I'm going to put this out in Steemitland because it has been troubling me greatly as of late. I'm sure what I will say might not penetrate. Maybe it will be misunderstood or will just be scoffed at. I say this not to be a nay-sayer or grumbler, but to nudge people into thinking about where we are going as a community and why.
I feel it's important to analyze what we value as a group, to discover if there is any consensus. Are we actually moving towards new goals and new thinking about how society should work, or merely recreating a slightly different world based on the fad of blockchain and the same values? Or are we merely a tangent of culture, a burst of economic creativity that is doomed to fall into stagnation?
When I first came to Steemit and Discord nine months ago (you can think of this as an anti milestone post), I was lost and disgusted with the culture I live in. The emphasis on wealth, fame, power and social preconceptions of success were antithetic to my beliefs and still are.
I was delighted to find some like minded people here in Steemitland and Discord who actually understood how I felt about the stale conundrum of deceitful politics and capitalism. But lately I've come to believe that while Steemians are playing with new designs for our economy and political system, our core values - the desire for wealth, fame and power -are still ingrained in our psyche, and we appear as the pompous fat old emperor in his new shiny see-through clothing.
For example, the power of whales in my mind is akin to the rich five percent controlling the wealth. Yes there are some good whales who are creative, generous and motivated working for good, but there are others who just seem like they're here for the money, with a struggle for power showing as flagging and down-voting.
Are we libertarian where anything goes? Is porn ok, is gaming the system as equally valid as buying votes? Or do we hold ethical values where shit posting, plagiarism and multi accounts are unacceptable? Are they unacceptable for everyone, or do we let dolphins and whales slide because we need their money? This is a slippery slope of double standards which creates mistrust at the most basic level.
Don't get me wrong, I am just a silly egg thinking big thoughts. I am not here to call out anyone for any misdeeds. I am merely trying to start a conversation about our destination. Steemit seems like a moving vehicle dream, with too many drivers and no way to change course. It's even possible that Steemit is a prokaryote, a single cell thats about to replicate. But are we bacteria or archaea? Are we a disease or a cure?
Some people enter Steemit in order to work at a lazy mans get rich quick schemes - phishing, scamming, multi-account abuse, plagiarism, bidbot abuse - and value this path over creating good content and working towards creating an integrated community. The popularity of memes, steepshot, betting, shit-posting and other ways to get a huge upvote for next to little effort seem to be the path people follow. A quick in and out with no commitment, because maybe having lived in the real world for so long, they have no trust in the politics and generosity of a new country that could fall apart at any time.
I hear "good"people - those who seem to value love over greed - talking lambos and private islands. I see musicians promoting music and artists promoting art, writers voting writers.. Wonderful!
The people with dubious talent who speak a second language? Basically if you can't write well and have no talent for the arts, no burning interests which garner a following, and suck at social networking, you arent going to do all that well in this platform.
Maybe I'm jaded but I see this almost like perks of birth. If you were lucky enough to be well educated or have family and friends who encouraged your talents, advance to GO, collect $200. If you have no social skills, an emotional condition or mental impediment which affects your ability to focus or network successfully, pay a poor tax of 15 percent.
Currently I help out in a server which believes in upholding quality standards in posts. I help mute people from third world countries who lack reading and writing skills, yet I see whales shit post and make $100. What kind of message is this? How is this a good example to the community? In a culture where kids are brought up text messaging, and points are given for creating funny memes, writing and verbal communication have become a lost art.
How do we get them to think beyond the rap video which shows success as fast cars, mansions, sexy women in bars with diamonds and wads of cash? How can we change that vision to one where people again value family, a piece of land and sustainable farming, or an integrated community that can give generously to the underpriveleged and show love freely without getting hung up on their social position, status, or dreams of the lambo life?
All of these questions are somewhat rhetorical, but I think that any chance of moving forward into a world that is different than the one we have must involve a discussion on how we change our core values of greed, power and privilege to those of love, trust, community and commitment. I believe the key is communication.
What are your thoughts?
all photos are courtesy of pixabay CCO images
