Thank Grog It’s Firday!
Well, well, well… Last week’s Filler certainly stirred up the pot, and showed a rather contentious side to our little community. What started out as my hope that people would stop worrying about tagging, and more importantly, stop using the comments section on this site to attack and belittle one another over tagging, became a battlefield of denial and bewilderment.
Then…it became a territorial debate about whether we should abolish or keep the “Add Friends – Graffiti Free” section on the site. Which turned into a broader debate over cause, effect, intent and entitlement.
So many ways to say the same things…
I HAVE A SOLUTION!!!!
But, before I get to the solution I am going to propose…I want to list a handful of facts.
1. Tagging was/is part of the native/original code. It was meant to be part of the game, and therefore part of the fun.
2. Tagging, at this point in the game, does absolutely nothing to hurt you…even though you may temporarily lose “Righteousness Stars.” One Half of a Percent in your XP bonus doesn’t change a thing…as the game only regulates in segments of 5% or more for your ability to get Bonuts (Free donuts). They return to 5 stars without you doing anything…except waiting.
3. It takes the same amount of time to clear a tag, as it does to clear a building for rent or menus...there is NO Loss of time due to tagging.
4. There is apparently a measurable, vocal subset of tappers, who admit to their inability to see this topic rationally, and will argue vehemently to keep the option of finding friends who won’t tag as one of the threads on this site, even after admitting that they “don’t know why it bugs them.”
All of that said, I HAVE A SOLUTION! (I already said that…I know…but after reading the facts, I assume that half of the “No Tag” folks have once again stopped reading…and are freaking out, and ready to hang my head on a pike).
Here is my solution.
I would like a section in the “Add Friends” section that is labeled, ” Add Friends Who Love Graffiti!!!”
This allows us to coddle the folks who freak out over Bart’s graffiti (and to be fair, according to the game, it is BART who does the actual tagging), while opening up the possibility of having a bunch of friends who LIKE TO TAG One Another, to feel equally coddled.
Seems more than fair.
HOWEVER… I will STILL DELETE any comment on the board that calls out another player over tagging. But, I will treat this equally!
So…If you post, “Don’t Add So-and-so because they tagged me, and I said I didn’t like tagging…waaa waaa waa!” I Will DELETE IT.
Conversely, if you post, “My Neighbor So-and-so DIDN’T TAG ME and I LIKE TAGGING!!“ I will also delete it!
Got it?
Sounds silly??
That’s because it is.
But, in the comments yesterday, our dear friend Ebron posted that she is now starting a new ritual of tagging ALL of her neighbors. I loved this. And she DID. And I laughed, knowing that she most likely had to “stand in line” as a ton of my neighbors had already tagged all of the tagable buildings.
I truly hope that Alissa will soon add a section where all of the people who love tagging can reside…and laugh every day, as we aspire to losing our “Righteousness.”
While there may be a handful of certifiable nutjobs on this site (myself included), I have to once again marvel at the amazing generosity of some, as we once again, REACHED OUR GOAL in time for this term’s School Books and Supplies for Buyijja. This was 100% TSTOAddicts Fueled!
I know I just wrote that I don’t want to single people out in posts…but THESE PEOPLE ARE THE BEST. This money was raised by a small handful of Tapper who “Get It,” and care more for the future prospects of others, than about the details of a silly game. They are special. They are my friends. They are amazing…
Rachel
Jackie
Fred
Keith
Mary Martha
Honey
Jim
MaryEllen
Manuela
Davis
Ricardo
Lori
Betty
Dan
Kathryn
Marge
Carol
William
Susan
Jackie (2)
Mark Wilson
Elaine
Brett
Russian Tigger
Alissa
If you think that you need to continue to debate the “tagging” bit… don’t bother. I offer up the suggestion for “equal but separate” ways to find neighbors, as a way to say, “You win. I’m burned out on the crazy…”
When I look at the stats… this site, has moderated 533,500 comments over the years. More than Half a Million.
I have posted more almost 5,500 replies…which says nothing of the tens of thousands I just read in moderation. That doesn’t even scratch the surface of the posts/comments I made on my old site, TSTOFriends, before coming back here almost three years ago. So…yes…that gives me the right to have an opinion, and once in a great while, hit the NUKE button on a comment.
But, the reason I preach for perspective in life (and certainly this silly game), is because life is precious. It is more than getting 5 Stars and claiming “Righteousness.” It is trying to live a life that is worth living…doing for others…and HAVING FUN with like-minded people who “get it.”
Every time I want to walk away…I see the actions of the “good ones,” (including our leader Alissa, and our good friend Russian Tigger), who choose to be more than just another tapper, who can’t get the game to be everything they need it to be, in order to have a life fulfilled.
Thank goodness for all of those of you who “get it.” It keeps me from walking away from something that is not only part of my life, but important to the lives of more than 270 kids in Africa, who need our support to have a future.
This place is amazing. If I had a can of spray paint…I’d write it on my screen.
