Entertainment - 4chan
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4chan by Po22
4chan. Before I begin, I am sure I will anger some of you /b/tards and the moderating team, as 4chan is taboo around here, but the issue of 4chan is something not to be ignored. Our fair forum has been penetrated by the likes of this lewd, vulgar imageboard, mostly by memes, but this article will no doubt not satisfy most of you. If I wrote and depicted the true nature of 4chan's insanity, I would receive an IP ban, 16 warns and no doubt a personal visit by finisterra to come and personally punch me in my crotch. 4chan is a subject that is not for the easily offended nor is it for person who does not laugh easily. 4chan's humour is largely derived from its ability to turn pop culture, absurdity, and your most horrific thoughts into something that so ridiculous that it forces a laugh from you immediately. But first, some history of the site.
4chan was started by moot, a teenager who had a dream to start an imageboard in the tradition of the Japanese Futaba Channel to discuss such things as Japanese comics and television. He purchased the server space with his mom's credit card, which gives a hint to the economic and social standing of this kid. Boards include such innocent topics as manga, technology, music, torrents, travel, fitness to the adult boards such as pornography, the infamous random board and many other random forms of japanese pornography. It's a very diverse site, as you can undoubtedly tell.
What gives 4chan, in my opinion, its power is the practice of not having to register at all. Users can post anything with no identity at all, rendering them "anonymous". This shield of identity brings out the true nature of the users. As /b/ has very few rules, users do not have much to fear if they post something offensive. And in this fact breeds 4chan's warped culture, full of racism, misogyny, black comedy, and simply the need to offend and shock. If I had to pick one place to exhibit humanity's worst qualities, I would pick 4chan.
4chan is a force of nature. Whatever your feelings may be, there is no denying that 4chan is a force that is not to be messed with. 4chan participates in raids against Hal Turner, Google, and even Time to force moot as one of the 100 most influential people of 2008. Its influence has spread, turning Rick Rolling into a phenomenon that has been used by Youtube on April Fools Day, the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, the New York Mets and every single fake link in this forum by some person that still thinks it's fresh and original.
What does this all mean for this forum? This means an increasing trend of forumers that will use memes and what some view as inappropriate content that requires censorship. 4chan's influence is apparent, such as the topic "Favorite Meme" in the Scape Lounge or daily use of 4chan's less offensive memes. But unless action is taken to lessen censorship rules, some 4chan images that will eventually be used by a new wave of internet forumers will be deemed to be breaking the rules, leading to more unjustified warns and more banned members. If I can say cabbage in Runescape, why the hell shouldn't I be able to say it here? The new tide of 4chan's content without the necessary preparations to ensure the integrity of the warn system is essential to the growth of this forum, and without reform, we cannot hope to attract or sustain new forumers that are accustomed to edgier content.
Note: This article doesn't endorse 4chan, as it is an adult website, so don't go there.
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