 |
| (Don't fret, Bolt was just fine. Just a unique goat) |
(Fasten your seat belts, friends. Katherine has written our blog post today, and, oh boy is she on a roll!)
I
have a funny story to share with you, my dedicated readers. That something is
the story of the NPGA Region 2 Facebook Page - or Group - or whatever it is
now, I’m not really sure. This is a somewhat rambling story and an analysis of
what I observed happening on Facebook.
The
original Facebook group (let’s call it Facebook Page #1) was created by the
directors of the Region for the purpose of spreading important information.
This page was, for the most part, agenda items, with the occasional trivia
challenge mixed in. There was little to no post engagement, but the page
existed and that was enough.
It
came to my attention that a while ago somebody on the page began to make
trouble. They harassed the admin of Facebook Page #1, claiming that the admin
was responsible for issues that the agitator had with their membership renewal
(something that is, I remind you, up to the NPGA member to manage. How hard is
it to email the office and ask when your membership is due? Or to record it on
the calendar app that every
phone has now
?).
I digress.
This
harassment was the death knell of the original Region 2 information page
(Facebook Page #1), and it was taken down. Immediately thereafter--and I mean,
within minutes--a new group
popped up: “Region 2 Members of the National Pygmy Goat Association.” A bit
wordy of a title, but it gets the point across. Their mission? “It appears that Region 2 no longer has a Facebook page
open to everyone regardless of position or stance.” This is interesting, as I
know that the admin(s) of this new page was/were directly involved with the
downfall of Facebook Page #1. This new page (let’s call it Facebook Page
#2) is a closed group, whose purpose is to “disseminate information and discuss
issues regarding the association.” Fantastic! I am a huge fan of having a safe
and open environment to discuss current issues and disseminate information.
An
interesting thing to note on Facebook Page #2, or R2MotNPGA (my acronym for the
group), is that it is open to everyone, regardless of “stance” or “opinion.”
Time will tell if their posts remain “RESPECTFUL;” Region 2 has a nasty streak
a mile wide.
Enter
Facebook Page # 3. “NPGA Region 2 Public Information Portal” popped up nearly a
week later in response to Facebook Page # 2 (R2MotNPGA). The purpose of this newest
page is to post upcoming events and information, with minimal discussion, in
order to streamline the sharing of aforementioned information. A different
approach, but there is no conflict with the other Region 2 group; in fact, the
newest page encourages visitors to join the other group (Facebook Page #2, R2MotNPGA)
to discuss current events and issues. The public information portal pinned a
post to the top of its page, outlining the purpose and “rules” of posting,
including this line:
“ this
is not a page for general discussion unless otherwise mentioned.”
This line is promptly followed by a list of what the page is
actually for (unbiased sharing of information), and why it exists outside of the
other Facebook Page #2(R2MotNPGA).
Less
than an hour later, Facebook Page #2 (R2MotNPGA) responded to the creation of Facebook
Page #3 (NPGAR2PIP). (Wow, these acronyms are getting out of hand...). It is my belief that the admin of Facebook Page #2
(R2MotNPGA) did not fully read the post of NPGAR2PIP
(Facebook Page #3), as they posted this:
“UPDATE: FYI...Very
recently an unidentified admin has opened a NPGA Region 2 Public Information
Portal. So there is another page for members to view only as it has
limitations. No discussion is allowed.”
Now, I’m a teenager, and I love drama as much as the next kid,
so I watched with rapt interest as this spectacle unfolded. Is the “no
discussion is allowed” supposed to be an insult? If so, does the admin of
Facebook Page #2 not understand the concept of a “public information portal”?
Or maybe it’s a compliment? An acknowledgment of the fact that the information
portal (Facebook #3) establishes the group’s role as an open forum? It’s unclear.
I will say, though, one thing is for certain: the tone of the update is not
enthusiastic about this new Facebook Page #3.
I stayed out of it, but I did turn on notifications for both the
group and the page. This proved to be entertaining.
Facebook
Page #3 (NPGAR2PIP) quickly responded by adding the following statement to
their welcome blurb:
“This group
is to make important information easily accessible without inciting bullying or
harassment. Visitors are invited to make posts and comments that follow the
guidelines below…”
Which made it very clear that, A) the page admin had read Facebook
Page #2’s “UPDATE: FYI...,” and that B) they felt the urge to clarify the
purpose of an information portal. It’s also key to note Facebook
Page #3’s “bullying and harassment” statement, because I’m not totally
convinced that this mere proclamation will actually prevent bullying OR
harassment...
In fact, it’s very clear that Facebook page #2’s comment invited bullying
and harassment. The admin of Facebook Page #3 (R2MotNPGA) made their intentions
towards the new page quite clear: openly hostile and unwelcoming, in direct
opposition with the supposed purpose of the group. It’s also important to note
at this point that the creator of the Facebook page #3 was anonymous, whereas the
admin of the Facebook page #3 was not. All I’m going to say is that some
people like attention while others actually believe in sharing information.
As a third-party observer, I have some interesting comments on
this whole situation (which is still playing out, for those interested in
following it).
1. I
personally hate Facebook groups where important information is shuffled to the
bottom because of lengthy discussion. If I need to find out, say, who is
judging a show, I want to see the post with those details, rather than having
to scroll through pages of comments.
2. That
said, discussion is important to creating a healthy and productive environment.
3. Why
do the adults of Region 2 feel the urge to engage in these... pissing matches?
4. Everything
that the leaders of Region 2 are doing is under a microscope. Every detail--every
Facebook post --is being watched by families, breeders, enthusiasts, and, yes,
even the youth. How they are behaving is being watched closely.
5. Grammatical
errors bother me, as does a lack of clear writing. (I apologize in advance if
this blog post has been confusing and/or difficult to read.) I’m still
struggling to understand the meaning of the line: “So there is another page for
members to view only as it has limitations.”
What does that mean? Yes, there is another page
for members to view. Is it “limited” because members can only view it? (which
is not true). Or should the sentence be interpreted as “another page for
members to view-only, as it has limitations”? (which is also not true, even
with the added punctuation). Is the easy access to public information
considered a “limitation”?
And the following line:
“No discussion is allowed.” Does this imply that no discussion is allowed within
the group (Facebook Page #2 group that is) regarding this new page? Or is the
statement implying that discussion is not allowed on the new page (Facebook #3)?
(Which is, once again, not true; and the admin who posted to the Facebook Page
#2 group evidently did not read the purpose and goals of the Public Information
Portal—Facebook #3). It’s enough to make my head spin, because no matter how
you look at it, this is one admin slandering an anonymous,
seemingly-well-meaning page, and trying to deflect attention back onto...
themselves.
This whole Facebook thing
is important to me, deeply important, because Region 2 has been anything but a
healthy and safe environment for me, and an honest, open forum has so much
potential for clearing issues. I keep asking myself: is this new group,
Facebook Page #2, really open for ME to join in the discussion? After the way I
was treated in person and online by the creators of the group, am I truly
“welcome”? After the public ridicule and shaming, the bad mouthing, back-stabbing,
and trash-talking I have endured--AS A YOUTH--should
I even try to speak up now?
Here we go again. What message are these adults spreading to the
youth and families who are interested in pygmy goats (and not in drama)? They
are saying that as long as they get what they want, no one else’s opinion
matters.
I think a lot about a particular experience I had a couple of
months ago at a show. I brought two of my yearling bottle baby girls to support
the club hosting the show, even though one goat’s stifle (read: knee) had gone (read:
popped out) months ago, and the other doe had an atrocious rear end (read:
ugly). They’re my pets, my babies, and I wanted to support the club by helping
them make sanction and money. While I was in the ring showing my goat, I
watched a member (and NPGA-licensed judge!) of Region 2 smirk and turn to his
companion, making a blatant I’m-blocking-my-mouth-so-you-can’t-hear me-talk-shit
gesture. I immediately knew what the sniggering was about; so, after the class
ended I offered to let the companion (who was learning about goat structure)
feel the goat’s faults. The licensed judge turned to me, and snidely said (with
no invitation): “You don’t need to feel them to see the faults. I would get rid
of those goats. They aren’t good for breeding or showing.”
Taken aback, I responded: “They’re my pets. It doesn’t matter if
they win, or if I never breed them. I’m here to support the club.”
To which he responded with something along the lines of: “Right,
you can afford to keep them.”
This snarky statement triggered a lot of red flags in my mind:
unsolicited judging, for starters. I hadn’t asked him to evaluate my animals; I
was talking to his companion. Then, the comment about what I could “afford.”
Was it any of his business to make a jab at my personal life or financial
situation? To try to make me feel bad about being able to afford to keep pets?
Is it a bad thing that I keep around pet-quality animals because I love them?
I apologize for going off on that tangent. It bothers me, just
like the “there is another page for members to view only as it has limitations”
issue. Honestly, I think a simple comma could’ve made that sentence clear and
elegant.
Facebook Page #2 is not there
for the “little guys,” regardless of what they may say. I’ve been “the little
guy” and I watched these adults enter their goats into the youth shows solely to
win and to pick up that precious one-third of a grand that they desperately
wanted. I’ve watched adult-owned wethers win a youth show and, when the
time came to sign the championship paperwork, the adults signed with a flourish
and loudly declared, “It doesn’t matter, the goat doesn’t have to be
youth-owned!” What? It’s a youth show. I’ve watched these breeders and
judges give and receive grand championships to their friends and fellow judges
when another goat clearly deserved it. On the one occasion when I spoke up at a
meeting, I was mocked, belittled and marginalized. I never felt welcome to
participate in a meeting again.
So, what does this drama mean for NPGA? How can NPGA ever expect
to retain youth if their adults behave this way? The change of directors on the
board (what could be cited as the source for this recent Facebook pissing
match) will most likely mean absolutely nothing for the overall direction of
the organization. This problem isn’t exclusively in Region 2, either, and vain
adults have a way of ignoring the real issues and generating their own
self-serving agendas. Everybody wants to feel important; even I want
to feel important, which I why I’m writing this blog post.
If you are an NPGA member, a breeder, a judge, or even an
enthusiast, ask yourself this: how many people have you introduced to pygmy
goats? How many of those people have remained involved? How many times have you
said something mean or rude about somebody - behind their back or to their
face? And how many times have you first ignored and then made fun of the family
and the youth, with their handful of goats, that desperately need somebody to
help them get started?
I know the answer to these questions for a lot of the adults in
Region 2. I know how they’ve pushed away the youth in the Region; I’ve heard
them mock youth breeders and exhibitors, making fun of their goats, their
families, and their backgrounds. I’ve watched them turn on each other like a
pack of dogs, being two-faced and cruel to their “friends.” I’ve watched
quietly for a long, long time, and I’m sick of watching quietly.
I’m going to go out and make a change in my Region; at least,
I’m going to try. And I’m going to try to make a change in NPGA, because I
don’t want other youth and families to be pushed out of something they love by
self-absorbed adults.
 |
| Just try to be nice, OK? |
