A personal statement on my ‘suspension’

[roughrider]

Let me borrow from the August house and issue the following personal statement on my recent 'suspension' for immediate release.

I recently posted some pictures – with my tongue firmly caressing my cheek - to demonstrate what sexism was: in fact I used some of them in the exactly same context they were used in the feminist websites where I got them. Discrimination against women is a subject that I treat very seriously and, in real life, I have raised funds and written projects whose partial aim is to fight marginalization of women in Northern Kenya. So there will never be doubt as regards my stand on ‘sexism’ (FYI – I don’t like the word ‘sexism’)

Then, without any attempt at discourse or discussion Onyango Oloo (acting as site admin & on a thread that he had arguably started with the subconscious sexist intro: ‘For men...’) took great offense and ‘suspended’ roughrider ostensibly to prove his point of zero tolerance against sexism. In that same thread several interlocutors saw my postings a different way. At best, this was very much a matter of interpretation and intention that I would have cleared in an instant. As is increasingly the case, there would be no chance for that.

Is Oloo infallible? Does he speak ex cathedra, like Pope Benedict the 16th? Is he the only one who perfectly understands democracy, free speech, sexism, objectification of women, racism, politics and other issues with which we grapple here? These questions are fair because we must rely on his wisdom regarding right and wrong in as far as Jukwaa is concerned. Oloo often has trouble separating his personal opinions on topics from his role as forum steward. Clearly there is a razor-thin line between moderation and censorship. As a result many here seem to live under the fear of a sharp rebuke, suspension or expulsion and prefix their potential controversial statements with a plaintive 'please don't suspend me for this'.

Another case in point: I was suspended previously for my views on homosexuality. I thought (as I still do) it was grotesque, unnatural, offensive and unsustainable. Millions share this view. I would never advocate attacks on homosexuals, though. I declared that there is nothing wrong with being homophobic – understood as a natural reaction to unnatural things. Fear plays an important role in societal preservation in many contexts. In the heat of that discussion I was sent off because Jukwaa has zero tolerance on homophobia. I did not mind.

Now I have no concern for roughrider in particular. I worry about where Jukwaa is headed to when free speech is frowned upon here, and there is scant space for people to see things differently. I sense a certain level of intolerance and unwillingness to engage from the forum administrator. Further the language that Oloo has been using lately whenever he issues his frequent warnings and declarations sound like he is a secondary school headmaster chiding adolescents in Form 2.

I often warn that it is those who made BIG sacrifices fighting dictatorship and overthrowing intolerant regimes who upon taking over the reins are likely to slide into the same intolerance. Yoweri Museveni is a perfect example. The battle-hardened revolutionary has now grown rich and fat. He won't leave! Some homegrown examples can be found dotting our political landscape (see Kiraitu Murungi for an interesting study).

Yes, human beings change like chameleons with their environment. But WE SHOULD NEVER allow Onyango Oloo who has suffered immense personal loss at the hands of dictatorship and intolerance to evolve into tyrant here on Jukwaa. Not with his pedigree and potential.

Folks, let us accept that Jukwaa was established (by Oloo and friends) as a discussion forum to foment and encourage free speech on Kenyan politics and society. That is how it should remain.

roughrider,
monday sept 26 at 7.43 pm

[tnk]

roughrider

first off - good to have you back.

second - i was pretty darn sure that your intention was completely misunderstood and immediately pointed that out. reading your above statement am glad that was so

third - i do agree that the issue in point (resulting in your suspension) was inadequately addressed and in fact IMHO prematurely terminated just when the discussion was beginning to take shape. further, looking at a number of subsequent posts, the issue of sexism still remains unresolved as some posts contain material that others find objectionable and yet (the) contributors remain (or at least claim to be) oblivious to the implied or alleged sexism. clearly the issue(s) need further discussion.

einstein like myself (hey einstein sorry to drag you into this here), are of the opinion that education ( = exchange of ideas not lectures, or patronizing attitudes, or intolerance and what nots) would greatly benefit readers. sadly we are not yet there, but with a little bit of effort we can and will get there. this is a topic that needs lots of attention

now as for OO behaving like a headmaster with a big cane ...... 'iyo i would like to see his response. (reaching out for some popcorn)

[phil]

Sept 26, 2011 19:43:42 GMT 3 @roughrider said:

Let me borrow from the August house and issue the following personal statement on my recent 'suspension' for immediate release.

I recently posted some pictures – with my tongue firmly caressing my cheek - to demonstrate what sexism was: in fact I used some of them in the exactly same context they were used in the feminist websites where I got them. Discrimination against women is a subject that I treat very seriously and, in real life, I have raised funds and written projects whose partial aim is to fight marginalization of women in Northern Kenya. So there will never be doubt as regards my stand on ‘sexism’ (FYI – I don’t like the word ‘sexism’)

Then, without any attempt at discourse or discussion Onyango Oloo (acting as site admin & on a thread that he had arguably started with the subconscious sexist intro: ‘For men...’) took great offense and ‘suspended’ roughrider ostensibly to prove his point of zero tolerance against sexism. In that same thread several interlocutors saw my postings a different way. At best, this was very much a matter of interpretation and intention that I would have cleared in an instant. As is increasingly the case, there would be no chance for that.

Is Oloo infallible? Does he speak ex cathedra, like Pope Benedict the 16th? Is he the only one who perfectly understands democracy, free speech, sexism, objectification of women, racism, politics and other issues with which we grapple here? These questions are fair because we must rely on his wisdom regarding right and wrong in as far as Jukwaa is concerned. Oloo often has trouble separating his personal opinions on topics from his role as forum steward. Clearly there is a razor-thin line between moderation and censorship. As a result many here seem to live under the fear of a sharp rebuke, suspension or expulsion and prefix their potential controversial statements with a plaintive 'please don't suspend me for this'.

Another case in point: I was suspended previously for my views on homosexuality. I thought (as I still do) it was grotesque, unnatural, offensive and unsustainable. Millions share this view. I would never advocate attacks on homosexuals, though. I declared that there is nothing wrong with being homophobic – understood as a natural reaction to unnatural things. Fear plays an important role in societal preservation in many contexts. In the heat of that discussion I was sent off because Jukwaa has zero tolerance on homophobia. I did not mind.

Now I have no concern for roughrider in particular. I worry about where Jukwaa is headed to when free speech is frowned upon here, and there is scant space for people to see things differently. I sense a certain level of intolerance and unwillingness to engage from the forum administrator. Further the language that Oloo has been using lately whenever he issues his frequent warnings and declarations sound like he is a secondary school headmaster chiding adolescents in Form 2.

I often warn that it is those who made BIG sacrifices fighting dictatorship and overthrowing intolerant regimes who upon taking over the reins are likely to slide into the same intolerance. Yoweri Museveni is a perfect example. The battle-hardened revolutionary has now grown rich and fat. He won't leave! Some homegrown examples can be found dotting our political landscape (see Kiraitu Murungi for an interesting study).

Yes, human beings change like chameleons with their environment. But WE SHOULD NEVER allow Onyango Oloo who has suffered immense personal loss at the hands of dictatorship and intolerance to evolve into tyrant here on Jukwaa. Not with his pedigree and potential.

Folks, let us accept that Jukwaa was established (by Oloo and friends) as a discussion forum to foment and encourage free speech on Kenyan politics and society. That is how it should remain.

roughrider,
monday sept 26 at 7.43 pm

Welcome back and well said, safi sana!

[mrembo]

Madam President,

Allow me to cite the personal statement by RR as evidence OTPR1124... The defense will call live witnesses,reproduce Jukwaa broadcasts and also Waki and Intelligence reports to prove that Mr RR, who was nominated for the Jukwaaist of the Year Award by the Mrembo Party bears the greatest responsibility for the chaos in Jukwaa after the Jukwaa of the Year Poll results were announced.

He prepared grounds for rejecting the outcome of the Poll after sensing defeat by using coded words to incite and call for mass action in Jukwaa.

In his own admission, he has a history of run-ins with the authority and him, not my innocent client, shld be in the dock.As usual Ocampo never bothered to question or record his statement.Why? The answer is simply,it is a scheme to block my client from running for the Jukwaaist of the Year Award so that RR can get it.


Welcome back Mr Rough Rider

[Onyango Oloo]

Rough Rider:

Welcome back.

Let me say the following:

Your suspension was a SUSPENSION, not a "suspension".

Please note the next time, I will DELETE your account and kick you out of Jukwaa for good. If you doubt my intentions, please try repeating your offence.

Sexism, like racism, homophobia, tribalism and other forms of bigotry is not something which is the preserve of academic debates here on Jukwaa.

Sexism and its twin, misogyny, is a scourge which has a debilitating effect on ALL WOMEN around the world. It is something that all men-starting with Onyango Oloo-have to confront and battle and grapple with constantly in their personal lives because ALL males are SOCIALIZED to be sexist- by our fathers AND MOTHERS, by our peers, brothers and sisters, by our girlfriends, spouses and the world around us.

For you guys who simply had to rush to Rough Rider with an open embrace to cement your male bonding, let me remind you that NOBODY is above being suspended or being kicked out.

And the issue is not Onyango Oloo. When you subscribed to Jukwaa you knew full well that we do NOT coddle sexists and sexism.


If you do not like our "draconian" rules, simply leave Jukwaa.

There are a gazillion discussion groups-Kenyan and non-Kenyan- that condone, that celebrate, that perpetuate the contempt for, hatred of and discrimination against women.


Not this one. Jukwaa has ZERO tolerance against sexism, misogyny and patriarchy.


Having said my piece, let me retreat in peace.


Onyango Oloo
Jukwaa Administrator

[b6k]

RR, I agree with your "give liberty or give me death" stance. I do believe one should question authority at all times, if only to raise the bar as it were. Good on yah for voicing concerns about intolerance on Jukwaa. It does exist & there is a list of usual suspects who can rain on you like a ton of bricks if you question certain "progressive" ideals.

That said, I also think dictatorship gets a bum rap at times. If you read some of OO's older posts, both on other blogs & on early Jukwaa threads, you find a feisty linguist who could dish it out in verbal combat so salacious it could make a US Navy Ensign blush. However, with time, & a lot of effort he's managed to purge such colourful language from Jukwaa. The high level of policing is what makes Jukwaa stand out from many other political blogs.

So yes by all means welcome back, RR. But we are all here in OO's virtual universe. We can complain about it, but it's his party. The sin bin, suspension, or e-excommunication awaits those of us who don't walk the straight & narrow.

[politicalmaniac]

Sept 26, 2011 19:43:42 GMT 3 @roughrider said:

Another case in point: I was suspended previously for my views on homosexuality. I thought (as I still do) it was grotesque, unnatural, offensive and unsustainable. Millions share this view. I would never advocate attacks on homosexuals, though. I declared that there is nothing wrong with being homophobic – understood as a natural reaction to unnatural things.

Millions also believed and still believe that wana Africa are more like monkeys and less than human, millions believe in white or other superiority, millions believe in male dominance. In other words there are issues that are believed by millions who think they are 'right', but in reality they are the ones who just happen to be wrong side of that particular issues!!
The earth is flat?
Some other issues are dogmas that cant be proven, yet billions 'believe' in them. Its doesnt make them salient fact or true.

Nothing wrong in being homophobic you say? yet you dont condone attacks on homosexuals? uh?

[destiny]

KARIBU SANA ROUGH RIDER!

I never saw your thread which was deleted and which you explain as having been misunderstood. But judging by hundreds of your posts which I have read over the years, I don't have any doubt in my mind that you are not anywhere near being a multi headed hydra that is racist, sexist or fascist. That's why I refuse to use just one post to judge your entire life. You are a credit to this blog!

[man]

[quote author=roughrider board=general thread=5866 post=77675 time=1317055422
Oloo often has trouble separating his personal opinions on topics from his role as forum steward. [/quote]

I couldn't agree more. And I am quoting the above text in a different context

[Onyango Oloo]

Sept 27, 2011 9:04:43 GMT 3 destiny said:

KARIBU SANA ROUGH RIDER!

I never saw your thread which was deleted and which you explain as having been misunderstood. But judging by hundreds of your posts which I have read over the years, I don't have any doubt in my mind that you are not anywhere near being a multi headed hydra that is racist, sexist or fascist. That's why I refuse to use just one post to judge your entire life. You are a credit to this blog!

Destiny:

Greetings.

It is OK for you to "refuse to use just one post" blah blah blah.

Let me tell you something.

Roughrider is one of the earliest people to join Jukwaa-maybe among the first ten to register. RR and I go back a long way. We used to joust a lot in Mashada almost ten years ago. It has always been understood that on many issues- including sexism, homophobia and socialism- we do not necessarily see things the same way. And there is nothing wrong with that. I consider Rough Rider one of our most gifted writers and incisive commentators. But he knows where I draw the line.

If Jukwaa were to be the home of people who only think like Onyango Oloo, we would have less than twenty members because I am a Marxist-Leninist, a Communist if you prefer. Yet look at the board. We have views ranging from closeted fascism to ultra left anarchism and all shades in between.

Our forum does not just reflect the ethnic and religious diversity of Kenya.

We have a lot of non-Kenyans-Australians, Germans, Americans, Irish, Brits, French, Italians, Croatians, Koreans, Jamaicans, Chinese and other nationals-and I am not talking about Kenyans who acquired the citizenship of those countries.

We have women and men. We have youth. We have people who witnessed the 1963 Independence celebrations as adolescents and young adults.

Some of our members are gay. Some are lesbians. A few are bisexuals.

We have atheists. We have born again Christians. We have radical Muslims, fundamentalist Hindus. We have agnostics. We have Buddhists.

There are people in Jukwaa who are cops. Others are intelligence officers. We have diplomats. Senior editors and veteran journalists browse here incognito. We have members who hold high positions in the Kenyan civil service. Members of the cabinet lurk right here in Jukwaa.

I have found Jukwaa postings reproduced on the blogs and sites of CANADIAN parliamentarians and other places in the world wide web.

Jukwaa is not just about the active members who post daily on this forum.

As the administrator I know all this- and keep all this information confidential.

By and large, I let this board run itself. At those times I hear complaints that I am missing in action, Jukwaa is going to the dogs etc etc.

When I do act, it is never impulsive.

There are women in Jukwaa who will attest that sometimes I seemingly ignore their complaints of one sexist jibe or misogynist rant.

One of the reasons why we set up Jukwaa in August 2005 was a result of participating in other forums. At one point I was a moderator in Kisii.Com and Mashada; apart from being a prolific poster on Kikuyu.Com, Kenyaniyetu, Mambogani, RCBowen, Kenyaonline, Africa-Oped, the Nation newspaper online forums, Mwananchi, Siasa-Kenya (a yahoo group I founded many years ago) and many other forums. I noticed the level of tribal drivel, sexist clap trap and plain pure puerile empty headedness-not mentioning other chauvinist and bigoted vices like anti-Muslim tirades and ranting and raving directed to Kenyans of South Asian heritage.

Jukwaa consciously set out to be the anti-dote of all that.

We were lambasted then, and are still being bashed now.

But I offer NO APOLOGIES for trying to create a safe space for women in Kenyan online circles; offering a sanctuary for lesbians, gays and bisexuals who want to participate in Kenyan public discourse but are turned off by the homophobia; Muslims who are made to feel like second class citizens in their own country; Kenyans of South Asian heritage who are sick and tired of being told to "go back to India" even though the Indian government would probably deport them right back to their homeland, Kenya.

We encourage and protect the constitutional right of freedom of speech.

But we have never confused that with freedom of HATE SPEECH.

At the end of the day, I took on the responsibility of being the Jukwaa Administrator- a thankless task which guarantees that Onyango Oloo will never win any popularity contests here in Jukwaa.

You folks can continue gnashing your teeth and rolling on the ground wailing in your sack clothes about Adolf Stalin Moi Onyango Oloo.


I will continue standing next to the guillotine, eager to decapitate yet another errant Jukwaaist.

Onyango Oloo
Jukwaa Administrator

[commes]

Sept 27, 2011 10:44:37 GMT 3 Onyango Oloo said:

Destiny:

Greetings.


Let me tell you something.

I consider Rough Rider one of our most gifted writers and incisive commentators. But he knows where I draw the line.

I am a Marxist-Leninist, a Communist if you prefer. Yet look at the board. We have views ranging from closeted fascism to ultra left anarchism and all shades in between.

Jukwaa is not just about the active members who post daily on this forum.

By and large, I let this board run itself. At those times I hear complaints that I am missing in action, Jukwaa is going to the dogs etc etc.

When I do act, it is never impulsive.

We encourage and protect the constitutional right of freedom of speech.

But we have never confused that with freedom of HATE SPEECH.

At the end of the day, I took on the responsibility of being the Jukwaa Administrator- a thankless task which guarantees that Onyango Oloo will never win any popularity contests here in Jukwaa.


I will continue standing next to the guillotine, eager to decapitate yet another errant Jukwaaist.

Onyango Oloo
Jukwaa Administrator

OO and fellow Jukwaa

I do not envy the Admin role. Another persons meat is anothers poison. While I agree that we must listen to advice from others, we also have to make our own decisions.


One thing that I have learnt the hard way is that you can please some of the people, some of the time, but you can't please all of the people, all of the time.

At this rate Jukwaa may be epitomised by the famous Greek slave Aesop who illustrated this point in his fable "The Miller, the Son, and the Donkey."


The story about a miller and his son staarts with them driving their donkey to market. They had not gone far when some girls saw them and broke out laughing. "Look!" they cried. "Look at those fools! How silly they are to be trudging along on foot when the donkey might be carrying one of them on his back."

This seemed to make sense, so the father lifted his son onto the donkey and walked along contentedly by his side. They trod on for a while until they met an old man who spoke to the son scornfully. "You should be ashamed of yourself, you lazy rascal. What do you mean by riding when your poor old father has to walk? It shows that no one respects age anymore. The least you can do is get down and let your father rest his old bones." Red faced with shame, the son got down and made his father get onto the donkey's back.

They had gone only a little further when they met a group of young fellows who mocked them. "What a cruel old man!" jeered one of the fellows. "There he sits, selfish and comfortable, while the poor boy has to stumble along the dusty road to keep up with him."

So the father lifted his son up, and the two of them rode along. However, before they reached the market, a townsman stopped them. "Have you no feeling for dumb creatures?" he shouted. "The way you load that little animal is a crime. You two men are better able to carry the poor little beast than he you!"
Wanting to do the right thing, the miller and his son got off the donkey, tied his legs together, slung him on a pole, and carried him on their shoulders. When people saw this spectacle, they laughed so loudly that the donkey was frightened. The animal kicked through the cords that bound him, fell off the pole into the river and drowned.


I am sure jukwaa will map out the moral of this story.

[roughrider]

Sept 26, 2011 21:53:20 GMT 3 tnk said:

roughrider

first off - good to have you back.

second - i was pretty darn sure that your intention was completely misunderstood and immediately pointed that out. reading your above statement am glad that was so

third - i do agree that the issue in point (resulting in your suspension) was inadequately addressed and in fact IMHO prematurely terminated just when the discussion was beginning to take shape. further, looking at a number of subsequent posts, the issue of sexism still remains unresolved as some posts contain material that others find objectionable and yet (the) contributors remain (or at least claim to be) oblivious to the implied or alleged sexism. clearly the issue(s) need further discussion.

einstein like myself (hey einstein sorry to drag you into this here), are of the opinion that education ( = exchange of ideas not lectures, or patronizing attitudes, or intolerance and what nots) would greatly benefit readers. sadly we are not yet there, but with a little bit of effort we can and will get there. this is a topic that needs lots of attention

now as for OO behaving like a headmaster with a big cane ...... 'iyo i would like to see his response. (reaching out for some popcorn)

Thanks tnk. But be careful, don't get into gun sights on my account. As you will have seen, such 'male bonding' does not put you above a suspension or expulsion.

[roughrider]

Sept 27, 2011 1:28:01 GMT 3 b6k said:

RR, I agree with your "give liberty or give me death" stance. I do believe one should question authority at all times, if only to raise the bar as it were. Good on yah for voicing concerns about intolerance on Jukwaa. It does exist & there is a list of usual suspects who can rain on you like a ton of bricks if you question certain "progressive" ideals.

That said, I also think dictatorship gets a bum rap at times. If you read some of OO's older posts, both on other blogs & on early Jukwaa threads, you find a feisty linguist who could dish it out in verbal combat so salacious it could make a US Navy Ensign blush. However, with time, & a lot of effort he's managed to purge such colourful language from Jukwaa. The high level of policing is what makes Jukwaa stand out from many other political blogs.

So yes by all means welcome back, RR. But we are all here in OO's virtual universe. We can complain about it, but it's his party. The sin bin, suspension, or e-excommunication awaits those of us who don't walk the straight & narrow.

You know what B6, in those feisty years I found myself defending Oloo when he predicted that Kibaki would die within months. Now I think he would have to DELETE his own account if he made such predictions here!

How times change!!!

I also remember a memorable episode where we were treated to a self help on 'how to have public sex at Jeevanjee Gardens'. A number of Africans were miffed at that explicit post.

Maybe Oloo and I should write a book together!

[roughrider]

Sept 27, 2011 9:04:43 GMT 3 destiny said:

KARIBU SANA ROUGH RIDER!

I never saw your thread which was deleted and which you explain as having been misunderstood. But judging by hundreds of your posts which I have read over the years, I don't have any doubt in my mind that you are not anywhere near being a multi headed hydra that is racist, sexist or fascist. That's why I refuse to use just one post to judge your entire life. You are a credit to this blog!

Thanks Destiny!!!

[roughrider]

Oloo;

Those threats don’t work well with me and they clearly miss the point. The circumstances of my ‘suspension’ suggest that you used the context of a debate (that you started) to impose your own flawed interpretation of the situation. If that were the only instance then we’d let it pass. But you are increasingly stifling free debate under the guise of moderation and must be called out.

Just like you plan to delete roughrider ‘next time’, I plan to describe and condemn overzealousness, censorship and dictatorship when I next see it here.

Moderation is important but there is a reason it is called ‘Moderation’
I am glad you refer to a long list of sites that you have been to because in some of those sites there are still discussions that prove, contrary to your ecclesiastical and patronizing demeanor here on Jukwaa, that you are after all human: prone to error and emotional.

My last on this

[Onyango Oloo]

Sept 27, 2011 13:58:30 GMT 3 @roughrider said:

Oloo;

Those threats don’t work well with me and they clearly miss the point. The circumstances of my ‘suspension’ suggest that you used the context of a debate (that you started) to impose your own flawed interpretation of the situation. If that were the only instance then we’d let it pass. But you are increasingly stifling free debate under the guise of moderation and must be called out.

Just like you plan to delete roughrider ‘next time’, I plan to describe and condemn overzealousness, censorship and dictatorship when I next see it here.

Moderation is important but there is a reason it is called ‘Moderation’
I am glad you refer to a long list of sites that you have been to because in some of those sites there are still discussions that prove, contrary to your ecclesiastical and patronizing demeanor here on Jukwaa, that you are after all human: prone to error and emotional.

My last on this

Roughrider:

Do what you have to do.

I will continue administering Jukwaa.


Onyango Oloo

[subsaharanite]

This must be another tough stance taken by Ox2. Its good many of you contributed to this thread. The question is, have we solved anything? All I see is hardening of the position taken by admin. Additionally, he has flashed out his resume together with his past administrative assignments in a myriad of both fallen and existing forums. He seems to have the last word.
After all, it seems he sets the member's 'democratic' space limits. Is there a possibility in the future for forum members voting on his unilateral decisions? Will allowing all sorts of topics and views be expressed herein make Jukwaa a popular forum? Is there a possibility of censoring him too or this is a taboo? Is there a possibility of other members voting on who should be suspended or not?

Its my believe that even people with extreme mundane thoughts or views on certain issues may not be doing so in order to willingly harm others' feelings. The least we can do is try make them understand our perspective. If suspending them achieves this, then let double O do it . If it doesn't, we actually solidify their positions. Perhaps double O should find another form of 'rehabilitation' for such members.

[Onyango Oloo]

Sept 27, 2011 22:28:05 GMT 3 subsaharanite said:

This must be another tough stance taken by Ox2. Its good many of you contributed to this thread. The question is, have we solved anything? All I see is hardening of the position taken by admin. Additionally, he has flashed out his resume together with his past administrative assignments in a myriad of both fallen and existing forums. He seems to have the last word.
After all, it seems he sets the member's 'democratic' space limits. Is there a possibility in the future for forum members voting on his unilateral decisions? Will allowing all sorts of topics and views be expressed herein make Jukwaa a popular forum? Is there a possibility of censoring him too or this is a taboo? Is there a possibility of other members voting on who should be suspended or not?

Its my believe that even people with extreme mundane thoughts or views on certain issues may not be doing so in order to willingly harm others' feelings. The least we can do is try make them understand our perspective. If suspending them achieves this, then let double O do it . If it doesn't, we actually solidify their positions. Perhaps double O should find another form of 'rehabilitation' for such members.

Subsaharanite:

The mere fact that you have an Administrator assisted by two moderators means that Jukwaa is NOT a totally "democratic" forum. The fact that we have declared zero tolerance on certain issues also means that this is NOT a haven of total free speech.

We have been around since August 2005. There is a reason why.

There is also a reason why from time to time we actually PREVENT new members from signing up for Jukwaa.

There is a further reason why occasionally I suspend or even expel people from Jukwaa.

We are NOT a Monty Python network where anything goes- unlike some sites where you can log in anonymously and insult this or that tribe or tarnish this or that individual's reputation with lies and half truths.

Like I said previously, most of the time you do not even notice my presence. I have almost completely stopped contributing to topics and issues on Jukwaa precisely because I do not want this forum to be seen as " Onyango Oloo's website". And mark you, not too long ago I used to be among the most prolific and vociferous of Kenyan netters and bloggers. How come nobody comments on this most extreme form of self censorship that I practice on myself?

When I do adopt a laissez faire attitude it is the very Jukwaa members who are mouthing off against Oloo's heavy handedness that bombard me with private mail about me sleeping at the switch!

Now I do not mind whether Subsaharanite, Roughrider or anyone else for that matter thinks I am a despot- or even a crackpot.

No one has said anything over the fact that the polling process underway has given you Jukwaa members a wide array of people to vote for- including individuals who are fixated on my personality and want to use their every online moment to prove that I am a dictator. Who basically nominated the likes of Man, Roughrider and others on the list? None other than yours truly. Why did I not lock them out if I was that intolerant? Who brought them from cold after their suspensions and bannings? Again I have to plead guilty as charged.

You should have been here in Jukwaa around the time of post-election violence between December 2007 and February 2008 to witness how a very determined cabal of toilet mouths and tribalists almost brought Jukwaa to a crashing collapse.

Subsaharanite, there must have been something which attracted you to Jukwaa.

What was it?

Why do we have over 1,500 members?

Why haven't they deregistered in disgust and fled en masse at the "repressive" milieu that allegedly prevails in Jukwaa?

More importantly, why are some people hanging around in Jukwaa, reluctant and unable to leave if there is so much democratic space outside Jukwaa?

Have I trained a bazooka on your head or forced you to stay in Jukwaa at the point of a panga, mshale, rungu or bakora?


Please give me a frigging break!

Onyango Oloo
Jukwaa Administrator

[wuorkiir]

Bwana Oloo
Take it easy. Don't let this shenanigans get under your skin. I am sure if these folks truly thought you were being autocratic they could have left. Indeed there is a reason why lots of intellectual heavyweight and non-Kenyans like me stick around; and that is because this forum has a standard. Keep on doing the good work.
Cheers,
WuorKiir

[mzalendo]

This issue is generating alot of heat for nothing.

Commes has in a way of story narration gone at great lengths to explain our diversity as humans. indeed, it is because of that diversity,dynamism that actually discussions on this forum take place.
Imagine everyone of us thinking the same way,appreciating the same gesture,living the same life speaking the same language etc.
I for one would not love to be associated with such a place. There is a beauty in diversity and dynamism.
As you are all aware this forum is not for discussing personalities. Lets move on and appreciate our range of contrasting views with an aim to build a progressive ideologies.

Welcome back RR, I am looking forward once again for your insightful views on this forum.

Thanks OO for making this forum one of the best in terms of quality of discussion which is well tethered in Morals and standards.

Thank you all everybody and lets move on.

[moesha]

Lol I was actually done with this thread untill I read that OO needs a "frigging break." A break from what? ;D ;D ;D ;D Anyway, you are doing a good job here, and Jukwaa continues to reign supreme in the bloggers world. The issue of RR's suspension however was never resolved. I believe it was "sexual objectification", or sexism.

@rr
Welcome back. Its a touchy subject and I believe your intentions were not ill. There is a thread here to that effect if you ever want to clear the air.