Guild Drama

Every wonder why communism or fascism never really worked unless people are kept under the boot of a brutal dictator (a la Cuba or North Korea)?

Well, I had a unique experience this weekend that serves as a microcosm of why the Utopian vision of the previously mentioned "isms" never seem to work.

As you should know by now, I game. I have been a gamer since my first roll of a d20 in D&D. Anyway, in the World of Warcraft platform, we have groups of players called guilds. Guilds help members to accomplish objectives, most often focusing on end of game content (aka raids.)

Well, I have been in my fair share of guilds. They have a life cycle, as players come and go to the game, personalities conflict, goals in game change, etc. And while I have been in several different guilds, I have kept the same core group of friends since I joined Cylon Raiders last spring. This was when I began raiding and really began learning how to play my toon (who, btw, is named Catrine and everyone calls me Cat.) Krellis, Cade (aka Scyleon and Lucien), Gladonious, Praxus (aka Loralei, Kekashi), Toriee, Fonz, Ty (a whole hosts of Ty-toons), Fockeer (Justine, Gilliliray), Quisto (Gillian, Shamson, Heathledger), Ellehcim, Illusion, Franktehtank (aka Whiteice), Blackice, Bizzaro, McWolf, Elisejen, Buracus, and Verethery...these are all of my friends in game and in real life. I exchange emails with them, text message, facebook...I have even met some in person for dinner. If I lived near these people, they would be the kind of people I would hang out with...it is a good group.

Now some of us are a bit more crude than others. Some swear...A LOT. But it is a game and we are all adults. There are steps one can take to minimize the foul language and humor if you choose. I choose not to, because it has provided some of the most fun of my gaming experience and I have actually had to take a moment to stop playing because of laughing so hard. Paul and I often recount these stories as if we had gone out clubbing with these people and something funny had happened.

In the most recent guild, Kaizen, that I belonged to, there were some new officers. They were younger and they date in real life; it is obvious they have never been in real leadership positions since the minute they were promoted, they took on their authority with gusto.

Here is where my point about why the "isms" tend to fail. When those who have been denied power or authority over others all of sudden find themselves in power, it goes to their head. I cannot describe it any other way. The notion of absolute power corrupts absolutely is most appearent in societies that willingly choose to take from one group to give to the other. That is a power that is difficult to overcome unless the people are willing to stand up and say "You shall not pass."

Now, this weekend, these two young officers decided to target one of my more offending friends for his potty mouth. He rarely says much of anything anymore because so many people have chastised him for his crude humor. He is the kind of man who relishes direct conflict...imagine a hockey fan confronted a nascar fan...that is this guy all in one person. He is rough, he is, by his own admission, an asshole, but I love him like a brother. He makes me laugh and he is one hell of a player. This is the guy you want to raid with because he gets things done. He does not respect people who do not have the guts to confront others directly. He finds it a weakness and if you are the kind of person who goes around an other's back, he will call you on it.

That is what happened this weekend. As a result of his treatment, several of us decided we had had enough. The power was abused. We stood up and said "You shall not pass." So, we left. When I say we, see all of the above friends I listed. Now some are still trying to resolve things but the two junior officers in question really do not see what they did as wrong. They did it for the good of the whole and that to loose this one ugly part of the guild, the guild would be better for it.

Instead, they lost 3 of their top healing classes, three of their best tanks (the guys who keep the focus of the bad guys on them during a fight), and their top damage dealers. The former guild master also feels strongly that we are justified in our reaction and agrees that the officers in question need to step down because as he put it, we will be spending a lot of time to try and replace what was lost and in the mean time, that group will go on to do better things. He sees the reality of the situation...in their vain effort to exert their authority, they reached too far. Those who were able and willing decided to take their toys and leave. The guild is worse off for it.

So, ask yourself, if removing something that is ugly in order to serve the greater good actually hurts the overall society, have you succeeded? Communism sought to establish a flat system where all are equal, with no regard to contribution, work ethic, results, etc. It was not about competition, but equality in all things. Thus, when one person works really hard and one does not, they are rewarded the same. What does that produce? Not efficiency. Not excellence. It produce mediocrity. Laziness. A sense of entitlement.

Instead of handing out health care to all, how about rewarding those who have insurance with tax credits to encourage people to carry health insurance. Those who cannot afford insurance could pay for they health care as they go (think of remitting payment via a layaway or credit card basis.) Those less fortunate, if they meet with catastrophic illness, can solicit assistance like a financial scholarship from private and/or charitable organizations.

It should not come from the federal government. The power has gone to their heads. They are corrupted. If they keep accusing people who thrive on competition, who want to make money and profits, and seek to lift themselves up and not depend on the government of being evil, contemptuous, and immoral, well...they may take their toys and leave. And then where will this country be? Broke. Equally.