Owner vote off Proposal

The following is written by several individuals who’ve asked me to post this to remain anonymous. I obliged because I agree with much of what is stated and would like to provide these individuals the opportunity to make their piece and for the community to lend their opinions.

To the members of the TotalFreedom community: I would like to propose an owner vote off. Considering Ryan’s actions, I feel that a vote-off is necessary. Ryan has consistently proven that he does not have what it takes to fulfill the community’s wishes, only doing what he deems is right, despite the majority of TotalFreedom’s members opposing his decisions oftentimes. I request that anybody with the intent to vote read the following and consider the points made within.

The owner is unable to gauge community desires to improve the server. This is evident in the apparent corporatization of TF, much to the dismay of both new players and veterans of the server. Despite the immense backlash against additions like Skyblock and the furtherment of the network system, it’s clear that there was never a thing anyone could have said to the owner that would change his vision for the server. Even with a distinguishable majority disapproving of these new additions, including an array of executives, the owner is unable to foresee their failure. Similarly, the server’s relationship with the owner’s company is entirely baseless. Players haven’t benefited from the relationship (you could argue that it’s a detriment to the community), yet these same players can get punished for criticizing the company or displaying company logos.

Many admins have left the server during these past few months and went on to state disagreements with staff about their vision for TotalFreedom as a reason for leaving. Ryan and the rest of Atlas Media have had a different idea about what they want TotalFreedom to become – a network. The current owner doesn’t look at TotalFreedom as a “freedom server” and the decisions made based upon its position as a network have caused a lot of problems for the server. Players have been held to the conduct policy in a way that only a network would, but the size of this community cannot justify these strict policies to go forward doing so while carrying the brand “oldest freedom server.”

Furthermore, the way certain players are seemingly singled out and applied weak interpretations of Category 0 bans at the owner’s whim is shady and downright petty. For instance, certain individuals are permanently banned without the chance to appeal because of an obvious joke; however, an ex-admin who went rogue, cooperated and associated with a group full of people that DDoS’d TotalFreedom is given 12 months as a minimum before they’re allowed to appeal as opposed to a permanent, non-appealable ban. He has stated the following regarding a ban that the community opposed: “I’m the owner of the network and can frankly ban whoever I want for whatever reason I want”. This clearly shows that the owner is indifferent to the desires of the community, and only values his own opinion. Ryan has locked jwmphall’s thread about Flobbier’s indefinite ban, after garnering criticism. There was a clear consensus that the reason for Flobbier’s ban was manufactured and invalid, but the owner refused to step up, admit he was wrong, and retract – or reconsider the ban. This, in conjunction with numerous other cases, demonstrates that the owner holds ‘grudges’ against certain players, which is dangerous in a system that attempts to mimic law and justice. (See at: https://forum.totalfreedom.me/…-flobbiers-indefinite-ban)

In Ryan’s words: “My view on TF has changed significantly over my ownership and I have no need for everyone to be my friend here.” Is it not the owner's job to be in touch with his community and positively interact with the people in it? Any person in a position of power should know the responsibilities of such a role. If the owner’s views have changed on TotalFreedom, maybe it’s time we have a change of ownership. Rather than listening to the TotalFreedom community, he has repeatedly chosen to ignore and silence anyone who attempts to criticize or oppose his judgment.

Through inappropriate handling of discourse, inability to listen to popular demand, and rampant misconduct, Ryan has proven that he is not fit to be the owner of TotalFreedom, and for the responsibilities that come along with it. If the community agrees that Ryan is no longer suitable to be the owner, I request that Ryan handles this situation maturely, by ceding power without causing any issues. Remember that this is an outlet for children and young adults to talk to friends and play a game, and discarding the server would crumble the community and destroy friendships.

I am not pretending to offer a replacement for Ryan, I understand it is a difficult position to fill and I’d wager that there are only a handful of people willing and able to do so. What I believe is Ryan is not fit to be the owner given his recent actions. Regardless of the outcome, we should thank Ryan for his contributions and the work he has undeniably put into the server. Furthermore, to clarify: this is not a personal attack against Ryan or Atlas Media; this is only a criticism of his ownership and nothing more.

Tl;DR: Despite Ryan’s contributions to TF, his mishandling of power and lack of a vision representative of the majority’s desires indicates he is not suited to be the owner.

jwmphall speaking:

P2 and P3 - Ryan has excused several controversial additions by stating that he made it clear before he became owner what his intent was regarding AMG and the like. While this is true, the average player couldn’t have had any idea what that entailed at the time he was voted in (It was more important at the time to have stable ownership than worry about future repercussions) When the changes eventually went through, it was apparent that the community was opposed. This is when Ryan should have reevaluated his vision for the server to be more in line with the community wants.

P4 - Yeah I was the one who made a big fuss about that so obviously my opinion is clear on the matter. Ryan has stated that Flobbier’s ban has been changed to a category 0c, meaning he apparently compromised the integrity of TotalFreedom or Atlas Media Group; neither of which are remotely applicable so I really don’t know. I was told by Ryan (paraphrasing): if I didn’t stop arguing Flobbier’s ban then Ryan would make it unappealable entirely. (meaning he would change it from 0a to 0b or 0c). Obviously, I didn’t stop, so Ryan changed the ban, completely bending the rules out of spite.

P5 I agree. Though, in my opinion, Ryan is right about an owner not having to be friends with everybody, but I think it's evident that Ryan doesn’t even make an effort to do so.

I vouch for the creation of a vote off, keep in mind this is a proposal, as only an executive can create the vote off itself. And yes I had this already typed out and ready

Also, this is not the place for drama and powerposting. So just, don't

↩ @'Ryan' I didn't cite the ban list because it has not been changed. You simply said you did, which is why I said "Ryan has stated."

↩ @'Ryan' Without citing/leaking admin discussion logs I cannot disprove this. But admins, April 9th 2022. Ryan states he will make the change.

↩  videogamesm12 That's the tricky bit. I believe if he were voted off he would be more courteous than in October, because of the vastly different circumstances. But nobody knows for sure. I wish I could make some people vote without fear of Ryan holding the server hostage, but that is the situation - to ignore it is naïve.

↩  videogamesm12 Honestly, I think Ryan would make his case and let the voting decide. But again the only person that knows for sure is Ryan. It's a difficult position for everybody

↩  taah Ryan's professionalism is admirable, but should be standard. I don't see how this is relevant.