Some of you may know that I was involved in a slight misunderstanding a few days ago (see this article). It involved me being rather evil, and killing Redbeard's two candidates, The Celery and Ms. Dolores A. Webjello. Redbeard naturally fought back on this, and many a long discussion thread was established about the meanings of threadiquette and other posting formalities.

I responded in all of those forums, and each one pointed out something I had not noticed, or even thought about. Some people corrected me, and some people had to be corrected by me, but all has now been sorted out; my reason for posting the assassination, why the outcome of it was what it was, and how nothing of the sort should happen again.

I feel, as a true citizen of h2g2, and an official candidate for the h2g2 Virtual Prez Elections, that it is my duty to admit what I got wrong, and apologise. I, Pr. C. Tonks, also known to many as The Big C, understand that what I did was wrong and unfair, since I allowed no one but myself to take part in the plot. I admit that the whole Celery assassination thing got wildly out of hand.
I apologise for my wrongdoings.

I would like to take this opportunity to tell you of some things that are going on in these Elections. Certain things have been going wrong, and Shazz herself is increasingly getting worried about the Election's progress.

The h2g2 Virtual Prez Elections are of course meant for a good laugh. We've got the rumours column, the pictures, funny things said on our campaign pages, and so on. Whoever eventually becomes President won't really rule over h2g2, the Towers will still be in charge. This whole thing is set in Virtual Reality, the h2g2 Virtual Reality to be precise. To be perfectly honest, it doesn't actually matter if anyone's elected or not.

Things however, have been getting wildly out of hand. The incident I was involved in seems mild compared to some goings on that I've heard about. According to various people, including Post Researchers themselves, the Elections have been taken out of h2g2. Yes, out of h2g2 and onto the rest of the Internet. Now, you may think this is very well and fine, and to some extent it is, but not to the extent I've heard about. It is of course natural to plan your election campaign with your vice's or friends off h2g2, so no one else will know what you're doing, and the actual arrangements to sign up as candidates were done by email, not on h2g2. But it should be used for no more than that.

I've heard things, terrible things, involving candidates I won't mention because it would ruin their chances. As I said, it's fine to talk about the Elections with the people you're working with off h2g2, but on no account should things be 'discussed' with rivals on the rest of the Internet. According to my sources, things have been going terribly sour in the Elections, all because some candidates have been receiving emails from either opposition candidates or other people opposed to them, either threatening them, or swearing abuse!

This is preposterous! Shazz herself, the organiser of the whole Campaign, has had to intervene, and as I said, she's getting worried about the whole fiasco. And I'm getting terribly worried about some people's sanity!

Listen, and you know if I'm addressing this to you; Grow Up! These elections are here for fun! Not for abuse, swearing, p***-taking; for fun! It isn't hard to understand! Keep these h2g2 Elections on h2g2, OK? Don't go and spread vicious rumours, just mild ones in the appropriate threads! Take some things seriously if you wish, but on no account should you ever, EVER, resort to taking things off h2g2 and into personal hands. These Elections are in VR, and the only thing you should allocate to them from RL is time to do honourable things for the good of the whole Campaign, and the Community.

Honestly, some people are pathetically immature. I'm sorry if anyone out there who didn't do anything wrong found my words offensive, but they were addressed to the real wrongdoers!

This is the bit where I go on and on about how I'm committed to sorting out this mess, and to the good of h2g2. Well, here goes then...

I'm committed to sorting out this mess, and keep the good of h2g2 firmly in VR. I was not involved in any skirmish with my rival candidates, because I know that the h2g2 Virtual Prez Elections are for fun, and shouldn't be taken out of the realm of h2g2 VR. Apart from my only minor argument (which was all on h2g2), I have been in very little contact with my h2g2 peers about the Elections. That is to say, I have never spoken to a rival candidate about him/her being a rival candidate. I have only progressed through the Elections with the good of h2g2 in mind, and no plot to turn it into a VR world of arguments, anger, and abuse that the outside of this Community has become.

You may not have noticed, but I've even been honourable in this article too... I know precisely who was involved with the degradation of the Elections, but I chose to be fair and not give their names away. I have given my personal view of these happenings not with the intent to shy people away from the Elections (because good is still going on), but to knock some sense into the minds of those who decide to spoil it all.

Even if you don't vote for me, I will do my best to ensure that h2g2 stays as good as it ever was, and that no one will be hurt in or out of the h2g2 Community. I will stay faithful to h2g2, even if some people try to spoil it all.

Pr. C. Tonks aka The Big C
Presidential candidate for h2g2

21.08.00. Front Page

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