The Thought Police are on BZP, and they're out to get you. Their goal is to brainwash you--they cannot tolerate thoughts that are different from yours. They are hypocrites, neo-fascists, conspiracy theorists. They are "gestapo-esque." If you want to express an opinion that is different from theirs, they'll jump down your throat and try with every fiber of their being to "prove" how "wrong" you are--and if the ball is in their court at the time, they won't even let your opinion be heard.

They browse the forums among you. They visit the same topics you do. They have blogs, they have personalities, they're even "famous." You may know some. Some may be your friends. You may even have been brainwashed by them and not even realize it--I was, too, several years ago, but I eventually saw through their hypocrisy.

This is not a structured organization, though these people often to band together. They all share common two common traits. The first is that they do not like BZPower.com. The second is that they don't want you to, either, and will use whatever means necessary to convince you that any other opinion is invalid. Sometimes they are very charismatic. It's easy to be won over by a sufficiently skilled speaker; he can deftly disguise the fact that his "logic" is shaky and his “facts” are anything but truthful. These people rely on “truthiness” rather than truth—their fickle emotions and whims guide them, not actual rationality.

Yes, undoubtedly you’ve seen them. They voice their self-imposed discontent and silly “agenda” on other message-boards, via Instant Message communicative venues, and in posts on BZP that they think are oh-so-veiled. Their arguments sound well-worded and convincing—heretofore in this essay I have been parodying their language and tactics. They twist or invent examples that can boost their supposed reliability. You easily can find yourself watching, wavering, and wondering. “Are they right? Is the BZPower staff comprised of fascists? Do they suppress opinions? Can they not stand dissent?”

I can assure you that the answer is “no.” I speak regularly with members of the staff, and they are all dedicated to providing a safe environment for people of all ages to discuss Bionicle and express their opinions on any pertinent subjects. The only times posts or topics are deleted are when they are utter spam or contain harmful or hateful content (sometimes glitches delete posts or topics, but that is through no fault of the staff). The point of BZPower is to foster discussion and the sharing of opinions; to “crush” them would be entirely counter-intuitive.

There is, of course, a difference between giving a constructive tirade on an issue and simply posting what we call “flaming”—personal attacks or just general rudeness. Such ranting and raving will be closed (though generally not deleted, unless the contest is hurtful to people), because it will not foster real discussion, but instead simply lead to further flaming, trolling, heated argument, and eventual spam. Nobody wants a mess like that, so we nip it in the bud. If, however, you have constructive criticism to voice—something you’re truly concerned about and want to help solve (as in, not just something you want to complain about; complaining is, as I’ve said before, an exercise in futility)—you are encouraged to voice your thoughts in an appropriate venue on BZP, such as a blog.

The staff at BZPower wants to hear your opinions. Nothing is encouraged more.

Let us now take a look, then, at those who try to claim the BZP staff is comprised of “fascists.”

To use a perfectly real example, one self-admitted BZP-detester posted a long harangue concerning the artwork forum. He attacked “noob art” (he used this term interchangeably with “Terrible Art””—both refer to anything he does not personally find aesthetically pleasing). He also skewered the replies of the young members of BZP in artwork topics both good and “bad,” which are often simple. These posts are, after all, often made by mere children. This member was upset, however, that not everyone posted detailed, in-depth reviews weighting the poignancy and depth of every pixel and contemplating its ramifications. He claimed most BZP members would not be able to tell an oil painting from a cave painting. Apparently, simply voicing admiration of the work is not sufficient. Now, BZPower’s art forum encourages constructive criticism, but we must remember, as I said, that most members here are children, many of them very young. They haven’t been exposed to “great art.” Heck, I’m an adult and I’ve certainly never taken (graphic) art courses. I wouldn’t know how to “properly” appraise a piece of artwork’s quality—though that doesn’t stop me from saying what I like and what I don’t like, where applicable.

The member posted his rant in his blog, and I submitted a comment voicing this discrepancy politely and succinctly. Another submitted a similar comment. This member has his blog set so that he has to approve comments. He did not, however, approve our concerns, the opinions we wanted to voice—he deleted them instead.

He didn’t want to hear our opinions, and he didn’t want to face our rationale, so he made sure nobody would.

Who seems like the “fascist” to you?