# Lesson 80H



## 80H (Dec 31, 2014)

_(If you're gonna read it, read the whole thing. I wrote it for a reason. Thanks )_

I am withdrawing my efforts from these forums. Please allow me to explain.


*An Introduction* 
What began as a way for me to learn more about guitars, technical skills and theory has evolved into me becoming the guy behind the membrane that I used to be staring into. I owe much of this to this very forum, and for that, I am extremely grateful. The people you can find here are amazing, and if you're one of those regular contributors that's been here for the last few years, I've read most of what you've written and I want to thank you. Solodini, AugumentedFourth, Mr BigWhore and a sea of names among others are responsible for my accelerated growth, and I am indebted to return the favor. 


To those of you that have read and learned from me and are a bit confused by my departure, it's quite simple: I have been treated disrespectfully. 


I was recently hit with a spontaneous 1-month ban after being told I was "throwing a tantrum." Yes, that was part of the reason that I was banned. I wrote a calm, stern critique of how a moderation issue was handled. The post is still publicly available and locked in the support forum if you would like to read it (http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/site-news-support/284260-banned.html). I am sure that those that have read any of my lessons will clearly see that there is no "tantrum" being thrown. I am calm as can be, even now. This is a simple decision for me.


The majority of what I write is to help others, or help someone in particular, to deal with what I have had to overcome as the years have rolled by. 

Examples: 

What I wrote last Christmas: http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/mu...want-become-greatly-advanced.html#post3852187

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/mu...damental-guide-sweep-picking.html#post3648539

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/mu...-developing-practice-routine.html#post4189441

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/mu...985-finger-strength-accuracy.html#post4199463

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/music-theory-lessons-techniques/281460-tihai.html#post4185975

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/mu...2-tension-neck-while-playing.html#post4172723

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/mu...all-8-string-guitar-teachers.html#post4163897

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/mu...tional-hand-eye-coordination.html#post3938862

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/mu...240289-one-my-little-secrets.html#post3594172

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/mu...-month-theory-challenge-game.html#post3536262

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/mu.../277641-do-i-have-tendonitis.html#post4133928

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/mu...que-pointers-good-foundation.html#post4124109

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/mu...-do-you-need-get-really-good.html#post4123093

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/mu...-do-you-need-get-really-good.html#post4120985

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/mu...men-caged-arpeggio-questions.html#post4062708

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/mu...istent-picking-motion-advice.html#post4050517

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ge...our-mind-long-op-post-inside.html#post4027564

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/mu...e-dilemma-learning-improvise.html#post3960213


These are just a few examples of what I have written. There are dozens more. Now to you, does this look like a guy that should have 30 days off for a stern critique? Nope. I'm not about to baby anyone through their mistakes, and whoever decided to ban me needs to understand that all you did was hurt this forum. I wrote a 6,200 word tapping guide that was *still* in-progress as I was banned that would have been posted on Christmas as my second annual Christmas present. I stopped writing it at the time of the ban. You lashing out at me has only caused this forum harm, and I am pretty sure that the fine people here are not going to be too pleased about that. 


I have done everything that I can to conduct myself with respect and dignity, as I have chosen to live as the person I want to die as. There is no dignity nor respect in the way that I have been treated by a certain someone that chose to remain unnamed, chose not to send me a simple message, chose to tell a calm person with a strong desire to help others that he was throwing a tantrum and respond with a knee-jerk reaction that affected the blood of this forum. Well congratulations buddy, you just killed 80H. 


Still calm. Still composed. 


So here it is, my last lesson. Stash all of these little bits and pieces of wisdom away in your mind as Lesson 80H and allow them to grow through the years. I am certain they will serve you well. Many of these you may not understand today or tomorrow, but I can assure you that I consider them all priceless.


The Glimmer on the Sea 

I developed a "trick" (?) for working with extremely fast play. The problem is that I play fingerstyle in addition to using a pick, and my mind has learned to think in counterpoint that happens in 32nd, 64th and occasionally 128th notes. This is very, very difficult to get a grasp of. 

However, there was a moment where I had an epiphany that changed all of that. I was sitting out watching the sunset over the ocean in Morro Bay, California from behind the museum with my girlfriend. It was beautiful. 

But there was a moment where something clicked, and the sea inspired me. As I watched the waves break and collapse on each other, the light started to slowly glimmer off of the breaking of the waves. The sun was hitting the water just perfectly to light up glimmers in the waves that seemed to come in and out by the dozen. 

What I realized in that moment is that *the physical world presents many opportunities to understand extreme speed, but they are subtle.* I also had this experience before with a windchime in strong wind, leading me to invent a style of picking that I initially called wind picking but later renamed. 


In order to achieve fast speeds, your hands must become the breaking glimmers on the waves. They must become the pages you are quickly thumbing through. They must become the water droplets breaking out of the stream in the water hose. Your hands must physically mimic those motions in some way before your hands can produce sounds that happen just as quickly. 

It is impossible to truly play something that your mind does not understand. You cannot learn to play 64th notes with articulation and musicality until 64 notches to the beat are embedded in your mind. These notches also open new doors for placing slower notes in rhythmically interesting places. 

If you look silently and intently at the glimmers on the sea as the wave breaks, those notches will begin to develop. Shut off the mental noise and absorb. Just allow your mind to understand the rate of the glimmers, how they span, how they rhythmically intertwine and how they continue effortlessly throughout the day. They will help you with the notches. Once you have an idea of their complexity, it will be far easier to translate your unconscious understanding of their speed into ways to create musical ideas. 



The Birth-Death 

You have inevitably wandered into a time where you stagnated. Your growth slowed, your practice failed and you wasted time that you could have spent moving forward. I have too, your friends have too, strangers you've never met have too. You may still be there, and plenty of people are right there at this very moment. 


I have found the most profound and important moments in my growth were moments of duality, where a part of me died and a part of me was born. There was a moment where I realized I just needed to memorize scales. It was that simple. I just had to sit there, take the time and learn a few and add them to my play, but I'd been slacking. I realized I had plenty of time that I wasted. I realized that I was responsible for my own failures. I killed a part of me that day, and something completely new grew from that death. This 80H alias is like a ripple of that moment. 

I consciously seek Birth-deaths, as I now lovingly call them. They are moments where I realize that I can end something within myself forever in favor of something new. It happened the moment I wanted to take theory as seriously as possible. It happened when I decided that I would stretch every day with few exceptions. It happened when I decided that I would file my nails as if it were as important as owning a guitar. It happened when I began building the humble library that is less than half a foot from me at the moment. 


The secret that few will tell you about getting better is that a part of you often must die first. Something that you may like about yourself might be ruining who you most wish that you could become and embody. There is no substitution for being someone that you want to be. Fake it til you make it is idiocy, just make it. 


Watering Greener Grass

The most important part of growth, as I have found, is relentlessly seizing any positive growth and demanding that it become a part of you. 


Imagine someone worked so hard to make their lawn perfect and then stopped watering it once they got there. When you have those epiphanies, those awakenings and those true moments of clarity, you have to fight to keep them. They are fleeting by nature, or you'd have found them already. Don't let the snitch get away, don't let the grass die. 

If you figure out a new pattern that changes your perception of the fretboard, WATER IT. Maintain it. Write it down. Think about it while you're pooping. Do what it takes to reinforce your growth and protect it from the natural circumstances that just want you to die and feed the worms. The unfed and the dead are separated by a mere week. 


The Weeds Want What You Have 

If you have a laziness about you, that laziness wants to take your success. If you get angry when you fail, that anger wants to ruin you. That denial of your faults? Yeah, it's actually trying to kill you before you make it across the finish line. Failure is a product of symptoms and a lack of knowledge. If you suck, that's just the visual product of symptoms and your lack of knowledge. 


So how do you get rid of the weeds? You UPROOT them. You must find the source. They will return. They will always return. The only way out is to become skilled at uprooting them. 

Trace every inconsistency with what you want to its source. Why _didn't_ you read that article? Why _did_ you not put in that extra 5 minutes? Why _were_ you so ok with that intonation? Find the roots and get them the hell out of your mind. They'll take everything you've ever wanted. 


Music is Many 
There is always a demand for new music and musicians. You are one of many should you wish to make music for yourself and others. I would love to find 3 new instrumental guitarists today, that'd make my f*ckin day. The truth is, though, that it takes dedication and effort to become one of the many, let alone one of the distinguished. 

I have respect for even the scummiest of people that bled for their success. I have suffered in ways that I'd rather not talk about for choosing musicianship over the numerous other career paths I could have taken. But I'd rather die the person I want to be than the one with all those regrets. 

Make the choice. Be one of the distinguished, be one of the many, or be a listener. Respect the challenges and consequences of each. For me, the consequences of being a listener were far higher than the many, and the consequences were far worse to stay the many than to become the distinguished, but the challenges are relentless and draining. I am somewhere between the many and the distinguished, still working day and night on something that is just a trivial hobby to many. 


The Return
With each passing challenge that you overcome, you will lose something you used to have; nature is traded for intention. Instead of just letting it flow, you've gotta try. Instead of making music, you're practicing. 

Find somewhere in your chest that you keep your family, your pets, your guitar, your people, your moments of glory, your happy days. Find that place and put The Return there. Passionately await the day that you have practiced so much that you can go back home to where you're just making music, and simplicity and complexity have become intertwined by purpose. Love that walk back to where you came from. I sprint when I see it faintly in the distance. 


The Opinions of The Uninformed Are Constant 
There are people that would love to talk sh!t about everything any successful guitarist you have ever imagined has accomplished. There are people that will tell Steve Vai that he "isn't good" to his face. Maybe they don't like his music..? But just think, if someone so obviously skilled and talented has worked day in and day out on his craft, what makes you think they aren't coming for one of us next? 

You must develop an immunity to the opinions of others and instead consciously seek true criticism, exchanges of information and mutual growth. The opinions of the uninformed must never be entertained. They are the human equivalent of the weeds. They want to take something away from you. Immunize yourself, do not respond, and simply remind yourself that they are the uninformed as found in the wild. Their only power is to plant thoughts, ideas and insecurities within your mind. The reminder that they don't know anything about what it takes to succeed, what it's like to practice for 5 hours straight is all you need to keep your chin up and figure out the next part of that song you've been noodling. 


Custom
When you've made it to the place you're looking for, it will be wild and unpaved. You will have found the place, but the fun is in building on that place. Imagine your dream house with everything you could ever want in it; that's what it's like to achieve the musical success required to make what you want. 

You call the shots when it comes to your music. Input and feedback will never be a substitute for artistic expression and belly fire. You are the privileged that can do it on their own. Critics are irrelevant at this point because you already know that they are the uninformed. Worst case scenario, they're giving you the tough love of a harsh critique, but you should never let that get to you so much that you lash out at them (cough). 



I'm out. Love ya guys. Tell 'em they did me wrong for me, 'cause my hands are sore. 


And that concludes Lesson 80H. 
-Adam


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## haffner1 (Dec 31, 2014)

I have to say, while you seem to have some good advise in your post, I really don't follow you here when it comes to leaving. I wasn't really able to glean from the "banned?" thread what the specifics were on the original ban, but at least they were willing to talk to you about it.

To put it into perspective, I was a 6 year member (though an infrequent poster) on another guitar forum. I was recently perma-banned for inappropriate comments due to one single solitary six word sentence of what basically amounted to a "Yo Mama" joke with an innuendo to someone who had clearly set themselves up begging for it. There was no malice intended, no racism, hate speech or anything of the type, just a friendly jibe to someone who couldn't take a joke. I got no warning, temp ban or message saying "hey we don't joke like that here". Nothing, just a perma-ban. 

So with that in mind, I really don't think the mods over here are anything much to complain about.


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## 80H (Dec 31, 2014)

Sucks to hear. That is simply a more intense version of what happened here, and you telling me about "complaining" (none of which to speak here, they shot themselves in the foot as far as I'm concerned) is requesting that because something worse happened to you, I should ignore the circumstances surrounding the way that my situation was handled.

I am not complaining about mods. I'm indifferent. To be perfectly clear, that is the introduction you are focusing on, and it is the minority of what I wrote. However, I set the bar for what I accept into my life, and I do not like being treated in this way in a place where I have mostly oriented myself around helping others. I would never want someone else to be treated similarly, regardless of whether its you on some other forum or someone here. This kind of behavior is unacceptable for me. I would never tell someone that because they got stabbed, they don't have much to complain about because of that one time I got shot. 

You treat me this way, you lose me. Simple.


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## Hollowway (Jan 1, 2015)

You sound like kind of a pompous ass who is picking up his toys and going home because things didn't go his way. Your original post in the banned was quite rude, and decidedly self-centered, and if you're unwilling to see that then this isn't the place for you.


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## octatoan (Jan 1, 2015)

Uh, don't exactly wanna comment on whether the mods were right or not, but it's no fun seeing you leave, man.


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## tedtan (Jan 1, 2015)

80H said:


> You treat me this way, you lose me. Simple.



I don't mean to sound like an ass, but if you were leaving, you would have just left. Posting this thread comes across like a cry for attention.


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## wespaul (Jan 1, 2015)

Hollowway said:


> Your original post in the banned was quite rude, and decidedly self-centered, and if you're unwilling to see that then this isn't the place for you.



To be fair, he was banned, given a vague explanation, and it still wasn't clarified afterward (unless it was done so privately). It's not hard to understand somebody's frustration in a situation like that, and writing them off as being "rude and decidedly self-centered" is a poor way to look at it and minimizes what happened.

He could've handled it differently, sure, but that thread was a far cry from being some big attack on the moderation. What's the worst thing he said? That the moderator who banned him took a lazy approach by not being clear? Is that what constitutes as "throwing a tantrum"? I know this site is heavily moderated and that they probably have to deal with a lot of immature kids spamming/attacking/flaming/etc, but that thread is a far cry from any of that and seems to be a situation that could also have been solved by simply replying "hey man, you bypassed the name filter by doing _________. Just make sure to not do it again." Although I've never been banned here, I'm uncomfortable with the idea that if it did happen and I didn't know why that the moderators aren't to be questioned.

I don't agree with what happened to you, 80H, but with that said, you're also handling it poorly. I get that you feel crapped on, but you're only alienating others by basically saying "welp, I had this awesome tapping guide that I've been working on, but I was banned so _you_ can blame _them_ for not getting it, or any of the other cool stuff I'm working on. _I'm outta here!_" It's really childish, regardless of how you were treated by the mods. If you're this angry, then take a self-imposed hiatus from the site, cool off, and come back refreshed. Ironically, that's what bans are supposed to be for.


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## Noxon (Jan 1, 2015)

Um, bye Felicia?


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## 80H (Jan 1, 2015)

Hollowway said:


> You sound like kind of a pompous ass who is picking up his toys and going home because things didn't go his way. Your original post in the banned was quite rude, and decidedly self-centered, and if you're unwilling to see that then this isn't the place for you.



Perhaps it isn't the right place for me since I've never implied anyone was a pompous ass out of general respect for others. I don't know, maybe I'm living wrong buddy. Maybe you've got it mapped out. You are behind a glass wall, you have no idea who I am or what my motives are. Please do not offer opinions as truths. "Decidedly" self-centered..? The tells are in the diction. 

This thread is a notification for people that have read and enjoyed my work. Nothing more. I have been as friendly as I can be, open to communication and I love and have repeatedly contributed to the atmosphere. 

Already established who I was, and to the people that have actually been moved by what I've written, you are simply the hateful that I referenced in this very post. Thank you for becoming evidence. It helps to articulate my point. Even someone that devotes most of his free time to music and musicianship is just going to be called a pompous ass by an outsider with an opinion. 




octatoan said:


> Uh, don't exactly wanna comment on whether the mods were right or not, but it's no fun seeing you leave, man.



I'll remember you  



tedtan said:


> I don't mean to sound like an ass, but if you were leaving, you would have just left. Posting this thread comes across like a cry for attention.



I guess I can see why you'd see it that way. It changes when you realize that there is a silent group of people that have been reading what I wrote over the years. This is not for you, unless that is you. This is for them. This is to let them know what's going on. 

I am a reclusive guitarist. Attention? lol. If only you knew. 



wespaul said:


> To be fair, he was banned, given a vague explanation, and it still wasn't clarified afterward (unless it was done so privately). It's not hard to understand somebody's frustration in a situation like that, and writing them off as being "rude and decidedly self-centered" is a poor way to look at it and minimizes what happened.
> 
> He could've handled it differently, sure, but that thread was a far cry from being some big attack on the moderation. What's the worst thing he said? That the moderator who banned him took a lazy approach by not being clear? Is that what constitutes as "throwing a tantrum"? I know this site is heavily moderated and that they probably have to deal with a lot of immature kids spamming/attacking/flaming/etc, but that thread is a far cry from any of that and seems to be a situation that could also have been solved by simply replying "hey man, you bypassed the name filter by doing _________. Just make sure to not do it again." Although I've never been banned here, I'm uncomfortable with the idea that if it did happen and I didn't know why that the moderators aren't to be questioned.
> 
> I don't agree with what happened to you, 80H, but with that said, you're also handling it poorly. I get that you feel crapped on, but you're only alienating others by basically saying "welp, I had this awesome tapping guide that I've been working on, but I was banned so _you_ can blame _them_ for not getting it, or any of the other cool stuff I'm working on. _I'm outta here!_" It's really childish, regardless of how you were treated by the mods. If you're this angry, then take a self-imposed hiatus from the site, cool off, and come back refreshed. Ironically, that's what bans are supposed to be for.



Thanks man. I just wanted to let you know that your responsible criticisms of me on a couple of occasions pushed me to be a little bit better, even now. 


Not happening though. I would have never done that to someone, and the ironic part of all of this is that the first post in the ban thread told me I should send him a message. Oh yeah? People should send messages when they have simple disputes? Who'd have known lol


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## Rizzo (Jan 2, 2015)

I didn't follow the ban story and I frankly don't care for digging in it at the moment, I'm just here for you 80H.
I can honestly state I was one of your fans as a guitarist, a music lover, a reader, or just a human being, call it as you wish.
I always read all of your posts and always found them truly inspirational, this one is no exception.
So all I can say is that it is sad to see you leaving, and to me one of the most valuable parts of this forum -from a human standpoint, to say the least- leaves with you.
No drama here, just what I felt like saying.

Bye 80H.


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## octatoan (Jan 2, 2015)

"Goodbye, djent hipster!"


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## 80H (Jan 4, 2015)

Bahaha, the amount of indirect negativity being flung my way is magnificent. It is my steady reminder that you can offer, you can do your best to give, you can offer most of what you know, you can spend hundreds of hours typing and sharing information, and someone will just shit all over what you've worked for as soon as they get the chance to share their opinion. It's humbling. I'm the type of guy that would've invited you to my bbq's and shindigs, but nah, I'm just some tag on a forum, not an actual person, no no no  

Hope my regular readers are gleaning that lesson. Just look at this page, look at these people that have not contributed to discussions I've participated in, people who haven't spent an hour trying to help out a random stranger on a 1-on-1 level (just because I saw myself in them...) Look at them telling me who I am and what I believe and what I am doing for me. It is a sad kind of hilarious. 

People that know nothing about me so clearly telling me what my own intentions are...hilarious. I just wish I could clearly show them the uninformed and disrespectful nature of their thoughts, but alas, if they could see these things, they probably wouldn't have been so disrespectful to begin with. 



Rizzo said:


> I didn't follow the ban story and I frankly don't care for digging in it at the moment, I'm just here for you 80H.
> I can honestly state I was one of your fans as a guitarist, a music lover, a reader, or just a human being, call it as you wish.
> I always read all of your posts and always found them truly inspirational, this one is no exception.
> So all I can say is that it is sad to see you leaving, and to me one of the most valuable parts of this forum -from a human standpoint, to say the least- leaves with you.
> ...



Aw rizzo  I have a few peoples emails and I've given out mine to a couple, I'll send you a PM. You are my proud first reader from Italy  got a special place in my nonheart (men don't have hearts). 



octatoan said:


> "Goodbye, djent hipster!"



That one still stings! I got taught about djent by the hipsters! How dare they dishonor my djent hipster friends by assuming I'm that informed. There are people that bought meshuggah albums the day they dropped, I deserve no such honor. I am the ensuing wave.


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## tedtan (Jan 4, 2015)

80H said:


> I guess I can see why you'd see it that way. It changes when you realize that there is a silent group of people that have been reading what I wrote over the years. This is not for you, unless that is you. This is for them. This is to let them know what's going on.
> 
> I am a reclusive guitarist. Attention? lol. If only you knew.



Like I said, I wasn't trying to come across as an ass, just trying to understand the first half of your post. I get that you feel slighted - you created a thread about it a month back. And I agree with you that the mod who originally banned you should have explained what name filter was because I don't think 99% of the people on the forum would know what bypassing the name filter means without further explanation. However, it is also against the site rules to question a mod the way you did in that last thread, so you had to know it wouldn't work out well for you when you created it. The correct response would have been to PM a mod and ask for clarification in private, not to create a thread questioning and insulting them.

For the record, the mods are people too, and as such are not perfect. I do think it was a mistake for the mod that banned you to not have provided a better explanation as to why you were banned. And it was a mistake on your part to create that last thread (and another mistake on your part to continue that discussion here). So don't take it as a personal attack against you, it was a mistake just like the ones you've made.

Like I said above, I do agree that you deserved a more thorough explanation of why you were initially banned, but it's not like it was some kind of site-wide effort to get you banned - you messed up and got banned and the mod made a mistake (human error) assuming you knew what bypassing the name filter was. It's a pretty small thing in the grand scheme of things, so don't let it get to you. In fact, letting it get to you is bad for your health.

So I would suggest you man up, forgive the mod(s) involved in the bannings and continue contributing lessons and challenges the way you did prior to a month or so back. Plenty of people have benefitted from your contributions, so why leave just because you had a disagreement with a single person here on the forum?


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## tedtan (Jan 4, 2015)

80H said:


> Bahaha, the amount of indirect negativity being flung my way is magnificent.


 
The people you are referring to are reacting to what you posted and, in particular, the way you posted it. Had you presented things a bit differently, you would have received a different response from people.




80H said:


> It is my steady reminder that you can offer, you can do your best to give, you can offer most of what you know, you can spend hundreds of hours typing and sharing information, and someone will just shit all over what you've worked for as soon as they get the chance to share their opinion. It's humbling.



There is an old saying:

You can please some of the people all of the time,
You can please all of the people some of the time,
But you can never please all of the people all of the time.


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## Rizzo (Jan 5, 2015)

80H said:


> Aw rizzo  I have a few peoples emails and I've given out mine to a couple, I'll send you a PM. You are my proud first reader from Italy  got a special place in my nonheart (men don't have hearts).


Haha hey thanks dude! Going to check now


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## 80H (Jan 5, 2015)

tedtan said:


> Like I said, I wasn't trying to come across as an ass, just trying to understand the first half of your post. I get that you feel slighted - you created a thread about it a month back. And I agree with you that the mod who originally banned you should have explained what name filter was because I don't think 99% of the people on the forum would know what bypassing the name filter means without further explanation. However, it is also against the site rules to question a mod the way you did in that last thread, so you had to know it wouldn't work out well for you when you created it. The correct response would have been to PM a mod and ask for clarification in private, not to create a thread questioning and insulting them.
> 
> For the record, the mods are people too, and as such are not perfect. I do think it was a mistake for the mod that banned you to not have provided a better explanation as to why you were banned. And it was a mistake on your part to create that last thread (and another mistake on your part to continue that discussion here). So don't take it as a personal attack against you, it was a mistake just like the ones you've made.
> 
> ...





tedtan said:


> The people you are referring to are reacting to what you posted and, in particular, the way you posted it. Had you presented things a bit differently, you would have received a different response from people.
> 
> 
> 
> ...





Love that saying  


I understand what you are saying, and agree with you largely. However, what you must understand in the process is that I have dedicated more hours of my life to this subject and study than anything else I have ever done in my life. I have bled, sweat, cried, been left basically homeless, sold everything important I own (except #34, my main 6-string), given up countless opportunities, been called every name you can imagine, and still kept going. I am exceptionally skilled because I paid for these skills with my livelihood. I communicate because I wish I had all this information without working as tediously at it, and I sincerely believe in becoming the change you wish to see. 



I want you to imagine my day for a minute. I started writing up my tapping guide days before I started Christmas shopping for my family. I didn't even log in or say anything, because my spare time was spent on producing something for the forum. 


I logged in to ask people for questions. 


I found that my account was banned. "Bypassing the name filter." What's wrong with my name???? 


I quickly realize that this is nonsense. A moderator is not immune from being moderated. As you say, they are human. An error should not go left unchecked, or it will turn into habit, as humans are creatures of habit. 


As far as I have been informed, support is how you talk to the staff and mods, and I have asked that question before. So, I go to the support forum. 

The mod never replies. Never once does the moderator have the personal integrity to simply say "I did it, I hear what you are saying, and here is what I am saying." Nope. While I would have gladly communicated openly, the moderator didn't even do that. In my strict personal opinion, that is an act of cowardice. I cannot imagine why someone would be unwilling to openly communicate with someone that is generally friendly and helpful.


Nope, they just edited my thread and banned me for "throwing a tantrum." I still have no clue who did it, how they came up with a month, etc. It is a zero-responsibility, zero-accountability ban, which is exactly what I was saying happens when the initial ban (bypassing the name filter) goes left unchecked. It is a measure of power corruption, wherein the forum is tilted in favor of a small percentage of unquestionable people being granted the power. A lack of public questioning will always lead to sketchy behavior behind closed doors. 




The first ban I ever got here was for telling people not to click a spam link because it was dirty. Do you get that? I just posted that the link was dirty and not to click it but got banned for "posting in a spam thread." I am not going to keep sweating and providing information when my account is always at some arbitrary risk of being removed by someone behind the curtain that doesn't even have the balls to account for themselves. I have said everything that I want openly, and nothing has been hidden. I am the one being transparent here. The mods are not. Let that sink in, and you might understand why I'm outta here.


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## ElRay (Jan 6, 2015)

I'd rather not see you leave. I nearly got banned shortly after I joined way back in 2006-ish. Semi-recently, Max threatened me with a ban because I refused to tolerate lies/ommision-of-truths/overly-stretched-truths from Engage or any of his sycophants/minions; so I do know where you're coming from. That said, take this as some tough-love:



80H said:


> ... I'm not about to baby anyone through their mistakes, and whoever decided to ban me needs to understand that all you did was hurt this forum. I wrote a 6,200 word tapping guide that was still in-progress as I was banned that would have been posted on Christmas as my second annual Christmas present. I stopped writing it at the time of the ban. You lashing out at me has only caused this forum harm, and I am pretty sure that the fine people here are not going to be too pleased about that. ...



This pretty much lost you any sympathy you might have garnered.

Taking your toys and going home just because you can't get your way is bad enough, but CHOOSING to do so and then blaming somebody else for your actions is pure childishness/manipulation.

Back to the original trigger, I've been here since [email protected]#$*&! (the origination of the name filter) and I can't see how you could accidentally work around it, especially if you didn't know it existed. You post something with a filtered word, and it gets changed to "...". You have to go back and edit your post to work-around the filter, you can't do it accidentally. If you don't get a clue that you shouldn't do that, you missed an important life lesson growing-up.

Like-wise, it's well known that the rules include: Don't post in spam threads (report them) and don't bitch about mods in public forums. You broke both rules. You got banned. Like it or not, you were treated like everybody else in the forum.

If you want to argue that wiggle-room, gray area, etc. let some other posts through, OK. But not the tacky, whinny, I-deserve-special-treatment, way you did it. Also, I bet 90% of the bans/admonishments you think didn't occur, did occur. It's just that most folks here don't whine about the ban, etc. Just because you don't know about it, doesn't mean it didn't occur.

Maybe it's the holiday season, but I expected a lot more don't-let-the-door-hit-you-on-th-way-out, let-me-call-you-a-whambulance, etc. posts, because for the most part, the forum doesn't tolerate the bitching-about-leaving-but-I'll-stay-if-my-ego-is-stroked-enough and let's-try-to-gather-the-mob-with-pitchforks-before-I-leave posts.

{{{Funny, I have the mental image of Barry from "The Goldbergs" storming out of the room going through my head.}}}


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## Berserker (Jan 6, 2015)

As above, you broke the rules, you got the same treatment as everybody else. Then you make a big drama and a week after you post that you're leaving, you're still posting and complaining.

Life isn't fair, but rules are rules, at least you have a choice.

BTW your lesson posts are awesome and it will be a shame to see you leave, but you either need to get over it and carry on, or stop posting and leave because it's not helping your cause.


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## 80H (Jan 6, 2015)

ElRay said:


> I'd rather not see you leave. I nearly got banned shortly after I joined way back in 2006-ish. Semi-recently, Max threatened me with a ban because I refused to tolerate lies/ommision-of-truths/overly-stretched-truths from Engage or any of his sycophants/minions; so I do know where you're coming from. That said, take this as some tough-love:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



You believe this is "tough love?" Have whatever opinion or mental image of me you'd like, but you are utterly disrespectful for calling what I have poured my sweat into for the sake of helping others as my toys.

But please do continue with your generally negative opinions instead of attempting to engage me or ask me questions. You formed an opinion that you are now pushing on me. Fact. Dispute it. I am perfectly capable of distinguishing a genuine opinion from fact. 

I-deserve-special-treatment, for example, is your opinion here. You know for certain that I want special treatment? I don't think anyone deserves to be treated like that. This is where you clearly crossed the line from intelligently communicating to just being disrespectful and sending needless negativity my way. I don't think anyone deserves to be treated like that. Parallels. 

Furthermore, you assume I am trying to manipulate people or that I'm having a childish response to something. Why is that? I am an intelligent adult choosing to withdraw spending time contributing here if this standard treatment of people. I believe you are quite mistaken in your opinions of me, and I recommend you review all of this with fresh eyes. Your unfounded opinions and lack of clear communication are leading me to believe that you are somewhat childish. 

Best not to involve yourself in matters that you are so clearly detached from. 



Berserker said:


> As above, you broke the rules, you got the same treatment as everybody else. Then you make a big drama and a week after you post that you're leaving, you're still posting and complaining.
> 
> Life isn't fair, but rules are rules, at least you have a choice.
> 
> BTW your lesson posts are awesome and it will be a shame to see you leave, but you either need to get over it and carry on, or stop posting and leave because it's not helping your cause.




Thanks! I put a lot of work into those lessons. It was never meant to be big drama, it's significant to me. Drama? Stop it dude. You don't understand. Some of the most important moments of my life thus far have happened within hours of posting lessons, some of my most significant epiphanies...there is so much meaning here and you're just chalking it up to drama. It's saddening. 


See the thing is, I did stop posting. You know what happened? People started asking me for my email so they could keep in contact, and then people like Holloway decide to chime in their opinions without really contributing anything. Notice they have nothing else to say once I have calmly responded. It's already over, but hey, I'm not one to leave people hanging. I like to give people the respect of a response. 



You guys could have just talked to me or asked questions. That's what I've been saying this whole time. Lots of opinions, no communication. No wonder so many people stagnate.


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## Gothic Headhunter (Jan 6, 2015)

You are an ass. You broke the rules, you got banned. You should absolutely not get preferential treatment because you wrote a massive thread on tapping. There are tons of other guys on this board that are theory and technique experts and have taken their time to post advice as well. You're not unique.


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## Grand Moff Tim (Jan 6, 2015)

80H said:


> You believe this is "tough love?" Have whatever opinion or mental image of me you'd like, but you are utterly disrespectful for calling what I have poured my sweat into for the sake of helping others as my toys.
> 
> But please do continue with your generally negative opinions instead of attempting to engage me or ask me questions. You formed an opinion that you are now pushing on me. Fact. Dispute it. I am perfectly capable of distinguishing a genuine opinion from fact.
> 
> ...



That's the most effort I've ever seen someone put in to saying "I know you are, but what am I!"


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## eaeolian (Jan 6, 2015)

I'm not banning anyone yet. However, if this doesn't simmer down, you're ALL going. Got it?

You all know how much I hate having to subscribe to a thread to keep an eye on it...


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## eaeolian (Jan 6, 2015)

80H said:


> You treat me this way, you lose me. Simple.



Hey, you're free to not post here, you know.


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## beavis2306 (Jan 6, 2015)

Politics aside, i found the original post inspiring. I've noticed changes in attitude toward my playing already. Thanks 80


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## 80H (Jan 6, 2015)

beavis2306 said:


> Politics aside, i found the original post inspiring. I've noticed changes in attitude toward my playing already. Thanks 80



Thank you so much, I wish you could understand how much that meant to me, especially now. That is why I do this. 

Remember the watering greener grass part! The stuff you like in the lesson is the same story, you have a short window that you need to maintain it and then you can mostly put it on autopilot save for trimming and modifications  Just because you read it and it helped today doesn't mean the grass will stay green.


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## Overtone (Jan 6, 2015)

Have you seriously never been banned from a forum before? Not that I take it lightly, but it's not usually something that phases me. I learned pretty early on on ss.org, from my own minor mistakes and from seeing other bans, that there are certain mistakes you can unwittingly make here that'll get you a ban real fast. At the same time, it's always the kind of thing where it's a harsh way of letting you know there's rules you broke, but once you know... you know. If this is a first for you, try to be a little less shocked and offended that you were banned - it's really not meant to be taken that personally. The mods have a track record of being swift with those kind of things, and not tolerant of bickering, but they tend to be pretty fair and objective when it comes to deeper conflicts. 

I've seen what happens when a forum has widespread issues with people not trusting the mods or feeling they were too unfair or took it too personally - it always ends with things like the forum splitting up or being shut down. I'd hate to see you go, but at the same time I don't think there's the kind of systematic problem that would make this forum a place for everyone... just you. Contributing great content doesn't afford anyone with special privileges, nor will it get you a personal apology over a pretty routine ban.


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## MaxOfMetal (Jan 6, 2015)

You know what, there is a lot about this forum I don't like, even people I don't like. I find some things unfair and I'm offended about once for every five or ten posts I make. You know what I do though? I quietly stop coming here for a bit. It's healthy and usually helps with any frustration this place might cause. 

I get it, getting put in the corner sucks. Even on the internet on a meaningless (that's right, I said it. We're not curing AIDS or anything, just shooting the shit about wooden sticks) forum run by a bunch of jerks (myself most definitely included). 

Boy, I remember when I used to take this place that seriously. I had an internet shouting match with one of the old Mods, Metal Ken, and looking back I was such a fool. One day, I hope you look at this and think the same, if not Dio help us.


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## eaeolian (Jan 6, 2015)

You got into a shouting match with Ken? He was the least likely mod to ban ANYONE here.


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## wizbit81 (Jan 12, 2015)

To be fair I just got banned for a week for something I didn't really think was worth it. You know what? I waited out my ban and now I'm back, no hard feeling against the mod, and the minor transgression won't be repeated. Whyyy sooo serrrriouuuus?


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## vansinn (Jan 12, 2015)

I don't think an online forum can be totally perfect; however, having spend considerable time in here, I'd say it's one of the best 

There always will disagreements at times, and even heated debates, but hey, that's also part of what online discussions are about: getting deep into arguments.

I don't see things going out of hand in here, in fact, I might even call ss.org pretty civilized.

As such, I feel the OP might be better off leaning back, take a breath, write a moderator about getting unbanned (says banned next to the avatar), and simply do a post saying something in the direction of "well, I was frustrated, you know.." - aren't we all at times..


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## eaeolian (Jan 12, 2015)

Like I always say, some of you that think we ban too quickly should spend some time at other forums that are actually moderated.


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