Do We Circle the Wagons... or Release the Hounds?

My fellow Shingers,

I look at your profiles, and some of you have that neat badge on your accounts that marks you as a Pioneer. I don't have that. I admit that I was hesitant at first to trust what Shing represented and would become under @Rob 's leadership. But you all stuck to your guns, and I eventually hopped on the bandwagon with you, starting my own channel. We've been collectively speaking freely for something like a year and a half, and that has apparently pissed off some folks. 

As a result, Shing has recently come under attack. Someone doesn't like what you guys have to say and they are willing to commit resources to silencing your voices. The way I see it, we can respond in one of three ways. 

1. We can take down our channels and go find the Next Thing willing to give us a voice, or even try building another one, maybe on a smaller and more affordable scale. Recent experience has shown us, however, that it's only a matter of time before those forums come under the same form of attack.

2. We can rail at each other and play the blame game. Accuse one another of drawing the wrong kind of attention or not putting enough support into the venue. Make it into a Spin The Bottle™ edition, if you like. 

These first two options might be tempting as a temporary and reactionary response to the problem. But they're not solutions, because the problem is that your community is under attack. The enemy wants us to give up, to scatter, to start tearing each other apart. We're better than that. We HAVE TO BE better than that.  So... what do you do when your community comes under attack? 

3. We can close ranks LIKE A REAL COMMUNITY and support each other. This is the only response that makes sense when you realize that we are at war with a very real enemy that wants us silenced, relegated into obsolescence, and dead.

There's an old saying that goes: "You don't shoot the winning horse." Whatever our reasons, we all backed the horse that is Shing and the only thing to do now is to throw the full weight of our support behind it and FINISH THE RACE. Anything else at this time is simply the wrong move.

The enemy wants us silenced. What can we do about it? If and when we can, we donate to the cause. After that, we keep speaking our minds. We keep producing content. We keep saying the things that are pissing off the folks behind these attacks. We show them, through word and deed, that we are taking our society back, and WE. WILL. NOT. BE. SILENCED.

Stay awesome, my friends.

"No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." -- Jesus