Corruption On STEEM : What Do You Do?

Corruption On STEEM : What Do You Do? | Ecency

So you’ve seen something shady on STEEM. It irks you or doesn’t seem fair or ethical. What are you going to do about it? Here we all are in this weird and wonderful Anarchic system called STEEM and we are ALL trying to find our way. Most of us want to see it work because if it does then it proves that self-governance is a possibility and maybe we can do away with a need for our corrupt Governments. We can also make some money in the process.

We have the best and worst elements of society amongst us and with everything now recorded on the blockchain what we do now will echo through the ages. This could be the start of something….or the end of it.

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Yet when we see some of the same sort of real-world corruption happening here on our beloved STEEM it can be disheartening. Is it just human nature to be self-serving and deceitful? Are we just going to replicate our corrupt politics and governments here on STEEM and just update the technology medium, or can we get beyond it and evolve? To me STEEM is just a Petri Dish. A social experiment in progress and I want to see where this rabbit hole goes.

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I honestly don’t know the answers. But I wasn’t born yesterday and I can see what some people here are doing. There are no secrets on the blockchain and I learnt some time ago to watch what people DO rather than what they SAY, but I am an old grizzled cynic and I don’t have the naivety and enthusiasm of the younger generations. I can see many people getting taken in, not just by outright Charlatans and Scammers, but the Confidence Men and the Smooth Talkers who might be pretending to be benevolent and community minded – but really they are lining their own pockets and telling you what you want to hear.

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I don’t pretend to be a saint. I will openly admit that part of the reason I am here is to make a few Cryptos, but I’m also trying to add value to the platform, work within the spirit of the systems design and make sure I am giving more than I’m getting. I’m being open about what I am doing here and having some integrity is important to me. My need to preserve integrity has been a very expensive personality trait over the years in my working life. But I haven’t put up with corruption in my career to date and I don't want to start now.

I’ve thought about this a lot and want to put some ideas out there about courses of action we could take when we see corruption here on STEEM :-

1. Call It Out

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This was once my default option and maybe by posting this inflammatory post, it still is. But in this Anarchic environment I know that very quickly this can become a "Flame War" and/or a "Flag War" which can be polarising and in the end can come down to a case of "Your Mob against Mine". Ultimately this can be a divisive and destructive path. You don’t make friends by calling people out, and I’ve learnt this the hard way over the years.

2. Bury Your Head

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Some people just pretend it isn’t happening and will bury their head in the sand. Nothing to see here, move on. While this can lead to a happy life, it doesn’t do anything to stop the corruption and it really just empowers and emboldens it. I could put a LOT of today’s societies woes on Westerners voting for politicians they know are corrupt but they’re content to turn a blind eye. As they will often say “Ignorance is Bliss”

3. Go Behind The Scenes

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This always seems a bit Machiavellian and I personally find it a little bit deceitful, but I saw a lot of this in my Public Service career where I worked in a highly politicised office. Influencing behind the scenes and talking to people who might be getting taken in, warning them off, wising them up. Undermining the source of the corruption to weaken its effect and influence. It can have a positive outcome but it FEELS dirty and can very easily backfire if/when you get caught.

4. Protect Yourself

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Cutting ties and insulating yourself against corruption can be difficult but sometimes possible. You can sometimes make sure that none of your time and money is being diverted to a corrupt individuals personal gain. You can remove the risks of getting taken down with them, remove any guilt by association and make sure there is no “blow back” on you should things go bad. It seems a bit selfish and cowardly but it’s easy and safe.

5. Walk Away

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It’s always the last option to consider. Just pull yourself out. If you can’t fight the corruption and you can’t (or won’t) protect yourself or put up with it then this is the last resort. I’ve come to this point a couple of times in my life and its part of the reason why I am a bit of a lone wolf these days. I’ve learnt that sometimes the fight is not worth the effort and you can be happier and healthier if you just walk away and put your energy into something completely new.

Maybe there are other options that I haven’t considered and if people have ideas on the best way to combat corruption on STEEM then I am all ears. I was one who identified Zeartul as a scammer months before he finally exit scammed, but the warning signs were there even if they were subtle. The promise of guaranteed APR and then the embezzlement of votes during an open bid window were enough proof for me to see those true colours, but that wouldn’t have been enough for many and I doubt anyone would have cared even if I’d spoken up. I could have embroiled myself in a nasty situation there and been hounded off the platform by those more powerful than me. But then again, maybe I could have saved someone from being scammed.

Does anyone care about corruption on STEEM?

What do you do when you see corruption?