Okay, it's that time again where Libby chimes in with a seemingly unpopular opinion.
I want to stress that I am not trying to be accusatory, and I'm also not speaking for any of my teams, for FIRST, or for my family.
This is all me, and only me.
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Originally Posted by Billfred
As much as I can, I use the concept of gracious professionalism as an internal yardstick. However, I have a really hard time believing anyone would think that the correct way of carrying yourself when in possession of an issue like this is to disrupt the climax of FIRST's largest, most-anticipated, most-covered event.
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If you'd like to make a point, to an FTA, email someone at FIRST. Don't ruin the biggest event of the year and make a fool (or, you know, a criminal) out of yourself in the process.
I personally hope for the team to come forward. If this individual were acting alone, and the team can honestly say they didn't know about it, then the team should be able to say "Yes, Jimmy (or Susie) McHacker was a part of our team, we didn't know at the time what was going on, but our team didn't condone the behavior and they are no longer on the team because of their action. We're really sorry." (Obviously, being banned from the team is no longer necessary since they're barred from FIRST, but that's not the point.) Yes, there will still be people in this community that will reflect the actions of the individual onto the team... but those people would be wrong, and we'd know that.
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Originally Posted by Gigakaiser
...the team (or whoever on the team is aware of the individual) should release the information and acknowledge that it was an individual, not a team effort. Imagine the reputation of the team if the information came out sometime in the future by another source - it would not look good. If the team came out it would be seen as a gracious step forward...
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gigakaiser
Should the team then remain anonymous to avoid potential scrutiny? Again, what if the information was released by another source? Coming forward now would be the best way to avoid scrutiny at a greater scale.
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^Exactly. It looks far better for the team to come forward
now than have it disclosed at a later date by another team/individual... and knowing our community, that's going to happen at some point.
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Originally Posted by LeelandS
I'm sure (or at least, I hope) this person is truly remorseful for their actions. If they have seen a fraction of these responses, I'm sure they'd know that their actions deeply upset a large number of people. The last thing this person would need is to be forever known as "The person who ruined Einstein." If their identity were to become public, let's face it: No FIRSTer in the world could look at them the same way. They would be faced with eyes of raw disdain and disappointment. All respect from the FIRST community would be lost, or at least severely damaged. I, personally, don't think anyone deserves that.
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You're taking an incredible moral high road, and saying that this person feels sorry. Good for you for believing in people, but
what if they don't?! Unfortunately I've seen plenty of attitudes that say "I'm GLAD Einstein screwed up, because FIRST sucks and they had it coming". Paraphrased from many emails/FB comments/tweets/what have you, but that's the sentiment.
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Originally Posted by Gregor
For this one person who deliberately tried to sabotage the event, there are literally hundreds of thousands of people who would condone in. Lets remember that one rogue person shouldn't be regarded as a significant change in FIRST culture.
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I think you meant 'condemn' and not 'condone' but your point shines through. I sincerely hope this individual was acting alone and that this does not reflect a change in FIRST culture.
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Regardless of the individual I want to thank the wonderful people at FIRST HQ, the volunteers that helped with the testing process, and, of course, the Einstein teams. This is the biggest disaster FIRST has ever seen and you all handled it with class and professionalism. Thank you for being shining examples of what FIRST teams and participants should be, even during the bad times.
I'll leave you with a Woodie quote...
"Understanding that gracious professionalism works is not rocket science. It is, however, missing in too many activities. At FIRST it is alive and well. Please help us take care of it."
Thank you, all, for helping us take care of it.