I’m sure I don’t have to go into detail as to what the difference between TrekUnited and StarTrek.com is. If you’re confused, go read Ren’s Rants and you should get a pretty decent idea.
I’m just upset because these two are rivals with pretty similar goals,
and I visit and enjoy both. I started out on TrekUnited’s forums. It
took me quite a while to get up the nerve to join, and upon joining I
immediately made friends with several of the people there. I also heard
some things that were unflattering in the extreme about StarTrek.com.
In the beginning, I agreed with them, mainly because I had never
actually bothered to go over there myself. I got started on
StarTrek.com due to a posting that said “Look at this- it’s funny!” and
provided a link to a certain board. At first, when I was mentioned a
couple of times by username and called “a little confused” I reacted by
thinking that it was flattering to be mentioned on a hate site. Then I
went back to read the rest of the board. I saw some things I really
didn’t agree with, so I went and joined ST.com to post responses and to
get their version of the story.
When I went over there, some were a little
suspicious, but most on the ST.com board were open and welcoming, even
though I was defending TFU quite a bit. I tried to keep it secret on
TFU’s forums, mainly because I was sure of what reaction I would get.
What I didn’t know was that some of the people on TFU read that board
for amusement. When it got out on TFU, I realized I’d been right about
the reaction. One member accused me of being a “Benedict Arnold.” I was
shouted at again and again by that one member, and told that “if you
sympathize with them too much, you’ll go over to their side.”
What side? We’re all Trek fans! For some reason, I’m
the only one who understands the logic used on both sides. I see the
arguments made, I understand the arguments made. I see the creation of
singular illogic that is used as “logic” on both forums, rather than
only on one. I defend each forum in the other when it is brought up,
although I do admit to the weaknesses of each. But ever since I joined
ST.com, I’ve felt a little less welcome on the TFU boards, particularly
where the member who was calling me a “sympathizer” is concerned. I’ve
never felt completely welcome on the ST.com boards because they accuse
random people of being TU plants and because they aren’t all accepting.
Some of them seem to think of me as one of those “TU plants.” There are
a few who arbitrarily shoot down every defense of TU that I try to
make, no matter how sound and logical it is. Neither forum really
trusts me because I have been at the other.
What kind of way to live is that? We’re all Trek
fans, we all love Star Trek. Why not step back and let that be the
deciding factor, instead of this senseless rivalry that alienates good
members? Already, there’s pressure on me to choose one, which I can’t
do. Unless this is stopped, my own postings may be curtailed in both
places. Can’t we be accepting to the point where people can come and go
freely between the two if they so choose? Or are we all so immature and
obsessive that we can’t even do that?
Kira Schiavone is a high school student who's working on becoming a
professional writer, and enjoys reading and writing rants for the
Fedora Chronicles.