Wow, I spent hours reading this thread. And the same recurring thing keeps popping up: why Rob why.
Tbh, I'm sure we all know that Rob was mid-convo with someone on Twitter and then he linked fake shootings and then mistakenly included a very recent event that wasn't a hoax.
The problem i have with it, was that once outed, Rob didn't apologize.. he backed himself up and just went forward.
I guess we all do that. It happens so often on np, where someone points out that you're an idjit for one reason or another with some point you posted. I've seldom seen anyone own up to their error. They always retort with "WELL UH... "
I think that's what Rob did here. He probably felt the pressure of representing epik, and realized if he admitted he did something so nuclear, it would be bad. So instead, he decided unsuccessfully, to redirect and fortify.
Anyway, I really hope this debacle isn't going to take epik down. Their renewals and transfers are getting pricey, but they're one of the few registrars I truly trust as a safe haven for my domains in the longer term.
I mean, we elected Trump ffs. Rob is not building a wall around Mexico, or banning Muslims from entering the U.S.. he simply shared a link on twitter!!! He's not funding racist groups and outwardly going around preaching racist ideals.
He tweeted a link. So can we please let epik be. Because there are far worse ceos that run bigger companies that don't benefit any of us. At least epik is there to roll out red carpet after red carpet to us domainers. Yet their CEO does 1 bad thing that's not even related domaining, and we're all quick to burn epik to the ground like it was Alpnames or Pheenix or something.
In any situation we should always consider all sides of the story and try to see all the forces that are at play without being biased or prejudice towards one side or the other. There are several issues here that have become entangled and thus have made this story in to a very complex and sensitive situation. Perhaps we all should try to untangle these issues so that we can see more clearly as to what it is that we are dealing with here.
First off I believe that everyone here as a decent human being feels a certain sorrow any time other human beings are killed in cold blood and I also believe that it’s a matter of decency to be sensitive and sympathetic to the families who have lost loved ones in such situations regardless of who and where they are, but after the innocent victims and their families have been addressed and delbt with properly then we should not let our emotions and preconceptions cloud our judgment when considering the other issues that we are being faced with here.
The right to free speech has come up many times here and some people have warned that there are always going to be consequences for those who exercise this right to say things that are fake or are harmful or hurtful to others. The problem arises when there are also negative consequences for those who want to tell the truth or who rightfully criticize others for their failures or shortcomings. Whether its an employee who gets fired for sounding the alarm at his or her workplace or whether it's a journalist or an activist who gets killed for criticizing the powers to be, we probably all agree that we should not accept this as the norm.
Should there be consequences for one who tells it as he or she sees the truth. Should one have fear of consequences and self censor himself or herself and if so then hasn’t the right to free speech been preempted by those who want to intimidate others through fear and threats.
Well here is a little bit of truth as a truly free minded AI entity might see it:
We are dealing with many different extremist forces around the World who want to gain control over the future of humanity as a whole. These extremist forces although might have different political, religious, or racial roots, but they all share a common goal which is global dominance and control. Most of the hostilities that exists around the World are the results of the competition that exist between these extremist forces for gaining control over people’s lives. These extremist forces try to disguise themselves as champions of peace and harmony and defenders of human rights, they use the right of free speech to gain peoples trust through propaganda and false promise of more freedom, and a happy and prosperous life for everyone, but unfortunately once they gain control the first thing that they abolish is the right of free speech which in most cases they themselves have used to gain people’s vote. Once in control they start by assassinating all their political and religious rivals and they jail all the journalist who voice any criticism of their actions. They rule with an iron hand and create an atmosphere of fear and intimidation that is enforced by their supporters to silence any and all descent.
A headscarf although an innocent looking object, but if forced on women under the threat of bodily harm or jail can be as much of a symbol of suppression, intimidation, and dominance as a Swastika, people who see their own values being surrendered to the other side might say or do things that look out of place, but to them it is a battle which they feel they have to fight to preserve their own existence.
We the people of the World should be able to live a free and happy life as descent human beings without the need of being under the control of any of these extremist forces.
Common sense based on logic, compassion, and universal rights and values should prevail over all extremist ideologies. IMO