Mr. FishDuck Messed Up, and Announces to ALL...

[Charles Fischer]

My FishDuck Friends,

 

I notify a few of you when you violate the rules, (Only 3/10ths of 1% of all posts ever have a violation) and I often say that "none of us wear halos here, as I make mistakes too."  Well, I had a couple of whoppers in December, where I violated my own rules.  We will not have "rules for thee, but not for me" here, thus I have to fess up and take my public embarrassment.

 

In November we had a whopping 36 violations, of which is over double the usual; I described the selfish culture we have these days and that I have to deal with in this article recently. The subsequent Pinned Topic thread about the article had over 8,500 reads, and over 60 comments in discussion...and so many of you were kind to me in your remarks.

 

The November haggling and highly charged emotional exchanges with some of these people is not something I wish on anyone, but this is what I signed up for when I established this forum with all the rules. Yet our 33 rules at the free OBD Forum can be summarized to just three: 1) be polite and respectful, 2) do not tell anyone what to think, feel or write, and 3) no reference of any kind to politics. Easy-peasy!

 

Easy in concept, but not in implementing.

 

I Broke THE Major Rule for Maintaining Civility...

 

I began the rules in the summer of 2017, and for two years--I had no clue how to do it. Only through countless hours of arguing by email and phone did I learn what works or not. One primary rule I established upon myself was to notify people in private about violations, not in public. The reasoning is focused upon keeping the ugly exchanges with those who fight the rules away from forum, thus it is not a buzz-kill for everyone else.

 

I believe that by having the moderators hide offending posts immediately, and by my notifying violators in private--the forum pool remains clean for all Ducks to swim in. It is wonderful to read posts without having to sort out the nonsense, or feel the discomfort from reading an awkward, nasty exchange. It is different than everywhere else, and it works.

 

But I violated this policy not once, but three times in December. Truly--I lost my head and I wish to apologize to all.

 

Screw-Up No. 1 in December came from a fellow who was banned in the past, and he sweet-talked me by email into removing the ban. (I like to give people second chances, just as I ask others for second chances when I screw-up) His first post back was an awful over-the-top indictment of Dan Lanning, the program, the future, etc. He did not show up during the good times, he just wanted a place to dump his awful complaints when things did not go well.

 

               I have not been a good example for those of all ages...

 

I blasted him in public with a forum reply, and then he countered back. I then deleted the thread and banned him again.  I should have never responded in public, and I admit to losing my head because I felt so betrayed. That is my reason, but it is not a valid excuse; I broke my own rule and wish to apologize to you all for having to read that.

 

Screw-Up No. 2 in December was the 83 year old I referenced in the article. He attacked me in public and broke our posting rules with no regard; I should have hidden the thread and dealt with him in private as I am supposed to do. I admit to being shocked at his behavior considering our history together, and I responded with an emotional reaction.  Wrong. Again, that is a reason, but it is not a valid excuse.

 

Screw-Up No. 3 in December was an OBD member who I believe has since left because of my exchange with him. I am an advocate of doing critical analysis of our coaches and players, and believe that discussing the negative is important, and a very valuable part of having a forum. The two games lost in November put everyone in a bad mood, and I understand/allow the responses to those negative events.

 

This OBD member had a habit of taking many of the topics and finding the negative angle to each in his replies, and I became frustrated with him. Then, after signing one of the best recruiting classes ever of a first year coach at Oregon--this OBD member had to wallow in recruiting losses in many of his posts. He did it one-more-time and I responded with posts I am not proud of, done in the heat of emotion.

 

Follow your own damn protocol that works, Charles. 

 

I apologize to you all for having to read those uncomfortable threads.

 

As I stated before--none of us wear halos here. We acknowledge our mistakes, learn from them and go forward. I am doing what I tell others to do in acknowledging my mistakes, apologizing and moving forward.  I will work harder at controlling my own emotions, and keeping issues in private.

 

This is awkward to write and to read, but I won't have two sets of rules. And I invite you to email me when you have questions or notice yours-truly getting out of line again. It takes this extra effort to create and preserve this GREEN REFUGE we have in the Our Beloved Ducks Forum.

 

Charles Fischer    (Mr. FishDuck)
Eugene, Oregon

[12Duck72]

Appreciate the transparency and honesty Charles. We all have our moments at times.

[Krsmqn]

"Let he who is without penalties throw the first flag." 

 

We all make mistakes. It's how you respond to them that shows your true character. Nobody here thinks any less of you, Sir, however, your candor is appreciated. Let's continue to make this place/community the best on the web!

Go Ducks! 

[jrw]

Revolutionary self-criticism! That's really hard to do, Charles, shows great self-awareness, and is deserving of praise. Well done.

[BigDog]

Thank you for your honesty and humility. A wise Leader once said "those without sin cast the first stone". I try to apply this great wisdom before I react to something. I'm not saying I've obtained that level of control but I'm better than I was yesterday. 

 

So keep up the good work, keep running the race to win. You are making a difference in society, through this "fishduck" experience, that I don't think you fully realize... yet.

[DUCati855]

Shame on you 3 times Charles.

We sentence you to (only) 3 NWIPA's while re-watching of the Georgia, Washington, and OSU games.

That should teach you!

 

[Desert Duck]

On 1/2/2023 at 4:41 PM, DUCati855 said:

Shame on you 3 times Charles.

We sentence you to (only) 3 NWIPA's while re-watching of the Georgia, Washington, and OSU games.

That should teach you!

 

 

Sorry to say, but I believe your prescribed punishment just crossed over into the realm of "Cruel & Unusual Punishment."

 

I mean, Charles is bad, but that's just taking it a bridge too far.   

 

[Flyin Vee]

Charles, go stand in the corner until we need you to administer these wonderfully free web sites I lurk on daily. This is a very short time out. 

 

Ps number 3 is totally forgiven.

 

all in fun

[Jhoff]

My only complaint about you is that you haven't bought Twitter yet. We all thought that, by now, you would be running that ship with your OBD rules. What a glorious world it will be when you finally take control. Don't worry all your readers will pitch in to recover your invest at some point in time as far as you know.

 

Seriously though this ship is a great ship to be on with such a good captain.

[Desert Duck]

On 1/3/2023 at 12:51 PM, Jhoff said:

My only complaint about you is that you haven't bought Twitter yet. We all thought that, by now, you would be running that ship with your OBD rules.

 

I'm half expecting Elon to reach out to Charles for advice... maybe even a CEO offer .

 

All I know is that the world would be a much better place if OBD rules ruled worldwide. "OBD Worldwide. Ducks & Drift-boats"

 

And I'm saying that as a guy who has gently had his hand smacked by Charles a few times... and rightfully so.

[Charles Fischer]

On 1/3/2023 at 11:51 AM, Jhoff said:

My only complaint about you is that you haven't bought Twitter yet

I wish I could run Facebook...as I've lost control of my own account, and they will not let me prove I own it.  Bizarre stuff.

[Charles Fischer]

On 1/3/2023 at 12:00 PM, Desert Duck said:

All I know is that the world would be a much better place if OBD rules ruled worldwide.

My US Web Developer felt that I could become a consultant for civilized discussions on bigger forums.  But the truth is--they don't want it.

[DUCKED]

Charles, we all get snarky at times…..I’ve certainly had my moments, which fortunately few have seen due to your moderators’ diligent work to insure this site remains civil.

[WiseKwacker]

I appreciate the transparency, honesty and self-reflection, Charles. That's one of the reasons many of us are on here so often. 

 

I remember reading at least one of the posts you mentioned (and your quick response). Frankly, I thought at the time your comment was "right on" and an appropriate response to a negative rant. So you violated your own rules in chastising a person who REALLY violated your rules. Thanks for apologizing. 

 

I think these incidents are really becoming more commonplace these days--primarily, but not exclusively, on social media. In this case, I think it's a fair bet to say that everyone on this site is passionate about OBD. Yet, even though we may all share a passion for the same thing, that passion can come out in radically different directions. Some can only see Oregon sports through rose-colored glasses, and will not tolerate ANY negative talk about the Ducks. Others seem to react to any of the inevitable "failures"--either on the field or off--with an outpouring of negativism. Still others, try to navigate the territory somewhere in between. 

 

I've come to believe these kinds of occasional "blow-ups" are a part of the landscape. I hope you allow yourself the latitude to occasionally let your passion for OBD override your logical, rule-follower side. From my perspective, there's no better site around for us Duck fans hungry for the latest dope on OBD.

[Charles Fischer]

On 1/5/2023 at 12:49 PM, WiseKwacker said:

I hope you allow yourself the latitude to occasionally let your passion for OBD override your logical, rule-follower side.

You are very kind, and I appreciate your reply.

 

Two of the three mentioned in the top post wrote publicly that, "Charles, you are breaking your own rules," and they were right.  Just because they break the rules does not excuse my conduct; at the time, (because of all I go through dealing with people) I felt justified in my response, and then later--a cooler head tells me to stick keeping things private, and don't ruin it for everyone else.

 

And there is another component involved for me; I HATE the hypocrisy that exists in the current media, in politics, in social media.  I do not want to be "one-of-them" who tells everyone else how to behave, but will not do it on my own.

 

A third element is how unusual this all is....a GREEN REFUGE, where tough rules are enforced immediately, and dealing with people in a way I never have before.  At times I am stunned at the range of human behavior, and the logic/reason or lack of it present at times from some people.

 

We had a new member recently break our rule twice about not getting personal in his posts concerning current coaches or players.  After the second email--he left the forum for good.  Not banned, but since "he can't have it all his way," he left.  Such is the selfish culture we have these days.

 

Thanks again for being a part of this wonderful community.