/snort
I predate that team by a few years.
I’ve used the term roboteers since 2006, and to be honest, when I go to say students, I say roboteers.
You know when they say the world sits on a turtle and it’s turtles all the way down (google it), I go “It’s all roboteers, all the way, all roboteers engineering is all roboteers”
Thanks for the post
Note: I will recuse myself from moderating this thread since I’m participating, and I’m speaking for myself and not on behalf of G2M
My concern is that we’re doing the thing where a bad thing happens, and then we focus on our disagreement with the way some people are protesting, rather than on what caused them to protest. I’m in no way condoning doxxing or harassing innocent parties, but while some people are reacting poorly, I think they’re right to have a strong reaction.
I have repeatedly given VEX the benefit of the doubt in my thinking regarding this. When the initial allegations came out, I didn’t expect an immediate response, these things take time. Then we did get a response, and that response claimed all the allegations were lies, and implied they might bring legal action against anybody making such claims.
Then, when additional allegations were posted, VEX shut down the forum. I thought maybe they panicked because things were getting out of control and they were taking the time to craft a statement that would adequately respond to the allegations and give us an idea of their path forward. The fact that there were reports Tony resigned made me even more cautiously optimistic. Then they reopened the forum with almost every post about this deleted, and with manual moderation required, and still no statement.
Actions speak louder than words and right now they aren’t saying anything, and their actions are to prevent anybody talking about it in the only place that will generate any serious pressure on them to make changes. Tony Norman stepping down while remaining a 50% owner doesn’t necessarily do anything to address the broader cultural issues.
In my opinion, even if they had locked the allegation topics, posted a statement that Tony Norman was out and listed what they were doing going forward, and temporarily restricted the forum, that would have been within a range I could give them the benefit of the doubt again. What they’re doing right now seems to be just sweeping things under the rug.
I was active on the vex forums in high school several years ago, and then I took a few years off vex before starting a vex u team this year. In the multiple years I was active on the forums, Foster basically never missed an opportunity to be on the wrong side of an issue. He consistently had among the worst takes out of anyone active on the forum, and then he was the most sanctimonious and unwilling to admit that he was wrong. If anyone challenged him, he’d write paragraphs about how we should actually be thanking him for his service to us, and then bash the other person as “just a student” etc.
3 years later, I come back to the forums and I see that Foster is still making multiple posts per day, still consistently taking bad positions, and still flaming students 50 years his junior. I think it speaks volumes that he never condemned the sexual harassment of minors by vex employees until he did it as an afterthought while chastising students for “bullying” those same vex employees. Foster, shut up. Nobody would be persuaded by your 17 paragraph defense even if they read it. Everyone else, let’s just ignore him. We’re never going to persuade him that he’s wrong, but we can persuade ourselves that he’s not worth listening to 
This thread appears to be getting somewhat heated, and posts have been made that border on breaking community guidelines. This is a reminder to all forum members to be civil, even with people you disagree with.
Again, speaking for myself here and not as a moderator
In my interactions with Foster in the past, even when I’ve disagreed with what he’s said (and I quite strongly disagree with him in this instance), his motivation has always seemed to be helping students.
Also, I’ve only found him to be completely wrong in like half of his takes, and batting 500 isn’t bad (take this in the joking tone it was intended)
Fair point Bean.
Based on this single post I’ll close up the 49 VIQ teams that I run in 7 elementary schools, 3 libraries and a additional parent run organization with 17 VRC teams.
Can you send me your contact info so I can transfer 100+ roboteers into your care. I’ll work on transferring websites to you once I get that. I have 12 events that you are now running, sent me your robotevents ID so I can transfer them to you.
I’ll give you the PIC and Cortex Hardware so you can test and answer questions that randomly pop up.
Please bring a truck so you can take both VRC fields, the 8 field controller sets that I take to events and both of the IQ fields. (I’ll toss in my mother in law china since that will empty out the robot garage)
I’d like to ask $800 for the 38 linear foot of shelving that everything is stored on. Bring cash, as a boomer I don’t do Venmo.
I’m excited to have about 1500 hours back to do woodworking, rockets, etc.
So happy that I never have to post again on CD, VEX forum and here.
@Bean my new friend, why didn’t you do this three years ago? I’ve been looking for an exit path, so much wish that you had taken over before Covid. VEX zoom has sucked. Building with gloves and masks seems cool until you do it.
So excited to turn something started in 2007 to a new generation.
@Crumey - thanks for the skull. Not sure if that means you “bone approve” or that you will “skull be there for the truck loading” You are a Kiwi according to your profile, make sure @Bean gives you notice. I lived in Wellington can I ask a favor? When you come to help @bean can you bring some pineapple lumps, I love them and the ones from Amazon are not the same.
If anyone challenged him, he’d write paragraphs about how we should actually be thanking him for his service to us, and then bash the other person as “just a student” etc.
EDIT:
This thread was locked but I want to add 2 points.
First, yes I correctly predicted the way Foster would respond. This was easier than it seemed given his ahem highly commendable forum history. Here are 2 examples (of the dozens to choose from:)
Second, according to Foster’s profiles, he has written 4400 VF posts and 1500 CD posts. If each post takes 10 minutes to write, Foster has spent over 900 total hours writing forum posts. Since 2013, ~1.5% of Foster’s total time on Earth has been spent making forum posts. But you know what he’s never said once? “I got it wrong and I’m sorry.” That’s just not something he’s capable of.
Haha, don’t worry, I think this probably explains my reaction better.
Also, will make sure to bring a few packs of Pineapple lumps to worlds, don’t worry about that 
I’m not one to normally comment on things like this but is this not just
The point, I think, is that you responded exactly how Bean predicted you would, that you would point out what you do for the community rather than addressing the merits of the argument.
(Not trying to take a side on the level of the merits of the argument, or whether that’s a good/bad way to respond)
Before I comment further, I want to make it clear that I am trying to say this as respectfully as possible, although at times my limited vocabulary makes that challenging.
My point is that you seem to have responded to Bean in the same way he describes your interactions with many other topics.
You don’t explicitly say this ^, however this:
gives a similar feeling. When I read this, I feel that you’re using your impressive list of contributions to the community as a backboard for any negative feedback.
Additionally, Bean’s comment about
seems to be reflected very well in this statement:
Take that as you will, that’s just my interpretation of it.
You don’t address his arguments at all, and while I don’t agree with his particular wording of what he’s saying, he makes a point.
I won’t overlook your contributions to VRC as a whole. They are impressive, and I am thankful that you have given so many ‘roboteers’ a safe place to do what they enjoy doing. I can recognize all of these, yet at the same time be disappointed in many of your responses to criticism. I expect the EPs, coaches, and mentors of this community to be role models for students. What I’ve seen instead just now is not that.
Finally, I’d expect a more mature response. My problem is not the fact that you’re using your words, it’s that you’re using the wrong words.
well i run 50 VIQ teams in 8 elementary schools and 4 libraries and also run an organization with 18 VRC teams.
Side covo, how so you do library funding, How do you track, how do you estimate and fill slow programs.
Troll baby troll. What did you expect in a two off forum?
this isnt going anywhere. feel free to have your petty squabbles in dms instead
In the future, expect similar conversations to be locked far earlier.
