8chan was a mistake. It's time to admit it.

I've always been, and still am, and advocate for freedom of speech. It's extremely important and has to be defended. But now I have to admit, with all the information that has been available recently, that I made a huge mistake with 8chan, and now it's time and burden to admit it, fix it and move on. <br><br>I believed that by creating a completely anonymous space, I could create a utopia. An utopian space on the Internet where people could speak without fear of repercussions. A place where people could talk to each other without any societal status or fear of reprisal. That was the theory. In practice, it has not worked that way. In practice, what I did was create a safe space for racists, child abusers, trolls and lunatics of all kinds. <br><br>I've known and understood this for a while now, but the recent murders in New Zealand and the US have proven that 8chan is a negative force on the Internet, and it's my responsibility to do something about it. It's no longer enough to just nuke the shitty boards and hope they go away. It's time for 8chan to die.<br><br>This won't happen immediately. I need to find someone to take over the site before I can shut it down, but rest assured, there are MANY people working on it. <br><br>But, the truth is, I've been trying to shut the site down for about a month now, and all my attempts have been met with resistance. I have been met with hostility from people who believe that the site is doing the right thing, from people who believe that the culture of 8chan is acceptable and that the good it does out weighs the bad it has done. I've tried to reason with people who work here, or volunteer here, who I once considered friends. I've tried working with reporters and journalists to get the truth out. I've been met with hostility and anger and derision from all sides. People in all camps have their heads in the sand, and I am tired of trying to fight this fight alone. <br><br>I am tired of being ostracized and villainized by people whom I once called friends.<br><br>I am tired of being targeted by people with hate and anger in their eyes and hearts.<br><br>I am tired of feeling like I have to look over my shoulder.<br><br>I am tired of being afraid all of the time.<br><br>I am tired of being a coward. I am tired of being afraid to speak up.<br><br>I am tired of being complicit. I am tired of being a part of this destructive cycle.<br><br>I realize now that I made a huge mistake, and I've known that for a while. But I have been too much of a coward to admit it. It's time to admit it. It's time to recognize that and move on. <br><br>I want to say, I am sorry. I am so sorry. I was wrong. I was so, so wrong. I didn't think it through. I wasn't ready for it. I didn't know what I was doing. And I allowed this thing to grow too big. I allowed all these horrible people in the doors because I didn't want to harm anyone. I allowed this place to become a toilet. I allowed this place to become a sewer. I allowed this place to become a place where people can behave in ways they never would behave in real life. And for that, I am truly, deeply sorry. <br><br>I've tried to make changes. I've tried to make corrections. I've tried to make amends. I've tried to help. And I've been met with so much resistance from people on all sides. And I've been met with so much hostility and anger and hate and... I am done. <br><br>I'm done being a part of this, even if it means that there are people I thought of as friends whom will never forgive me, will never want to speak to me again. I'm okay with that. I need to do this. I need to fix this mistake. I need to correct this error. I need to make this right. <br><br>Over the last, especially last 6 months, it's become increasingly clear that freedom of speech is not the issue. The issue has nothing to do with freedom of speech at all. It has to do with the culture that 8chan has allowed to flourish. Because there is a big difference between freedom of speech and the freedom to be an asshole. <br><br>And that's exactly what 8chan has done. That's exactly what I have done. I have allowed 8chan to become the place for people who want to be assholes. Who want to abuse others with impunity, because they think they can hide behind anonymity. Who believe that there are no repercussions for their actions. <br><br>But that's not a freedom of speech problem. That's a cultural problem. That's a societal problem. And it's a problem that I have helped create. <br><br>I've been so blinded by my own idealism, to the point where I didn't even see it. <br><br>I've been so blinded by my own stupidty, to the point where I didn't even see it. <br><br>I've been so blinded by my own naivety. <br><br>And now I'm scared. I'm fucking terrified. I'm fucking overwhelmed. I'm fucking done. <br><br>I want to do something to solve the problem. I want to do something to fix the problem, and not just give lip service. <br><br>I want to actually help instead of just make excuses and apologize. <br><br>I want to make it right. <br><br>I want to do the right thing. <br><br>And if that means that I loose some people, that I lose some friends and that I have to walk away from something that I created, then so be it. <br><br>I have to fix this. I have to make it right. <br><br>I've gone from being a stupid idealist to a stupid pragmatist. <br><br>I've gone from being a stupid idealist to, hopefully, someone who can effect change and help make the world a better place. <br><br>And if that means that I have to kill baby, then I have to kill baby. <br><br>I have to let it go. <br><br>I have to let it die. <br><br>I have to let it go, because it's not the same as it was when I created it, when I believed that everyone wanted a utopian space, a space where people can speak without fear. <br><br>But that's not what 8chan is. <br><br>And it's time for me to admit that. <br><br>I don't want to be a coward. <br><br>I don't want to make excuses. <br><br>I don't want to apologize. <br><br>I want to take responsibility. <br><br>I want to fix it. <br><br>I want to help. <br><br>I want to do the right thing. <br><br>And if that means that people will hate me after I'm gone, so be it. <br><br>I have to try. <br><br>I have to do something. <br><br>I have to help people. <br><br>I have to help myself. <br><br>I have to help.<br><br>And I have to let it go. <br><br>And I have to let go without attachments. <br><br>And I have to let it go without ego. <br><br>And I have to let it go without pride. <br><br>I have to let it go. <br><br>But, don't worry, I have to make sure I do it the right way. <br><br>I have to find someone who takes over the site. <br><br>I have to find someone who will take over the site and kill it. <br><br>Because I don't want this thing to continue to exist. <br><br>I don't want to allow this place to continue to grow. <br><br>I don't want to allow this place to exist. <br><br>I want it to die. <br><br>I want it to burn. <br><br>I want it to disappear. <br><br>I want it to be nothing. <br><br>I want it to be erased. <br><br>I want to be erased. <br><br>I want to disappear. <br><br>8chan was and is a huge mistake.