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My 5th alt. I have been here since about 2006 (mabye 2007 my memory is geting crappy)
While Bungie may own this website and thereby the flood, it has no ownership of the floodian nation. The nation of the flood is not a nation in the sense of France or Sweden (perhaps for the better) but rather a nation in the sense that floodians are all bound to their homeland, the flood, and by a sense of unity. The Flood is a community of people with it's own values just like any community that exists. For a "foreign" entity such as the Bungie Moderation to enforce rules without the consent of the governed will naturally create tensions between the two groups that will only lead to unstable as seen in past with events such as porch day and the infamous "yellow scare".
Additionally, bungie gains no benefit from the moderation of the flood. While some may argue that they gain no benefit from the existence of the flood, this arrangement is flawed as it assumes that the flood is the source of instability in the Halo forums rather then a symptom. The existence of the flood gives would-be flamers an incentive to avoid trouble. Without a venue to discuss what they want to discuss, why shouldn't the flamer simply spam the halo forum for his amusement? The Flood gives him a reason to contribute to the community, by giving him a community to contribute to. Why would someone whose interest in discussing halo has faded, not troll the halo forums if he had no other topic to discuss. Even if these problems may have not led to the creation of the flood, they would inevitably result from it's deletion. So to even contemplate the deletion of the flood is a fool's errand.
While bungie benefits from the existence of the flood, it gains nothing from moderating it. The moderation of the flood overburdens the Moderation staff, distracting it from higher priorities such as the reach forum. The rules that Bungie enforces exist at both the expense of The Flood and Bungie. The rules forbade political threads when these threads serve only to enhance the quality of the thread while allowing the discussion of Video game comparison threads and "pony" threads that serve to lessen the overall quality of The Flood. The motto "you have no rights" serves to underline this blatantly obvious fact, the current system of laws that govern The Flood do not exist to improve it,rather, The Flood exists inspite of these rules, prospering when the Floodian culture is allowed to govern it's self.
However, the Flood can not exist in a state of Anarchy, rather the "state" and the "flood" must become one organic unit, with the values of The Flood being the same as the Rules of the Flood. Floodians ought to elect their moderators who in turn draft the rules. The Rules ought to set a higher standard of quality while liberalizing the range of topics that may be discussed. The individuals who debunk a topic will be punished rather than the topic it's self. Perhaps the best example of a state of organic unity can be found prior to the "Yellow Scare". I recall, that the laws of the flood were enforced by the floodians rather then the moderators. Armor avatars were discouraged to distinguish the identity of the flood from other forums, along with other cultural laws that were enforced. I remember the best incident of this when one poster who claimed that he had the most attractive girlfriend by posting a picture of his girlfriend was debunked by The Flood when it was found out that he had posted a picture of a girl that was infact not his girlfriend,it is note worthy that this thread went into it's seventeenth page before being locked.
So I post this humble petition that it may be considered by the Bungie Staff. I have broken no rules by it as I have posted it in the community forum without injury or insult being assigned to any specific member of the community. If there is anyone who would suggest that it is indeed breaking the rules to debate the community on the community forums then I would have to point out to them that it is perfectly reasonable, nay encouraged, to debate Halo on the Halo forum. I have done nothing but suggest an alteration of the current state of the community which is indeed the purpose of the community forums. So if what I am doing is wrong, if the cause of a democratically independent flood is wrong, then all causes are wrong and all who post on the community thread are wrong. So therefore I only ask that Bungie consider what I have posted and that the autoimmunity discuss it with the civility that it deserves.