A Touch of Diplomacy

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Hello, Steemiverse...

When last we spoke, I had some valid concerns and grievances to air out. I'd pressed that powerful 'post' button with some reluctance, believing I'd likely just invited a retaliatory flag from our favorite kitty the grouch.

Though I ended that post with a sincere expression of gratitude to @grumpycat for the wave of support I'd already experienced in the wake of their (his? her?) initial flag, I could not have predicted the encouraging tsunami that had yet to inundate me.

I did not anticipate the continuously unfolding thread of both uplifting and informative comments, nor the generous resteem by @aggroed (thank you!) And I, most certainly, did not expect to receive an upvote and resteem by @grumpycat.

_{No matter how gruff and snarky – I'm still not convinced that @grumpycat isn't actually a benevolent kitten, secretly trying to help piddly little redfishies like me, using the most roundabout method by which to initiate and uplift us.}

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^<–source

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He Said, She Said, They Said

As the week progressed, I found myself unable to keep up with the flood of comments – though I really did try to reply to every single one. It's the strangest feeling to have sparked such an engaged conversation – to have drawn such lengthy responses from so many. I've learned so much from those invaluable remarks.

I also found my way onto the Resist Discord, amongst a growing number of folks determined to counter grumpy's flags and self-votes. It didn't take long to realize I was chatting with none other than the creator of @sneaky-ninja – the very same bid-bot I'd used that triggered the cat's reprimand.

We had a lengthy chat, in which he revealed quite a lot about what motivated him to create his bot. Our conversation has continued as the days have passed, and I think it's fair to say that – he's a sincerely good guy.

A few days after posting, I also received a Discord DM from @grumpycat. I'm told this doesn't happen often, if ever. Yet it confirmed what I've suspected – that a reasonable human exists beneath the sourpuss meme.

Though our chat was brief, I'm genuinely impressed by their willingness to initiate conversation and appreciate the clarification they offered.

At @grumpycat’s request, we moved our dialogue to Steemit. That's when things really started to get interesting.

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Follow The Threads

The replies beneath GC's comment multiplied quickly, splintering off into several branches that each expanded steadily. Within the first few hours, it was already difficult to follow. Yesterday morning, I awoke to find it had further unraveled in some kind of insane, viral manner.

Attempting to trace the responses in anything close to chronological order is damn near impossible. As such, it's exceptionally difficult to read – harder still to hold some sense of how each comment relates to another.

Some folks offer level-headed reflections and pose valid questions. Others express their animosity shamelessly. Trying to follow along feels a bit like being in a tense courtroom as arguments are being presented – a long string of pragmatic exchanges punctuated by random outbursts from the angry crowd.

Tricky though it may be to follow, one thing is blatantly clear:

There's trouble brewin'.

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^source

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Unwitting Emmisary

As I see it, there are much broader issues at play here, yet the conflict between GC ^(@grumpycat) and SN ^{(@sneaky-ninja)} can no longer be ignored.

While it's true GC's gripe is with the issue of bid-bot abuse in general, it's clear that @sneaky-ninja is the bot @grumpycat most loves to hate.

How very bizarre to have found myself dead center – smack dab in the middle of their escalating feud – engaged in private conversations with both of them.

As I was penning my initial, public reply to GC's comment a few days ago, I had a hair-brained/brilliant idea – to bring them together for a live panel discussion – a good ole, healthy debate.

Feeling bold, I reached out to @aggroed to run it by him. I offered to moderate, as I believe I retain a decidedly neutral perspective, being that I'm still fairly new here and don't yet hold much stake. He gave me his blessing and agreed to help get it onto @mspwaves.

I then reached out to SN, whose instant response was, 'I'm in.'

When I nudged GC about it, however – I wasn't nearly so successful.

'Not interested.'

A less stubborn person might've dropped it then and there, yet I can't shake the feeling that I've found myself in this unlikely position for a reason. I feel I owe it to this community to do all I can.

In this case, I believe I'm surprisingly well-equipped.

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^{That's me up there in the pack, peeking over my lovely Mum's shoulder.}

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'Can't we all just get along?'

As the 5th of 6 kids, I'm inherently diplomatic. I love my siblings, yet each and every one of us is strong-willed, opinionated and emotional. Our house wasn't a quiet one.

Disagreements make me uncomfortable. More often than not, they appear to be misunderstandings – simply a breakdown of communication. As someone slightly removed, I can often see where the disconnect is occurring – where individual sensitivities are clouding the ability to hear each other. If I see a way, I can't help but try to facilitate the building of bridges between opposing forces.

This innate quality earned me the nickname 'The Ziplomat' at Burning Man 2008. It's been a while since I've thought of that, but – this week – I feel that monicker suits me more than ever.

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We all agree there are significant issues that need attention

Our failure thus far has been our collective inability to reach consensus as to how best to address those issues. So we have at least a couple powerful, apparently fed-up whales throwing their considerable weight against their chosen battles, regardless how controversial their behavior. They insist on doing things their way and can't be bothered to openly discuss alternatives.

Meanwhile the masses are subjected to their unpredictable whims, becoming increasingly incensed, finally joining forces in dogged resistance to a perceived tyranny of elites.

Long term – this can't be good for Steemit. Somethin's gotta give.

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Perhaps GC isn't interested – nor is @berniesanders (who also popped up in the midst of all this) whose response to my invitation to join the panel was an inspired 'meh' – yet there are many who're keen and agree that something of its kind is long overdue.

Until that actually happens, I'll continue extending friendly invitations as I believe all voices matter – even the unpopular ones.

In the interim – I'll be attempting to sort through the various threads, extract the most important exchanges, gather fragmented snippets of various conversations and comments from this week, and organize all of it for possible inclusion in a future post.

If I can't convince all parties to meet on air, I may at least try to share what I've learned as their unwitting emissary. Both GC and SN have indicated support for me doing so. Then again — I may choose to simply move past it.

Either way — this is only the beginning of my diplomatic efforts.

Until Next Time,
Zippy aka @theziplomat

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^source