Hi everyone,

Just wanted to make a quick announcement to talk about the recent issues and concerns that have popped up with the recent changes that SCANDAL has made, including their changes to their music, logo, etc.

We have seen a lot of members dislike several changes that are being taken by the band, this has happened before in SCANDAL HEAVEN but this has reached a whole new scale. Due to this, I stated a few things on the Stamp! discussion thread that was taken as "emergency" measure as we had never experienced this before at this scale. 

After some discussion with the mod team we have agreed that we do not want to censor or not allow you to express your opinion fully as long as it is expressed respectfully towards the band and other members. Therefore you are able to express your concern, dislike or desire to not purchase anything related to SCANDAL. I apologize if you felt strongly against this when I stated it on the thread for the first time and I hope you understand it was something I did just for the time being while it was being discussed with the mod team.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this subject feel free to post below.

Thank you!

I've been pretty silent around the recent discussions in Stamp! thread altogether but have been in contact with Lale as the situation developed. Since most of the main thoughts have been shared and posted by Lale or Jade, I believe this would be an opportune time to give a break down of what is okay and what is not okay when it comes to voicing disagreement or dislike regarding anything that relates to SCANDAL.

Hypothetical Scenario: Lexian doesn't like anything about Stamp! Or the new logo. He still likes the band though and is about to share his current thoughts on the forum.

What's OK:
"Just saw the Stamp! PV and heard the song for the first time. Not a fan of it at all. It lacks (insert critique point here) and just doesn't really do it for me. I'll probably give this one a pass and look toward whatever the next release is..."

What's not OK:
"Just saw the Stamp! PV and I really hate the direction SCANDAL is going right now. They should really be like...A...B...and C. I can't believe this is what they've turned into. Why can't they be like...?! Ugh, this is terrible. They should just...instead! I can't believe this is happening. Disgraceful! Boooooooo!..."

As you can see the two scenes I made are pretty extreme but I think the point I'm trying to make stands. If you want to voice your disapproval for something SCANDAL did, do it with valid reasoning and respect. Just like how if you like something you would explain why you like it. I can understand and sympathize with some viewpoints that want the band to revert to X era or refuse to purchase any merch for the time being, but it would reduce the amount of (over)reactions received if you'd back up what you're disliking.

I'm not asking for everyone to explain themselves like a 100 page scholarly debate but to my fellow cynics & critics, please try to back up and give your opinion substance.

Thanks for the clarification. I think it's a policy everyone can support. I think we're all fans of the band or we wouldn't be here, but obviously their main audience is not us so sometimes there may be things they do that we don't like or understand. I think it's good to be able to talk about that as long as we can do it maturely.

Hmmmm, except for last booing and such stuff there is not so much difference in both statements. You draw a little blurred line between what's accepted and what's not. Do not be surprised if people get confused.
BTW - when You have fans on-board (sometimes borderline fanatics .whistle. ) - there is no avoidance of strong feelings coupled with strong wordings - where love is strong - hate is accordingly powerful
It is very hard to manage such crowd, so kudos to You for hard work, but... I have a feeling that Your reactions was equally heated and as little overboard as those of angrier and more voicing members.
Of course - it is Your management of this board and Your call, so I will comply, even if not completely agree

There is a very clear distinction between Lexian's examples.

The "What's OK" one is about stating your opinions while still showing respect for the band by using polite, civil language. The "What's not OK" one is about stating your opinions but NOT showing respect for the band by using harsh, rude language.

We understand that people can feel passionate about things, but one always needs to remember to be respectful and mindful of their tone and language. Simply being passionate about something is not an excuse to be disrespectful towards anyone or anything.

So, what we're mainly concerned about is one's tone and how one is expressing their opinions. Being respectful towards all parties, such as the band and/or other SH members, is the main thing we are asking everyone to do here--and that should not be too much to ask.

PPPeter wrote:Hmmmm, except for last booing and such stuff there is not so much difference in both statements. You draw a little blurred line between what's accepted and what's not. Do not be surprised if people get confused.

I tried to exaggerate the second case and make it in tune with a typical passive-aggressive, irrational post. I didn't want to make it ridiculously hate-filled which would appear silly and unrealistic.

Again, the point is that Person A supports his dislikes by respectfully giving points of reason.
Person B just states that they don't like something. He/She would list stuff they don't like but not say why. One might see it as "hating for the sake of hating." In the end, Person B's post essentially becomes a rant that shows how they're annoyed or irritated by whatever SCANDAL did. Other posters seeing this would feel uncomfortable to some degree and be prone to defend their own views.

It's no surprise that dealing with the harsh critic-type personalities is often more challenging than the easy-to-appeal, everyday fan. I'd like to think we can have both personalities on a fairly consistent level, as I've read some great posts from SCANDAL critics here on SH throughout the years.

I hope that clears things up, PPPeter. I have a habit to write wall of texts on this kind of topic so I apologize.

Well I think the mods have stated it very clearly, the rules at most forums I belong to are that of course you are entitled to your own opinion but in discussing our favourite band we show respect to them and other forum members.

Now, that's a clear statement and it's much more toned -while absolutely logical and understandable- than in the Stamp! thread.
That's something I think is implicit, at least to me. But clearly not to everyone. Maybe you should make it explicit?
Maybe rules n°1 and n°3, which partially cover that kind of situation, should be enriched, like with Noodles' phrases ("to express your opinion fully as long as etc.") or/and with Lexian's example (or kind of) to make it clear and unequivocal?

Thanks for making the effort to clarify things, it can't be an easy thing to moderate forums and with the girls' increasing popularity and fan base there will be more challenges ahead as new fans join up. As we know, this is the internet, not exactly a bastion of rational and civil discussions.

I agree with Jikan, the points raised in this thread and the Stamp one need to be included in the official forum rules. It has to be made clear to all, especially to new users that SCANDAL HEAVEN isn't your typical forum and will require a higher degree of self control and civility than the usual.

I hope the mods do not hesitate to actively enforce rules from time to time. I understand that it will be unpleasant but enforcement rarely ever is. I hope we don't lose sight of what this place stands for, the last thing I want to see is SCANDAL HEAVEN turning into a toxic, troll infested cesspit where people want all the freedom of speech and none of the responsibility.

Once again, thanks for all your efforts. I, for one, really appreciate it.

As someone in another post wrote, try to only write in a fashion that you would be comfortable reading out loud directly to your favorite member of the band. That doesn't mean you have to write like you're sugar coating everything; the ladies are used to criticism since they've been in the music industry for about a decade. It does mean that a degree of respect and consideration should be considered when crafting a response.

I think one of the things to consider while reading someone's post is that, it's their opinion, and they own it anyway. We, as reading those posts, we should control ourselves too in order to have a clearer mindset and to avoid misunderstandings among members.

We're working in updating the rules guys.