Absolute Write Update

ABSOLUTE WRITE ADMINISTRATOR
We want to thank everyone for their emails and their comments. We never thought when we started this site that it would gain so much attention and be so popular. There is no doubt that the section on Absolute Write has enjoyed the most activity, so we're moving it onto the main page for convenience's sake. We welcome comments from Absolute Write members and former members to add to this portfolio. Mainly, why did a forum that used to be so popular become so controversial? We have concluded that this is due, at least in part, to all the advertisements the site now carries; the outdated advice given to writers; and too many moderators that are accused of being bullies. We have been monitoring various threads on the site and have reached the conclusion that most of the trolling and trouble appears to be instigated by the moderators themselves, and long-time members. New members are not treated well on this forum.

28 comments:

  1. AW is a pretty sick f#cked up place, in fact, it's totally toxic and I'd never go back there. I was participating on a short 3 page thread, which had no less than 3 moderators, in regard to the drunken female who had oral sex on a street corner and claimed she'd been raped. Now get this: I was banned for saying I believed in individual responsibility. They said this was 'victim blaming.' If you don't believe me, here is the link to the thread. I'm Mayfair. Enjoy!
    http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?s=f34bd6a364dfe889c342c2d212c1b01d&t=280382

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous12/11/13

    Well you know what they say, Sara, lie down with pigs and get up stinking of garbage. You can't say you weren't warned about AW.

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  3. Ad Man12/11/13

    Read the thread, man what a gas. This is typical school yard bullying of the new kid on the block. Shame on those nasties.

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  4. Cindy Parsons12/11/13

    This means, I suppose, that individual responsibility is no longer politically correct. The victim is always entirely blameless. A female who claims she was raped is now God's anointed. Heaven forbid you should even suggest that her behaviour "may" have played a part in it.

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  5. The part that really struck me was that Mayfair was attacked for calling women 'females." OMG! How do you spell totally nuts?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. M-e-l-o-d-I
      S-h-e-r-m-a-n

      Delete
  6. Cindy Parsons12/11/13

    If individual responsibility is not politically correct, neither is bullying. I'm going to contact all the good folks that advertise on AW and send them a link to this site. We need to stop this abuse of new members.

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  7. Good on you, Cindy. That gang of bullying sickos need to get their comeuppance. And if the advertisers withdraw.....we'll have accomplished something good.

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  8. Anonymous12/11/13

    AW is misrepresenting itself to advertisers big time.Here's the beginning part of their spiel. Nothing there about the bullying and obnoxious treatment of their members.

    "WHAT DO REVIEWERS SAY ABOUT ABSOLUTE WRITE?

    “Absolutely everything a writer could want can be found at Absolute Write. Loads of reliable information . . . This is one site you don’t want to miss.”—Briefme.com

    “Absolute Write is, quite simply, one of the best and most popular online resources for writers, with a variety of informative articles and well researched links. A must-visit for budding authors.”—Andrea Semple, author of The Ex-Factor"

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  9. BTW, folks, this is the message I received:

    "vBulletin Message

    You have been banned for the following reason:
    Contact the board owner, MacAllister, if you have questions. In the meantime, take my advice and get to know the forums before posting again when your timeout is up.

    Date the ban will be lifted: 11-20-2013, 12:30 AM"

    ReplyDelete
  10. Maddy Gaskar12/11/13

    They have GOT to be joking!!!!!!!!!! Do they really think anyone is going to return to the forum after something like that?

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  11. Well I certainly never would. I got some good advice there on a technical issue, but apart from that I don't like the way the forum is run. So heavy-handed it reminds me of Nazi Storm Troopers. I mean, I was banned for saying that I believe in individual responsibility and for calling women females. Incredible, yet it's true. And I've grabbed some screen shots of the thread in question, just in case posts suddenly start disappearing.

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  12. Cindy Parsons12/11/13

    I've already done the screen shot thing, Sara, and I'm forwarding them onto the advertisers. AW only 'thinks' they can get away with treating their members like sh!te.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous12/11/13

    I read through that thread and there was absolutely no reason to ban Mayfair. None whatever. Talk about high-handed fascism, this takes the cake.

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  14. Barney G13/11/13

    If you don't like a forum don't go there. Why all the drama?

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous30/9/14

      How are you going to know whether or not you like a site until you go there?
      Why all the troll-ish questions?

      Delete
  15. Michele Lee14/11/13

    In regard to the topic that caused all the hoopla at AW, this take on it makes perfect sense. I mean if a female goes out and gets blotto she's at greater risk of a sexual assault than if she were sober. This is a fact. No amount of obfuscation or liberal ideology will ever change it. Not ever.

    "A month ago, Slate.com columnist Emily Yoffe wrote a brave column entitled “College Women: Stop Getting Drunk,” in which she wrote: “A misplaced fear of blaming the victim has made it somehow unacceptable to warn inexperienced young women that when they get wasted, they are putting themselves in potential peril.” Feminists were enraged. After Jian Ghomeshi interviewed Ms. Yoffe on his CBC radio show, one commenter asked: “Does Yoffe really think that if no more women ever got drunk, that men would stop raping?”
    In a perfect world, it is true, lecturing women about the perils of excess alcohol consumption being a sexual-assault risk factor would be unnecessary. But we don’t live in that world. And any parent or educator who tells a hard-partying teenage girl “Your body belongs to you, so get as drunk as you like” is prioritizing ideology ahead of a real human being’s sexual safety."

    http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2013/11/13/jonathan-kay-fight-date-rape-by-staying-sober-and-other-lessons-for-your-daughter-from-fraternity-goonland/

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  16. This is the message I received today. Very professional isn't it. (LOL) I guess Big Mac has been reading this site and didn't like what I had to say. Hence, the ban is now for life. Boo hoo. That fat old c#nt needs to get a life.

    "vBulletin Message

    You have been banned for the following reason:
    Aren't you tired of sorting socks?"

    Date the ban will be lifted: Never"


    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous14/11/13

    How do they arrive at the trolling/sock thing based on what Mayfair posted on that thread? This is just nuts. Of course, when it comes to trolling and sock puppets, farty old Mac IS an expert.

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  18. Bernard D14/11/13

    I call it Tacky old Macky, the Hitler of AW, rumor has it "she's" a muff-diver.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous30/9/14

      It's not a rumor.

      Delete
  19. Anonymous14/11/13

    Macalister Stone is a dirty old drone

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  20. Wow, there are so many people out there who hate old Mac, and I can't say I'm surprised. She is one nasty piece of work. A million thanks for all your support.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Hermann14/11/13

    I feel sorry for her. That awful forum is her whole life, and she takes out her anger on new members. She takes such pleasure in it too. I think the lady has mental problems. Seriously. And I'm a psych major so I do recognise the signs.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Anonymous14/11/13

    Okay, was a link to this forum sent to the advertisers? Because that will do some concrete damage to the hate site in a way that will hit that Nazi where it hurts most, right in the pocket book. With any luck it will close the hate site down.

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  23. Cindy Parsons14/11/13

    Yep, consider it done.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anonymous14/11/13

    Here were these advertisers thinking AW was a nice normal helpful forum. What a shock they'll get when they read all of this. Hey, they should give us a bonus for fighting back against fascism and letting them know the score.

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  25. Anonymous14/11/13

    Mac is an expert on sock puppets. In fact she IS one. Read about it here:
    http://www.stopthegrbullies.com/category/absolute-write/

    ReplyDelete