If staff deletes this, it is a sign that forums is censored due to insecurity and lack of maturity from staff. This post focuses on one instance of censorship, but there are plenty of other cases identical to this one. Since I do not know who deleted my post, this is directed towards all active staff members in-game and on forums. I understand that not all staff are like this, but all staff should read this thread and reflect on how they run the server.
Before I start, I am aware that this thread is inspired because my post got deleted on liz's staff application thread. In that thread, I stated that, as Midnight_Galaxy said, liz is immature. I also mentioned that Midnight's subtitle on forums is "*:・ﾟ✧Hybrid Time Lord Fallen Angel*:・ﾟ✧" and that she has a Black Veil Brides gif as her signature. This is all I stated. I do not have the exact quote of what I said on account that it was deleted, but I promise you that is all I said. I will attempt to write what I said again, and though I cannot guarantee I will get it word for word, I can guarantee that it will have the same effect and points made in the original post:
[FONT=Georgia]"As "*:・ﾟ✧Hybrid Time Lord Fallen Angel*:・ﾟ✧" also known as Midnight_Galaxy stated, you are not mature enough to be a staff member. All 8 people are counting on you to teach them the basics of the server that they have been playing on for multiple years. Because of this, and the lack of a Black Veil Brides gif as your signature (refer to Midnight_Galaxy), I'm gonna have to give you a -1.
(+1)"[/FONT]
Let's analyze this. I refer to Midnight by her subtitle, which by all means she should be okay with because she voluntarily picked that subtitle. Then, after making commentary about the small playerbase, I refer to Midnight's signature. She should also be okay with this for the same reason as why she should be okay with me using her subtitle. Now, there is a possible reason as to why she would want this post deleted: She thinks that it paints her as immature. I am not deceiving people or lying in any way in this post, so the only reason why she would look immature is if she is.
I saved the reason I was given for why my post was deleted.
"If you have a problem with staff members, file a staff comment. If you want to provide feedback to an app, do it constructively."
I looked into the staff comment thread in forums, and immediately noticed that I can not view any examples. It also shows that posts are private. If this is the only way that I am able to file a staff complaint, that means that staff complaints are not allowed to be public. I am not allowed to criticize minecraft moderators because they can and will delete criticism.
That's probably why the thread got deleted, but notice how I am given a second reason for why my post was deleted "If you want to provide feedback to an app, do it constructively." This would be a valid reason if it was ever respected.
Let's look at the two most recent staff applications before liz's. For SpongeyStar's staff application, _Peero_ wrote "+1 i love you," and AdrianIsEpic wrote "+1 pls accept." For Vexmae's staff application, Spongeystar wrote "+111111111111111infinity," and payooo wrote "+9infinity and beyond." All four of these comments were never deleted.
The only constructive parts of these comments is that it gives a rating. I also gave a rating at the end of my post, a +1. Granted, I also jokingly gave liz a -1, but it is obviously what it is, a joke. So, since I met the same requirements as these four comments that weren't deleted, the fact that I did not give constructive feedback to an app is not the reason why my thread was deleted.
So, this only leaves one possibility. Staff hate criticism, and staff do not want people to know that they have criticism. Criticism is only allowed when nobody can hear, and will likely not even be acknowledged because there is no reason for them to. The only power that players could have over staff is the ability to communicate. Restricting this leaves us powerless to the staff of the server.
You can argue "it's just a Minecraft server, why are you taking censorship so seriously?" However, this argument is the main reason why I feel so strongly about this. The act of deleting a post on a Minecraft thread (which ironically hints that staff is immature) is restricting my right to communicate to my friends and acquaintances about my beliefs about another person. However, what Midnight did, giving a negative rating (which is especially powerful because she is a Supermod and will probably get her application denied because of it) is restricting liz's fun on the server. So what if she may become inactive soon? There's 21 staff on the server (according to forums), but we never see the majority of them because they are inactive. So what if she's immature? It's a Minecraft server. Liz is 17 and we've known her for years, we all know that she knows better than to abuse her power. What else does she really need at this point?
This a Minecraft server, and a Minecraft server forums thread. There is no need for dictator-like censorship for criticism of authority. I admit that my post was aggressive towards Midnight, but there is no reason for her or any staff member to delete it. Staff are perfectly able to discuss problems instead of deleting them and pretending these problems don't exist. The fact that my post was deleted solved nothing. The reason why I made that post is still there, if not strengthened due to this. This was a failure to censor me. This was a failure to act maturely. This was a failure for the staff team to treat their players with respect.
