Why would I lead a project like this? *looks at the wiki I made just to document my many ridiculous bans* Hm... *remembers my native country's constitution has free speech as the 1st amendment* Um... *2018* A lot of reasons, really. Getting fired within the first 24 hours of being hired by Meme Insider definitely was the straw that broke the camel's back, as while the owners wanted me, important members of their lower ranks insisted on collectively quitting if I were hired, as many were users or mods who knew my willingness to joke and criticize regardless of their opinion. KnowYourMeme originally banned me from their site for criticizing their mods and pushing annoying memes, though their 'official' reason is spam which is a fake trumped up charge that boils down to them needing an excuse that wouldn't raise too many eyebrows; over the years since then the bans just kept building as I went from community to community. As it turns out, the common Internet moderator does not have a sense of humor, cannot handle criticism, and is on a total power trip. With the advent of Discord, I was able to properly connect with and form a team with fellow users holding a common interest in their user rights, or at least in applying their unique skills without being held back by a restrictive 'professional' work environment. I come from a land that praises free speech and opportunity, even if its actions may fall short of those symbolic values. I wish for the Internet to be consistent in upholding the free flow of information, rather than censor at every turn. We need an Internet built by the users, for the users; not just by Silicon Valley Oligarchs, politicians who legislate on technology they barely understand, and certainly not just by mods and admins on a power-trip against users who think differently. We need accountability and users able to voice their views freely and if the mainstream media cannot do so then we the users have an obligation to do so in the name of ourselves and our Internet. They say the Internet is fake and the offline world is what's real... so let Userview be the wake-up call that the Internet is more than a source of infinite memes and porn -it is our most vital vein of information and above all, our home.
