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Sam and Friends BookI've been saying it for a long time, but really, MC hasn't been the same since 2010 - that was really the beginning of its downfall, and it's only continued to persist off and on since then, it's almost kind of cyclical: MC will go through peaceful periods, then it'll go through dramatic periods, then it'll be peaceful again, then it'll be dramatic again, and yes, this was a contributing factor in driving away a number of our old timers way back when - there was the complaint that MC had become "too high school."
As for your other point, it almost seems like society today sort of shuns friendship - people don't seem to want actual friends anymore, unless it's purely out of convenience or something. It makes me think of what Frank Oz was saying in I AM BIG BIRD about why he doesn't do SST much anymore, because he misses the camaraderie of the older days that was among the cast and crew. It's kind of the same with MC, that sense of camaraderie just really isn't here anymore. Of course, then again, back then MC was a much smaller and more close-knit community, whereas today it's really grown and expanded beyond just a group of teenage Muppet Freaks who would indulge in muffining and other general craziness. There's a less communal atmosphere.
Well, like it's been said before, fun isn't something that can be forced, it has to be spontaneous, and that's why MC was so much more fun back in the day, because a lot of us were wild and indulged in the kind of craziness that made this place what it was . . . but again, it was all spontaneous. Yes, there's been attempts to revitalized that sort of atmosphere around here again, but I guess it falls flat, because it feels awkward now: back then most of the regulars were teenagers, and we still hadn't quite grown up yet, so of course we'd indulge in hijinx, because that's pretty much what the internet was for. Now a majority of the MC community is twenty-and-thirtysomethings, so I guess that kind of indulgence might feel "immature" and "childish."
Funny you should mention that, because we did actually go through a period of time around here years ago where it seems like you couldn't express a difference of opinion on anything, because so many people were getting butthurt about people not agreeing with their opinions . . . or, if you had a different opinion about something, then people would rip you a new one about polluting MC with negativity and pessimism, so it's like . . . I don't, I guess it's something of a catch 22: on the one hand, there was a period of time where there was no respect for a difference of opinion, but on the other hand since that was taken care of, I guess that's allowed some of the more opinionated members to speak their mind more freely, which I know people like Drtooth, mr3urious, heralde, and even myself have been doing as of late.
As for your other point, it almost seems like society today sort of shuns friendship - people don't seem to want actual friends anymore, unless it's purely out of convenience or something. It makes me think of what Frank Oz was saying in I AM BIG BIRD about why he doesn't do SST much anymore, because he misses the camaraderie of the older days that was among the cast and crew. It's kind of the same with MC, that sense of camaraderie just really isn't here anymore. Of course, then again, back then MC was a much smaller and more close-knit community, whereas today it's really grown and expanded beyond just a group of teenage Muppet Freaks who would indulge in muffining and other general craziness. There's a less communal atmosphere.
Well, not just that, but a lot of those people really do have lives now, in the sense of they're off in college, or have a hundred jobs, or in some cases even have their own families to raise now, so that certainly keeps a majority of those old timers away considerably.
From here on out, my focus is going to be on good people who want to be happy and to make the world better. It'll be also on drawing, designing and creating legit works for different brands (including the brand that brought me here in the first place). 
