatment if you stick to basketball-related posts exceeding 15 paragraphs in length. The rest can be dispensed of; particularly those who contribute little to basketball discussion at all.
...Which is ironic given PD’s history.
Today we see the closing of the counting thread. But back in the RATS days, many of the PD old-timers contributed to a thread that consisted of random thoughts. It was unrightfully closed by the unjust RATS admins, and this had many upset for good reason. This was just one of the many reasons for the beginnings of the real Pacers Digest – but it has spiralled out of control since then. Sadly, PD has become RATS...partaking in the exact same abuses of power that drove people away from RATS to begin with. People have been blinded from seeing this, as it was never meant to get to this point...and most certainly, one is to never question the decisions of the CEO.
This post would never be allowed to surface on PD, as the tolerance for dissenting opinions is at an all-time high. But why is this? It is almost like a trip back in time, where one is not to question the absolute power of the monarchy. Haven’t we grown from this? Wasn’t PD’s foundation based in some type of thinking that allowed for the critical voice? It is CRUCIAL to hear these opinions, to always keep the ruler in check. But in the case of Hicks, it has gone unchecked for far too long. He cannot engage with the critical voice without being personally offended or seeing it as a personal attack – so he partakes in childish “silent treatments” and discourages people from speaking in such terms altogether.
I hope that no one experiences a sudden ban without so much as a word from Hicks...or even an attempt on his part to engage in civil discussion. But such is the nature of the beast. You are likely not deemed worthy of “his community” (even if you’ve been around since the RATS days) – and for that, you’re dispensable. This post has not even begun to scratch the surface of the stories which cast Hicks under a real light, as it would take hours to compose such a thing. Those who have experienced the ban understand...and it is necessary to at least put the truth out into the open. Specific stories regarding Hicks “behind the scenes” would sound so farfetched to most, that many would not even believe them if they read the words for themselves. But this is, at least, some attempt to question what PD has become without getting into specifics. For some existing posters and admins, none of this will come as a surprise; but they realize they cannot express these opinions.
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress DISSENT, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.” – Joseph Goebbels
Pacers Digest began with a clear and simple philosophy – one that stood in clear opposition to the IndyStar message boards (i.e. RATS). After numerous unfair and unjust bannings, Hicks et al., began a new Pacers forum with the intention to create a more open, friendly, and just forum. They named it Pacers Digest.
It is true, that such a place existed at one point in time...that was the real Pacers Digest. But today, the forum compares more closely to RATS as it seeks to emulate the very principles with which PD supposedly stood in opposition!
Don’t let yourselves be fooled. PD is not the democratic, fair, open or just forum it would lead you to believe.
It is run by one man and one man only. His power is absolute. His opinion is the only one that matters. And he derives a very real (and somewhat sick) pleasure from this power.
With the exclusion of one individual, he has surrounded himself with other moderators/admins who will not question his power...who will not speak up against his rulings. And this is the way he likes it. His power has gone unchecked for far too long without anyone speaking up. Posters are dissuaded from speaking up, as they see a collective “group” of admins who seemingly all agree with Hicks’ temperamental decision-making. Such is not the case, however, as these same people are also discouraged from voicing a dissenting opinion.
After all, it is Hicks’s board – and he has made that clear to everyone. He can do what he chooses as the PD CEO or PD FOUNDER. We are all supposed to be forever indebted to his graciousness for bestowing upon us the greatest NBA forum of all-time.
Forget about the POSTERS...the COMMUNITY...YOU - who are the real people to make PD what it is. The only community that remains important to Hicks are an exclusive collective of people, whom he has either labelled as a fellow admin or deemed worthy of posting on “The Front Page”. These are the great basketball minds – or, in Hicks’s view, his tickets to something much grander. He realizes what he has in these people’s writings – and he will exploit them for the benefit of “his board” for every penny they’re worth. Even those who go so far as to design professionally made logos in their spare time are not given as much as a simple thank you. Everyone should just be thankful they have the privilege to partake in this medium that is PD, and read this “exclusive” group.
But if you aren’t a part of this group, you’re not all that important to Hicks. Respected posters who have been part of the PD community since the RATS days are given the banhammer without any notice. Misinterpreted words deemed unacceptable by the ruler/CEO are worthy of an instant ban. Not even so much as a simple PM asking for further clarification – just a permanent ban...to a member of 6+ years. Dispensable.
Rating too many threads with five stars? Banned. Dispensable. No questions asked – no discussion made – to a member of the community for 6+ years. Apparently those who only used thread rating as a tool to discourage others (i.e. handing out a 1-star) were deemed more appropriate by the CEO.
Do not try to even make contact with the ruler once you have been banned. It is no use. He refuses to talk. You must “honor thy ban”. In fact, that is the message displayed as justification for your banning when you log into the page. After trying to contact Hicks through countless different mediums (facebook, PD, e-mail, etc.) – you will never receive a response. He just doesn’t care.
If you somehow do get in contact with Hicks during your banning, be prepared to jump through numerous loop-holes...including quizzes that must be answered correctly in order for reinstatement. Some of the questions include “Do you think I’m racist? Yes/No?”; “Do you think you ****ed up tonight? Yes/No?”. I wish I could say I was making this up. They are nothing more than a fleeting attempt to display the Ruler’s absolute power at the expense of the helpless user’s dignity. It is truly sick and perverse.
He just doesn’t care. And you’ll never receive this sort of treatment if you stick to basketball-related posts exceeding 15 paragraphs in length. The rest can be dispensed of; particularly those who contribute little to basketball discussion at all.
...Which is ironic given PD’s history.
Today we see the closing of the counting thread. But back in the RATS days, many of the PD old-timers contributed to a thread that consisted of random thoughts. It was unrightfully closed by the unjust RATS admins, and this had many upset for good reason. This was just one of the many reasons for the beginnings of the real Pacers Digest – but it has spiralled out of control since then. Sadly, PD has become RATS...partaking in the exact same abuses of power that drove people away from RATS to begin with. People have been blinded from seeing this, as it was never meant to get to this point...and most certainly, one is to never question the decisions of the CEO.
This post would never be allowed to surface on PD, as the tolerance for dissenting opinions is at an all-time high. But why is this? It is almost like a trip back in time, where one is not to question the absolute power of the monarchy. Haven’t we grown from this? Wasn’t PD’s foundation based in some type of thinking that allowed for the critical voice? It is CRUCIAL to hear these opinions, to always keep the ruler in check. But in the case of Hicks, it has gone unchecked for far too long. He cannot engage with the critical voice without being personally offended or seeing it as a personal attack – so he partakes in childish “silent treatments” and discourages people from speaking in such terms altogether.
I hope that no one experiences a sudden ban without so much as a word from Hicks...or even an attempt on his part to engage in civil discussion. But such is the nature of the beast. You are likely not deemed worthy of “his community” (even if you’ve been around since the RATS days) – and for that, you’re dispensable. This post has not even begun to scratch the surface of the stories which cast Hicks under a real light, as it would take hours to compose such a thing. Those who have experienced the ban understand...and it is necessary to at least put the truth out into the open. Specific stories regarding Hicks “behind the scenes” would sound so farfetched to most, that many would not even believe them if they read the words for themselves. But this is, at least, some attempt to question what PD has become without getting into specifics. For some existing posters and admins, none of this will come as a surprise; but they realize they cannot express these opinions.
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress DISSENT, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.” – Joseph Goebbels
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