I am posting this with the full knowledge that I am not an admin to this forum therefore I have no authority to tell anyone what they should or should not do. I pray this doesn’t upset Marina or overstep my boundaries but I feel this needs to be said.
I want to make a gentle reminder that Marina has had forums on her website before but they have been closed. More than once.
My concern is the amount of negativity generated by the trolls/instigators/hecklers etc. Unfortunately, those people will never change. They will most likely continue to find their way here. I'm just hoping that we can control our reaction to their comments. Yes, when we come across someone who is being blatantly vile, especially about Marina, they should be called out. But maybe not to the extent of 65+ responses just on the current douche bag? I know I'm a guilty participant in this as well.
I don’t want to see the constant negativity overshadow the real reason we’re all here. I would hate to see Marina decide to close this forum as well or withdraw from participating because of all this. This is the ONLY place to interact with her since she’s left social media all together.
Let’s please not have her want to leave here too. 🙏🏻
As they say: don't feed the troll ;)
Hello Everyone,
I totally understand what Melissa is saying and support her. Concerning marinasirtis.tv, I go WAY back to the 80s/90s when the internet was new and spelled with a capital "I"! On Marina's forum, there have been so many incidents which I have seen from posting pornography to participants ganging up on one another to bully and chastise members. True fans really don't want such behavior because open hostility violates the good conduct rules of this forum.
The reason Marina has gone back to her fan page is because on social media (X formerly known as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook) there are HUGE violations of people's human rights, right to privacy and freedom of speech. There are also the issues of these platforms illegally collecting people's date, selling them to third parties and using various apps to spy on and shadow users. Marina didn't want to participate in such platforms and decided to return to these boards.
Because of this, I think it very prudent that her fans act accordingly and think before they send an insulting post, troll people or bully posters. Remember: we don't know how someone may react to a post! There is an increasing high number of suicides brought on by the trolling and bullying wars of individuals and groups. As Star Trek fans, we must ask ourselves if we really want this?! Gene and Majel Roddenberry believed every person, regardless of race and gender deserved to be treated equally with respect. Therefore, participants in this forum should keep the tenants of Star Trek in mind.
Many of us have met (some often) to go cons and plays together to see Marina. These experiences have built life long memories. Because of this, we have a mutual respect for each other and many care deeply for their Star Trek fans. What is even more special about these encounters is that Marina gives so lovingly of herself and actually knows many of her fans by name. This happens so seldom with other series stars, who don’t want to meet their admirers. Fans should be grateful and value this rarity instead of conjuring up hate.
I along with others would hate to lose the one bright spot in our day: seeing Marina answer our posts, cheer us on and even offer her condolences when a love one transcends. This forum is a PRIVILEGE and not a right--a privilege that can be taken away if treaded on and misused too often.
Signed: A day late and a dollar short!
PS I have a good excuse: I am volunteering for the Invictus Games in Düsseldorf and don't have a lot of time to look at the boards.
I'm assuming this is all about that one troll guy (unless there was some post that I didn't see). I agree. It's best to just report and let it go. Besides the negativity, interaction like that only feeds the trolls. Unfortunately, we do get drawn in sometimes.
Agreed 💯 💯 💯
You're absolutely right, Melissa. I love that Marina has this for us and I would hate to see her either shut it down or just stop coming on altogether. I'm hardly on social media anymore so, for a lot of you, this is my only way of staying in touch and I would hate to lose that. I'm going to try my best to not let them get to me; just block, report and move on.
Complete agree with this post. That's why i never get involved in discussions with trolls. Its like fueling the fire. You can not discuss in a way that you will eventually come to an agreement with with trolls, thats just not possible. It will just get worse the more you rise up against them. Also I am not in the mood to waste my energy on those people 😉 we will probably not stop them from coming here - but we can stop from engaging with them. If they have no one to fight with, they will get bored and leave - hopefully
I agree 100%. If you ignore the trolls they'll lose interest.
I really really really appreciate this forum and the unique chance to keep in contact with Marina. I want to keep this as enjoyable for her as possible!
Agreed! When we interact with each other, it is with concern, respect and care or humor in most all cases. When we interact with negative folks, especia)y with a lot of comments, it just feeds into their negative energy. I'm guilty of doing this too, especially in attempts to defend Marina. I will try to remember what she has said about these things in the past and allow those wise sentiments guide how I deal w trolls ect who come here in the future.