Stupid god damn drama fest.

I will now voice my full and uncensored opinion on the events that have recently played out on the forum Baka-Wolf. Just so you know: This will be interesting only for members of the Baka-Wolf community, as it deals with the recent drama bullshit that's been going on over there. Unless you like stupid amounts of drama... Okay, this will be interesting for everyone.

You probably know the story; The site admin, having big real life problems and being at his wit's end, used some money from the BW donation jar to support himself and his family without letting the donors know about it. He subsequently made a thread where he explained the situation and admitted to having stolen some of the donation money (Yes, he did steal by the definition of the word). Now, what I've grown really tired of during this whole incident, is seeing people act like the only thing in question is whether or not he was right in stealing money to save his family. I don't think anyone would argue that he's a bad person for doing that. But the question that most people seem not to ask, is what he should have done in the time leading up to this situation in order to prevent it. It is utterly nonconstructive, of course, which is why most people - myself included - haven't mentioned it on the forum. It simply isn't relevant to the discussion. But thing is, most people don't even seem to take account of this very important question, which is what annoys me. It is, after all, essential when evaluating his capabilities as a leader of the site.

So it needs to be said: He should have stopped being an admin the moment he realized that he could not do that job while at the same time supporting his family. If you're a responsible person, you make sure that you don't set out on a project that you can't see through to its completion.
Therefore, spending 16 hours a day on an internet page while your real life is falling apart is a bad idea, especially if that drives you to use the site's donation money for yourself without asking the donors. To sum up what I'm trying to get at: Had he taken the right course of action, he wouldn't have gotten himself in such a shitty situation in the first place. While all this is indeed relevant to keep in mind as you decide on the degree of trust you will place in his judgement from now on, it's just stupid to bring it up in the discussion that's been going on over at the forum. Stop it folks. Because fact is, it HAS happened. We already find ourselves in this shitty situation, and pointing out what should have been done to prevent it doesn't change anything and only invites flame wars and ridiculous amounts of drama.

This leads me to the more pleasant part of my opinion in this matter, which is also the part that I voiced on the forum. Let us skip all the BS about what should have been done, and jump to the point where his life is falling apart and he needs money just to give his family a roof over their heads. Taking money from people who were going to give it away anyway in order to help your family isn't the worst sin in my eyes. Let's face it, we all thought Robin Hood was a pretty good guy. Even Disney thought so.

The site admin even admitted himself that it was wrong of him. Call me naïve, but I truly believe that he is feeling bad about it. I believe in judging people on their intentions and not their actual crimes, and by that measure his "crime" is not that severe. Furthermore, I am now going to make the same argument that I made on the forum as to why I hardly think what he did can even be considered stealing (other than in the strictly literal sense of the word):
The donation money were intended to support the site and keep it alive. If the situation is such that the site goes with the admin, then they serve this purpose regardless. If I were a donor I would be happy knowing that my money had been put to use not only in keeping the site on the air, but also to help actual people get through a tough time. This is a leap of faith, but I believe that most of the site donors share these sentiments. The real irony is, of course, that if he'd come clean and told the donors about the situation, most of them would probably agree to let their donations go to him without him having to "steal" them.

Now for another point, which I hesitate to share on the forum because I truly don't know whether it will help resolve anything or if it will simply serve to cause more drama. The admin has, at the time of writing this article, decided to leave his post effective immediately. I find that there is a problem with this, because it effectively negates the mitigating circumstances of my previous argument. If you view the money he took as serving the purpose of keeping the site running then the donors have, so to speak, paid to have the admin in place for the rest of the month. The absurdity of that phrase aside, it makes sense that the money donated should serve their purpose until the end of the month. Therefore, I actually believe that he now has a duty to stay until the beginning of the new month, after which he is free to leave. It should be no different than when the money is used to pay for a server - if we choose to view the money as still serving the purpose of keeping the site running.

In conclusion: I believe that the site admin acted the only way a human can when his loved ones are in trouble. I do not blame him for his actions, and I actually believe that it shows a level of humanity that I don't possess myself. I'm a cynical bastard for the most part. Was he wrong to take the money without consulting the donors? Absolutely. But desperate times call for desperate measures. I view the donations as having been used to the same end as they have been any other month. I think he has the right, and perhaps even the duty to "step down" in light of this incident, but he is also duty-bound to make sure that the site will stay up now that he has gotten involved in its survival to this degree. And if he does come back I will still trust him. I will, however, advice him to exercise better foresight in the future to avoid stupid situations like this.

In the unlikely event that he reads this: Come back if you feel that you are up to the task. You were a competent leader in any other respect, and I will, along with many others, welcome you back with open arms and a trust that is in no way reduced.