Difference between revisions of "Third SBC Renaissance"

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The '''Third SBC Renaissance''' was a landmark series of major events in SBC history that occurred between June 29th and July 1st, 2018, with related developments continuing later into the year.
The '''Third SBC Renaissance''' is the name given to a landmark series of major events in SBC history that occurred between June 29th and July 1st, 2018, with related developments continuing later into the year.


The Third Renaissance was centered around the removal and banning of longtime SBC staff member '''Mr. Dr. Professor Patrick''', and was spurred on by increased focus on the details of a past romantic relationship between him and [[Kylie]]. Conflicts between MDPP and the rest of the community began in the early hours of June 29th, and reached their climax with MDPP taking the site down for over six hours on July 1st. Afterwards, [[JCM]] assumed ownership of SBC and its major technical responsibilities.
The Third Renaissance was centered around the demotion and permanent ban of longtime SBC staff member '''Mr. Dr. Professor Patrick''', and was spurred on by increased focus on the details of a past romantic relationship between him and [[Kylie]]. Conflicts between MDPP and the rest of the community began in the early hours of June 29th, and reached their climax with MDPP taking the site down for over six hours on July 1st. Afterwards, [[JCM]] assumed ownership of SBC and its major technical responsibilities.


Widely viewed as being SBC's darkest hour, due to its real-life consequences (with some members even comparing it to the "Me Too" movement), the Third Renaissance was also a watershed moment for the community. It caused the strengthening of personal bonds across the site, as a number of inactive users returned to the forums in order to show Kylie their support.
While SBC had, up to that point, seen more than its fair share of community dramas and scandals, the Third Renaissance's real-life consequences and ramifications, involving an abusive real-life relationship between members with a large age gap, resulted in an unprecedented level of both outrage and unity which persisted for months after the events. Now known simply as "the Renaissance" (and having well overshadowed the [[The SBC Renaissance|first]] [[The SpongeBob Community Civil War|two]]), the events of summer 2018 were a watershed moment for SBC as a community, resulting in the strengthening of personal bonds across the site, and seeing a number of inactive users return to the forums in order to show Kylie their support.


==History==
==History==
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[[File:MDPPThreat.JPG|300px|thumbnail|left|MDPP's June 29th threat to Kylie, seen on Discord.]]
[[File:MDPPThreat.JPG|300px|thumbnail|left|MDPP's June 29th threat to Kylie, seen on Discord.]]


The Third Renaissance began in earnest in the early hours of June 29th, 2018, when MDPP issued a violent, public threat to Kylie on the [[The SpongeBob Community Discord|SBC Discord]] (pictured to the left). While this outburst was met with an intense initial backlash, it was mostly overlooked throughout much of the following day, having occurred in the very early hours of the morning. Later in the afternoon, however, [[HawkbitAlpha]] again pressed MDPP about his threat, leading members who were not present during the early morning argument to heavily pressure MDPP. As a result, he issued [https://i.imgur.com/Sq8omYZ.jpg a brief resignation message] on Discord. At the same time, details of Kylie and MDPP's relationship had begun to spread faster, leading to MDPP increasingly losing support throughout the community.
The Third Renaissance began in earnest in the early hours of June 29th, 2018, when MDPP issued a violent, public threat to Kylie on the [[The SpongeBob Community Discord|SBC Discord]] (pictured to the left). While this outburst was met with an intense initial backlash, it was mostly overlooked throughout much of the following day, having occurred in the very early hours of the morning. Later in the afternoon, however, MDPP was again pressed about his threat, leading members who were not present during the early morning argument to heavily pressure MDPP. As a result, he issued [https://i.imgur.com/Sq8omYZ.jpg a brief resignation message] on Discord. At the same time, details of Kylie and MDPP's relationship had begun to spread faster, leading to MDPP increasingly losing support throughout the community.


The next morning, on June 30th, MDPP wrote a longer resignation message in the form of a thread on SBC. This topic quickly became the center of much controversy, as MDPP's standing within the community had been all but destroyed, and he attempted what many felt to be damage control by giving shoutouts to numerous members. Much of SBC's membership reported wishing that they would rather have seen him leave silently than make a topic about the events, with [[Aya]] writing that "[he] should have just left and said nothing because that's the best thing [he] could have done."
The next morning, on June 30th, MDPP wrote a longer resignation message in the form of a thread on SBC. This topic quickly became the center of much controversy, as MDPP's standing within the community had been all but destroyed, and he attempted what many felt to be damage control by giving shoutouts to numerous members. Much of SBC's membership reported wishing that they would rather have seen him leave silently than make a topic about the events, with [[Aya]] writing that "[he] should have just left and said nothing because that's the best thing [he] could have done."
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===Site takedown and conclusion (July 1)===
===Site takedown and conclusion (July 1)===
As a result of the overwhelmingly negative reaction MDPP received for his Resignation topic, and with the addition of new topics aimed solely at members venting their feelings against him, MDPP took down SBC at approximately 4:50 P.M. EST on July 1st. The message left by MDPP, pictured to the right, read as follows:
As a result of the overwhelmingly negative reaction MDPP received for his Resignation topic, and with the addition of new topics aimed solely at members venting their feelings against him, MDPP took down SBC at approximately 4:50 P.M. EST on July 1st. The message left by MDPP, pictured to the left, read as follows:


[[File:sadmoments.png|350px|thumbnail|right|The message MDPP left on SBC following his takedown of the site.]]
[[File:sadmoments.png|350px|thumbnail|left|The message MDPP left on SBC following his takedown of the site.]]


<blockquote>"It brings great displeasure that I have to temporarily shut down SBC. I never wanted to do such a thing ever in my life, but it is quite clear that SBC has strayed away from the very thing that we have came together to do: talk about SpongeBob. While some may see this as an attempt to censor even more of what is going on, the truth of this shut down is that things have truly gotten out of hand. Nobody here should be proud of how they have been behaving as of late. Take this shutdown as a means to calm down. Eventually SBC will be back online. You may continue to discuss on Discord. Best of wishes to all."</blockquote>
<blockquote>''"It brings great displeasure that I have to temporarily shut down SBC. I never wanted to do such a thing ever in my life, but it is quite clear that SBC has strayed away from the very thing that we have came together to do: talk about SpongeBob. While some may see this as an attempt to censor even more of what is going on, the truth of this shut down is that things have truly gotten out of hand. Nobody here should be proud of how they have been behaving as of late. Take this shutdown as a means to calm down. Eventually SBC will be back online. You may continue to discuss on Discord. Best of wishes to all."''</blockquote>


A number of reactions ensued as a result of this, with many members expressing extreme discontent in the site's takedown. Members quickly gathered on a new Discord channel entitled "Resignation Discussion" to vent their feelings on the topic, writing that MDPP had overstepped his boundaries by way of taking down the site that, in the eyes of the members, no longer belonged to him. Prior to the shutdown JCM, tvguy, and jjs all put forth efforts to keep the site active in case an incident like this were to occur, as MDPP had warned prior to the site's shutdown that he would likely take action against the site if anyone were to, in his own words, "[have] one more slip up." This was likely in reference to Hayden's post, which was seen as the catalyst for MDPP's decision by some.
A number of reactions ensued as a result of this, with many members expressing extreme discontent in the site's takedown. Members quickly gathered on a new Discord channel entitled "Resignation Discussion" to vent their feelings on the topic, writing that MDPP had overstepped his boundaries by way of taking down the site that, in the eyes of the members, no longer belonged to him. Prior to the shutdown JCM, tvguy, and jjs all put forth efforts to keep the site active in case an incident like this were to occur, as MDPP had warned prior to the site's shutdown that he would likely take action against the site if anyone were to, in his own words, "[have] one more slip up." This was likely in reference to Hayden's post, which was seen as the catalyst for MDPP's decision by some.
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SBC remained down for over six hours, but was later brought back online just after 11:00 P.M. EST. MDPP explained that SBC's return was guided by "outside negotiations," which were later revealed by Kylie to be an e-mail exchange between the former admin and Kylie's own mother regarding SBC. MDPP revealed in this conversation that he had transferred site powers entirely to JCM, vowing to leave SBC alone.
SBC remained down for over six hours, but was later brought back online just after 11:00 P.M. EST. MDPP explained that SBC's return was guided by "outside negotiations," which were later revealed by Kylie to be an e-mail exchange between the former admin and Kylie's own mother regarding SBC. MDPP revealed in this conversation that he had transferred site powers entirely to JCM, vowing to leave SBC alone.


===Censoring issues===
===Censorship===
The mass censoring of the usage of MDPP's name presented a glaring technical problem, as his real name (used by some members only to be censored to "hilaryfan80") was hardcoded into SBC's database as a word filter. This resulted in unrelated posts containing the name being filtered to say "hilaryfan80" instead. Due to the complex coding used by MDPP to create these censors, they were not removed until many months after the ending of the Renaissance.
On June 30th, during the battle over ownership and control of SBC, MDPP added a number of word filters into the entire site's database, which censored any reference to both his username and his real name to instead say "hilaryfan80". This also retroactively edited existing posts which contained either variation of his name, leading to otherwise completely unrelated posts containing mentions of the name "hilaryfan80". Due to the complexity of the coding used by MDPP to create these censors, they were not removed until many months after the ending of the Renaissance, and many instances of the censored names still remain scattered across old SBC posts and pages to this day.


In addition, this very wiki page was found on July 18th to have been mysteriously censored; not only were all mentions of MDPP's name censored, but links above to the image of his threat and to the image archive of the Resignation thread were deleted as well. In addition, MDPP's name was retroactively removed from this page's edit history. Due to the nature and method of the removals, this was speculated to be an attack on the wiki's database by MDPP.
In addition, this very wiki page was found on July 18th, 2018 to have been mysteriously censored; not only were all mentions of MDPP's name edited out, but links above to the image of his threat and to the image archive of the Resignation thread were deleted as well. In addition, MDPP's name was retroactively removed from this page's edit history, in direct violation of MediaWiki's terms. Due to the nature and method of the removals, this was speculated to be an attack on the wiki's database by MDPP, as both the wiki and main SBC site fall under the same domain.


==Community reactions==
===MDPP's 2023 reappearance===
The events that occurred within the Third SBC Renaissance garnered a number of reactions from SBC members. Due to the extraordinary circumstances behind MDPP's removal, the Third Renaissance has been referred to as SBC's "Me Too", in reference to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Me_Too_movement the international movement against sexual abuse.]
[[File:BULLY.jpg|250px|thumbnail|right|[[President Squidward]] becomes a "bully" on SBM]]
On June 17th, 2023, it was noticed by members of SBC that MDPP had appeared on the former "neighbor" site [[SpongeBuddy Mania]], attempting to reintroduce himself to the latter community with no acknowledgement of the events of the Renaissance. With this coming several months after the official end of the second [[SBM/SBC Feud]], many members of SBC, including Kylie, logged into SBM to directly confront MDPP, informing newer members of SBM of his abusive background in the process. In response to the backlash, MDPP attempted to lie to the site's newer members, claiming that the events of the Third Renaissance were simply rumors created as a homophobic smear against him. This prompted [[HawkbitAlpha]] to [https://twitter.com/HawkbitAlpha/status/1670321196695420928 respond] on Twitter, threatening to "rain down all hell on [MDPP's] head with receipts" if he did not delete and apologize for the post.


On the flip side, the social outcome of the Third Renaissance was widely celebrated. Kylie was made the [[Featured Employee]] for the summer, and a number of older members returned to the site despite inactivity in order to support her. The event culminated in a number of topics and posts being made (notably [https://www.thesbcommunity.com/forums/topic/16068-a-word-about-community-shoutouts/ here] and [https://www.thesbcommunity.com/forums/topic/16067-some-words-on-this-weekend/ here]) in support of Kylie and the community as a whole. A number of members cited the Third Renaissance as strengthening and re-energizing the community after the exhausting events of [[Metalgate]], and ushering in a new, robust era for SBC. The event significantly increased activity on the Discord and the forums.
While MDPP was banned from both SBC and SBM in the immediate aftermath of the Third Renaissance, it is speculated that SBM's staff made an error when banning him from the site in July 2018, and mistakenly did not make his ban permanent, leaving him able to return after the fact. Regardless, the swift backlash by the sites' shared members would cut MDPP's reappearance very short, as SBM moderator PinkPugPrincess quickly banned him again the next morning, this time permanently. He has not been seen on either site since.


As a commemoration of the ending of the Third Renaissance, in the late hours of July 1st, [[tvguy347|tvguy]] released a new SBC skin called [[Together Since '09]]. Made entirely of white and pink colors (the latter as a shout-out to Kylie), it also shifts the forum sidebar to the left instead of the right. As this is a direct reference to [[V6 Shark|SBC's Forumotion era]], it was interpreted as being a silent celebration of SBC's endurance.
==Aftermath==
The events that occurred within the Third Renaissance spurred some of the strongest reactions to any event in SBC history. Due to the extraordinary circumstances behind it, and around MDPP's removal, the Third Renaissance has been referred to as SBC's "Me Too" moment, in reference to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Me_Too_movement the international movement against sexual abuse.]
 
On the flip side, the unity of SBC members resulting from the Third Renaissance marked a high point for the community. Kylie was made the [[Featured Employee]] for the summer, and a number of older members returned to the site despite inactivity in order to support her. The event culminated in a number of topics and posts being made (notably [https://www.thesbcommunity.com/forums/topic/16068-a-word-about-community-shoutouts/ here] and [https://www.thesbcommunity.com/forums/topic/16067-some-words-on-this-weekend/ here]) in support of Kylie and the community as a whole. A number of members cited the Third Renaissance as strengthening and re-energizing the community after the exhausting events of [[Metalgate]], and ushering in a new, robust era for SBC. The event significantly increased activity on the Discord and the forums.
 
As a commemoration of the ending of the Third Renaissance, in the late hours of July 1st, [[tvguy347|tvguy]] released a new SBC skin called [[Together Since '09]], ultimately becoming the final skin he would make for the site. Made entirely of white and pink colors (the latter as a shout-out to Kylie), it also shifted the forum sidebar to the left instead of the right, calling back to [[V6 Shark|SBC's Forumotion era]] as a nod to the community's endurance. The skin remained in use until April 2023, when it was phased out with the release of [[Seahorse 15]].


[[Category:Incidents and events]]
[[Category:Incidents and events]]

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