"Can I please have some spare clams?"
"Do you have any body parts I can have?"
I'm sure most of you (if not all) have heard these words some time or another. Whether it's at the pool, the Square, or wherever you choose to be, people all around you are saying these things. Those people are usually the newbies. Now, I'm not saying I'm against newbies, I was one myself. I struggled just as all of you did, and I have asked for clams now and then.
My first account was moonbaby. I started it on 3/1/2000. I guess it was the "good ol' days" of Whyville. We actually had to wait for a long time for someone to come on, and I'm guessing the population back then was only about 200. There were no body parts on Whyville except for Akbar's, so everyone technically looked the same. We got 30 clams to start, but that soon became I problem, because people would make accounts and transfer the clams (myself included =( ).
Nowadays, Whyville is very different. It's much more crowded (The population is over 150,000) and everywhere you go, you can expect to have someone to talk to. I've made many new friends these past months. They're great and everything, but I do miss all my old friends. I'm one of the few "way back" oldbies who have stayed.
And we don't appreciate it when the newbies call us an "oldbie clique". That's not nice, and we don't mean to be "mean", but sometimes you have to realize that those are hard earned clams you're asking us to spare!!
Let's face some facts: In real Life, how many times have you given poor people a lot of money? And would you actually ask someone you don't know for money? It's not completely reasonable to compare Whyville to real life, but when you think about it, it kind of makes sense!
Now, I've interviewed some of my oldbie friends, asking what they think about the new Whyville, and newbies asking them for clams. So, here's roxyhotty, SweetTrth and suga05.
First I interviewed one of my good friends, roxyhotty:
Me: Hey Roxyhotty!
Roxyhotty: Hey Destiny7!
Me:How often do you get why-mails from newbies asking for clams?
Roxyhotty: Practically every day! I just got one a few minutes ago
Me: And how often do you actually reply and give clams?
Roxyhotty: I never do. I just ignore them -- they need to work for their own clams! But sometimes I why-mail them back saying, sorry I can't.
Me: Do you mind the newbies asking for these clams, or do you think they should earn the clams themselves?
Roxyhotty: Sometimes I help them out A LOT, but they should get the clams themselves and if they don't know how, I teach them.
Me: That's good. Do you agree with the newbies saying that us oldbies are mean and unfriendly? What do you have to say about this?
Roxyhotty: I do not agree! Maybe we are mean because they are askin us for clams 24/7.
Me: Thanks for your time, Roxy!
Roxyhotty: kk.
I next interviewed my friend SweetTrth:
Me: Hi SweetTrth!
SweetTrth: Hey Destiny7!!
Me: How often do you get why-mails from newbies asking for clams?
SweetTrth: Hmm... about 4 or 5 times a day.
Me: And how often do you actually reply and give clams?
SweetTrth: Once a day usually, no more.
Me: Do you mind the newbies asking for these clams, or do you think they should earn the clams themselves?
SweetTrth: I try to tell them they need to earn them like I did, but they just get mad and ask someone else. It's not fair to let someone leech clams off you.
Me: I think so too! Do you agree with the newbies saying that us oldbies are mean and unfriendly? What do you have to say about this?
SweetTrth: They are only judging on the fact that we don't always give them clams! Very few of us are mean, they just... well... rub us the wrong way and don't give us a reason to respect them too.
Me: Thanks for your time, SweetTrth!
SweetTrth: No prob.
Finally, I interviewed Suga05, another good friend of mine:
Me: Hey Suga05!
suga05: Heyz. =)
Me: How often do you get why-mails from newbies asking for clams?
suga05: Everyday!
Me: And how often do you actually reply and give clams?
suga05: Not a lot I admit, cuz I like saving so I can buy stuff for my friends... but sometimes I will. A lot of newbies ask for tons of clams at a time.
Me: Do you mind the newbies asking for these clams, or do you think they should earn the clams themselves?
suga05: Sometimes I don't mind, but when they start askin for like 50 or 100 clams I get mad, because we had to earn them.
Me: I agree, Suga05. Do you agree with the newbies saying that us oldbies are mean and unfriendly? What do you have to say about this?
suga05: I don't think that "oldbies" are unfriendly, at least the ones that I know aren't... but I mean, we have to right to be mad and sometimes seem unfriendly because we are constantly asked for clams.
Me: Some newbies refer to us as the "Oldbie Clique" that are snobby. What do you think of that?
suga05: Pah! Snobs no! And I find the newbies seem to think the oldbie blondes are bigga snobs then the rest... sooo wrong!
Me: They shouldn't judge like that, eh? Well, thanks for your time!
suga05: No problemo. =)
So, in conclusion, the oldbies are basically asking for the same sort of respect that you newbies want! You can't ask for clams and expect to be given clams every time.
It all comes down to the golden rule: TREAT OTHERS AS YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE TREATED!
This is Destiny7 signin off...
*mUaH*
