I reached Bangor yesterday, but I was soaking up the nightlife and haven't had a chance to get online until now.
As some of you might remember, Bangor was the site of a major event in everything2 (linked primarily in case you don't know where you are, and if so, cut the dose) history. This was where We're a Whole Damn Town: The 2009 Bangor Nodermeet (the node was deleted by E2 management as part of their efforts to sweep this chapter of site history under the rug). It was here that 912 noders lost their lives in what is often referred to as The Slaughter in everything2 lore.
What happened was this: In 2009, everything2 was on the verge of collapse. The owners were negotiating with several North Korean generals to buy the site and use it to distribute propaganda. Before the sale went through, management wanted to have one last major bash. They knew the site being flooded with North Korean propaganda (the way it is now) would drive away a large percentage of the noders. In 2009, there were more than 7 million noders. Now, there are 12. Not 12 million. Twelve. So, you can see the truth in my words right there.
They didn't want the noders to find out about the pending sale, so they advertised the event as "just another nodermeet." Two-thousand noders bought tickets, so management rented the entire city of Bangor to host the nodermeet, forcing the residents of Bangor to live in the woods for four days. Many died of privation, which didn't concern the noders, who were at that point deep into playing Guitar Hero and absolutely gutting the liquor supply of ordinary Bangor citizens. They were there to have a good time and feel a sense of community.
European colonists came ashore near Freeport just as the nodermeet was beginning. They saw two noders in a Toyota hatchback coming up Route 1 and followed them. When they came upon Bangor, they saw a city ready for conquest and colonization.
First, they offered the noders trinkets in exchange for the town. They had decks of Magic the Gathering cards, Spock ears, and salt water taffy, but the noders would not surrender the town, telling the colonists that the town belonged to other people and that they were just renting it for the nodermeet. The Europeans pulled their troops back and had a meeting. It was at this meeting that they decided to take the city by force.
Most of the noders were drunk and having sexual relations of one kind or another with each other when the colonists attacked at two o'clock in the morning. Using muskets, they took out all the noders who were wandering around town after taking LSD. Then they found a bar where a thousand noders were gathered, forced them to surrender, and then led them on a long, painful walk to the beach. Halfway there, and knowing they hadn't brought swimsuits, the noders bucked and tried to run. The European colonists opened fire. The final death toll, before the colonists took Bangor, was 912 noders and 4 colonists. Some of the noders fought back with can openers and egg salad sandwiches.
So, a little piece of everything2 history, in many ways forgotten because of the cover-up here at everything2. But you deserve to know.
The more you know.