User blog:EveryOpenEye/TOTPNAMSOTCDAIARRBCG2K17TASOBPNDCAFFITR28GPATROTLMBMTATOTPOG

Treatise on the Political Nature and Metaphorical Significance of the (Colloquially-Dubbed) "Alien Invasion" (all rights reserved BusyCityGirl, 2017), the Associated Symbolism of Benboy755's "Promotion" (nomenclature disputed; consult Alemas2005 for further information) to Rank 28 "Galaxy Patrol", and the Role of the LMB Moderation Team as the one true Pantheon of Gods (for more convenient reference, the preferred short form name is the "TOTPNAMSOTCDAIARRBCG2K17TASOBPNDCAFFITR28GPATROTLMBMTATOTPOG")

The February 28th, 2017 (AD/CE) "promotion" (the precise usage of this nomenclature is disputed; individuals such as Alemas2005 would prefer the term "given" in contrast to the legitimate achievement of such ranks, indicating the intervention of the moderation team in changing the rank requirements to provide large rank boosts to a plethora of users across the site. Though, in this instance, the circumstances surrounding the mass "promotion" of users are quite distinct from the previous two waves of requirement adjustments. However for the sake of simplicity (a quality greatly valued by this author, I assure you,) the term "promotion" will be used for the majority of this piece) is, first and foremost, a work of political commentary, perhaps satirical in nature, though the deeper meaning is more serious. I believe the moderation team of the LEGO Message Boards (hereby abbreviated as the LMBs for ease of usage) intended a genuine political message to be conveyed by their actions during the past day (as of the writing of this piece.)

For the unaware, at some point during the past day (as of the writing of this piece), the LMBs Moderation Team promoted all users who have posted or liked any posts (as proven by dedicated reader accounts also acquiring this rank) on the Message Boards since the major November 9th, 2012 (AD/CE) update (also known as the 2012 update, more information available at the following article: The 2012 Update) to the 29th user rank of the "new" Message Boards, "Alien". This rank was highly sought after, due to its role as the "final rank" of the forum, as well as its perceived "cool factor". Prior to this date, this rank had only been achieved by two users (some advocates of a doctrine known as "alternative facts" may dispute this, though he-- i mean they, shall remain nameless for the sake of dignity and subtlety, the latter of which is a quality you will find in spades all throughout this piece). This shines a light on the significance of this act of the Moderation Team, promoting each and every user of the forum to the final rank perhaps comes off as an act of generosity to fulfill what was perhaps the ultimate dream of many users, to achieve such a thing (though many would dispute this and consider the gesture quite hollow, namely the aforementioned Alemas2005). However, I believe it was active political commentary about the current social and political situation in the United States of America (Estados Unidos de America in Spanish, as it is an official language of the state of New Mexico, and for no other significant purposes relevant to the subject matter of this piece whatsoever.)

As I'm sure many of the users of this site are aware, the recently-elected and -inaugurated 45th President of the United States, Donald Trump, has been noted to take a punitive stance on the issues of illegal immigration and refugee intake, particularly in reference to immigrants from Mexico (official name United States of Mexico, or Estados Unidos de Mexico in Spanish, as it is an official language of Mexico.) Another common word for immigrants is the term "alien," in particular to illegal immigrants, "illegal aliens". I'm sure we can call now begin to see the significance of this in relation to the 29th rank, "Alien," of the LEGO Message Boards.

Yes, I personally believe that the LMBs Moderation Team has deliberated on this decision for many months and decided to make this final closing stage of the LEGO Message Boards forum a political statement. The "acceptance" of many thousands of aliens is a direct hit against the Trump administration and anti-immigration elements on the social and political scene. This action is given further significance if you take into account Alemas2005's, and other like-minded individuals', view(s) on the recent rank requirement adjustments and the overall "promotion" of all users to this 29th rank. They consider these to be illegitimate acquisitions, with no real significance or achievement behind them, due to the lack of effort required on the part of the subjects - this translates perhaps a little too well when applied to illegal aliens in the real world, don't you think? (rhetorical questions are worth up to 2 marks in a standard examination essay according to the 2017 curriculum.)

I'm sure more depth could be drawn out of this alone, but believe me, there is much more to this story. The most tantalizing parts are still to come (after this short advertising break.)

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..ost tantalizing parts are still to come!

Shortly after this mass "promotion," it was noted that a single user, out of all those who had posted or liked any posts on the "new" LEGO Message Boards, had failed to achieve the 29th rank "Alien". A logical assumption may be that this was a very rarely active user who perhaps had not reached the requirements to achieve the rank despite the boost, and it may have been a rare, but not unique, case, but this is false. Even previously No Ranked users were promoted to this 29th rank "Alien". Instead the single user was a popular and active users of the LEGO Message Boards, typically going by the moniker "benboy755 (sic)". In fact at the approximate time of the mass promotion, this user was closing in on 136,000 total posts and nearly had been a member of the forum for over 6 years, 8 months. Despite this activity, this user failed to achieve rank 29 "Alien," but had instead been granted a different rank by the Moderation Team. This part is exceedingly important so listen closely. You ready? Ok, good. This is necessary exposition. This text is building tension in the audience in anticipation of the upcoming revelation. Are you adequately anxious about what might be coming next? If not, please return to the sentence starting "Despite this activity," and read again. If you believe you are anxious enough, please assess your emotional condition for several seconds, and if you still feel confident in your decision, feel free to continue. Ok here we go. This user, benboy755, had instead been "promoted" to rank 28, the second highest rank... "Galaxy Patrol".

For the attentive among us, the connection may be immediately obvious. Otherwise, I will explain at length. This relates directly back to the matter of illegal immigration. I believe the term "Galaxy Patrol" is a direct analogy for "Border Patrol" or the "Border Police", an organization tasked with the defense of (typically international) borders of various nationstates, and especially within the United States, the repulsion of illegal immigrants from crossing these borders. Yes, the user benboy755 was chosen by the Moderation Team to represent the thin line dividing the plethora of "Aliens", representing illegal immigrants, from the LEGO Message Boards, which themselves represent the United States of America. I believe it is also significant that benboy755 appears to have failed in his appointed task, though the exact significance of this is debatable (I believe it is the Moderation Team's intent to suggest that the measures President Trump wishes to implement will, in the end, fail to stop illegal immigration in the ways he believes it will.)

But that's not all. Far from it, in fact. There is a whole other side to the story, one I believe is much more spiritually significant than the sociopolitical commentary I have discussed so far. This is perhaps another interpretation of benboy755's status as a unique user in the populace of the LEGO Message Boards, though it may well tie into the previous subject matter of this publication, as an alternative meaning. I have already established the fact that the LMBs Moderation Team chose benboy755 to be the single user of the rank "Galaxy Patrol". This is undoubtedly significant no matter the interpretation of this event. This particular interpretation will dive into the role of the LMBs Moderation Team, the closing to the LMBs themselves, and the way the Moderation Team views themselves in relation to this event.

First of all, perhaps the "Galaxy Patrol" and "Alien" relationship is as simple as it seems. Perhaps benboy755 was chosen to be the singular protector of the LEGO Message Boards (mankind or Earth) against a vast horde of extraterrestrial invaders. This is perhaps a more playful and child-oriented interpretation (though this does not diminish its significance or intrigue in any way), which would indeed befit a child-oriented forum like the LEGO Message Boards.

The more tantalizing concepts begin to arise once you consider the significance of how or why the Moderation Team "chose" a singular user to be the protector of the Message Boards, regardless of what they all represent, be it human immigration or extraterrestrial invasion. The idea that they chose out a single user to personally designate as different from the rest indicates that perhaps they think of themselves as being on a higher plane than the rest of the users - after all, they do hold the power to moderate all content on the website. This leads me to personally believe that they are the "gods" of the LEGO Message Boards, the one true pantheon of gods, represented by this image: https://community.lego.com/lego/attachments/lego/1021/2784830/1/Mod%20Farewell.jpg which WhiteAlligator, the second god(dess), posted in her Farewell thread just today. It is my personal belief that the Moderation Team see themselves as the departing gods of their own world, one they have molded and created with their own hands using the free will of the users inside it, and designated benboy755 as their successor, to defend and uphold the security and peace of their realm beyond their departure. They even reinforced in him the concept of humility by providing him a rank lower than those of his new charges. With evidence as persuasive as this, who can disagree?

but now ben is an alien too so none of this really matters and its wrong.

~ eoe