Upon loading up the SDMB today I noticed that Melin has been replaced by Eutychus55 as moderator of MPSIMS… where’d Melin go?
Alex
Careful where you’re walking, folks, it’s getting mighty deep in here.
I agree with you 100%, Melin. I’ve had this discussion a million times. If your heritage is European, you simply have no right to an opposite opinion in matters racial. The truth is, you got hosed. You can speak out against anything … so long as it’s prudent.
Melin is no longer working as a moderator on this board, by mutual agreement.
your humble TubaDiva/SDStaffDiv
for the Straight Dope
Jenny, I never thought I have to say that you lie.
-Melin
I’m reminded of when Trotsky fell out of favor in the Soviet Union. The powers that be went as far as airbushing his face out of all official photographs and destroyed all evidence that he ever existed.
This is the first purge I’ve ever seen up close. It’s fascinating!
Damm!
Where did the thread in the BBQ Pit go? (as if I didn’t know!)
Contestant #3
Hey Melin…name names OK?
Contestant #3
They keep deleting it, folks – spread the word before it goes again!
Here’s what I posted in response to the OP – Jenny has deleted it:
Political "in"correctness has led to me being fired as moderator for MPSIMS at
the Straight Dope. I will be posting this message in all of the related boards
(the old board, the SDMB2, and the newsgroup), since I am sure that it will be
deleted from this board as soon as anyone with the power to delete sees it, just
as the thread which gave rise to it has been deleted without comment.
Those who have known me for the last year or so, on the old board and on this
board, know that I have strong feelings that race and ethnicity are matters
which should not govern our daily affairs or our government’s interaction with
us, or much else. Individuals should be evaluated as individuals on their own
merits, regardless of race or ancestry. I have argued against and will continue
to argue against those who make generalizations about groups based upon the
color of skin, rather than evaluating people based on their own merits.
Over the last few days a debate developed on the General Questions Board, on a
thread called “minorities.” Don’t look for it – it’s been deleted.
Fortunately, before it was deleted, I saved all of the relevant postings. On
that thread I made the comment – as I have made elsewhere – that it is my
belief (and my practice, and my instructions to my children) that in filling out
forms that ask for nationality and race, the only answers that should be given
are “American” (or whatever one’s citizenship happens to be) and “Human.” It is
my belief, stated many times, that we would do better to focus on our
commonalities rather than our differences.
Another board moderator is employed in public health. She and I have disagreed
about this issue of forms for a long time, and in our discussion this time she
pointed out that identification of race can be relevant for public health
purposes, for disease tracking, etc. This was a point I hadn’t considered, and
I acknowledged that this was a legitimate use for the information, and that I
would modify my practices accordingly when filling out forms that were to be
used for such a purpose. When other posters agreed with my basic philosophy
about forms, however, this moderator told them that they just “didn’t get it.”
Anyone who disagreed with her position was told that “white people” (her words)
have the “luxury” to ignore or not “to worry about racial/cultural issues” (her
words), because they are white and can disappear into the mainstream. That
comment was repeated at least three times.
I ignored this comment the first or second time it was made, but I finally
responded to it, asserting that such a negative comment about a group of people
based solely upon their skin color was racist, arrogant garbage. Racial issues
affect every person in this country, regardless of race, and one’s skin color
does not give one the “luxury” not to worry about those issues. I ran the post
by the moderator of General Questions before I posted it, and got no objection
to it.
Based on my response I was subjected to personal attacks as being hostile,
defensive, throwing a hissy fit, etc. In an off-board conversation I offered to
apologize for my remarks if she would apologize for hers, and she refused. She
further took the matter to Ed Zotti, who has fired me as moderator because I
would not back down from my assertion that as both a moral person and a
moderator I should not let comments which slur a group of people based on their
skin color – whatever color that skin might be – go unchallenged. I was told
that this was not “moderator temperment,” particularly because there was another
moderator involved. It is now my perception that it is apparently okay to
publicly make statements based on skin color if one is a moderator, but it is
not okay to publicly challenge those statements if one is a moderator.
I note that was not the only poster who was offended by the remarks made by the
moderator. Other posters challenged her on that statement, from stating that it
“ruffled their feathers” to that it made them “VERY ANGRY.” One of those
posters cited a history of working against bigotry and for civil rights. My own
extended family is multiracial; I have worked for minority causes and marched in
more a few protests, and my ex-Jesuit husband has been shot at at least once by
an unhappy grower for daring to stand up for the rights of migrant farmworkers
in North Carolina. Nevertheless, this moderator felt that she could summarily
dismiss my opinions and the opinions of other posters – without knowing
anything about us except her assumptions regarding our skin color – with the
comment that “white people” have the luxury to ignore racial issues.
In today’s politically correct world it is not fashionable to bash gays, and so
on the “Gay Pride - WTF” thread in the Pit another moderator can call a member
poster a homophobe, a “jerkbag,” and a “bigot” and, a month later, still be
moderating. Indeed, when a member suggested to that moderator that he should
stay out of the discussion, a board administrator came in to defend him. It is
very fashionable, and politically correct, however, to bash whites – or to
minimize their sincerity or their understanding – when whites make statements
on racial issues that those who believe their own racial “credentials” are more
sympathetic do not agree with.
And so the person who made the sweeping generalization about a group of people
based upon the color of their skin will remain here to moderate among you, and
the person who challenged that sweeping generalization as being an arrogant and
racist comment will not.
I want to thank the Teeming Millions – and especially my beloved MPSIMSers –
for all the fun and support, for the EMs and the IMs that have come with being a
Board Moderator, as you have asked questions or sought assistance or shared
ideas. Your new MPSIMS moderator, Eutychus (Pat) is a great guy who was a
moderator on the old AOL board too (we could never figure what to call him –
the lone male in the midst of all those Board Goddesses! :)) My thanks to to
the other Board Moderators – except perhaps one – for the fun and support in
the past.
-Melin
One word, folks. SHEESH! For the love of God, people! We’ve had much worse wars over here! I frequented the thread in question, and there was NO REASON for Melin to be removed. Sigh And here I thought the SDMB was against censorship. Guess not.
Any bets on when this thread gets removed, folks?
“And the knowlege that they fear is a weapon to be used against them.”
-Neil Peart, RUSH, “The Weapon”
I have learned in a friendly discussion with the GQ moderator that he does not remember this the way I do.
So . . . I want to apologize to Nickrz for giving the mistaken impression that he had in any way “approved” my offending post before it was posted. He did not.
-Melin
Okay, so the moderators had a serious disagreement. Melin was fired over it. Whether that action was justified or not, I can understand how it happened. People have lost paying jobs for less reason.
But why delete the thread where it happened? No matter how vicious it got, I’m sure we’ve all seen worse arguments. If Melin said something really heinous and offensive (which I higly doubt), and the admins wanted to make sure her statements didn’t reflect badly on the SDMB, appending a disclaimer to her post would have done the trick. You know what I mean: “The opinions expressed here are not those of the Straight Dope, this message board, or its editorial staff.”
And to say that the termination was by mutual agreement, when it so obviously was not? For shame, TubaDiva! The Straight Dope is a forum for fighting ignorance, and spreading misinformation goes contrary to its most basic ideals.
All in all, I must say that I’m disappointed. I have come to expect better judgement from the management around here.
I’m sure someone will say that I shouldn’t jump to any conclusions, since we’ve only heard one side of the story. But Melin has always been a truthful person in my experience, and I have no reason to assume she would start lying now. As for the remainder of management, they’re not saying anything. If this were a “disgruntled former employee” situation, I’m sure that the people up top would have no problem saying so; I take their continued silence, not as proof, but at least as circumstantial evidence that Melin is stating the facts fairly.
I expected more from SD, Tuba, and Nickrz. As far as Jill, that is better left unsaid.
Why hasn’t Jill been fired?
Melin - it is obvious that you have a lot of friends who don’t want to see you leave. It appears that even the lurkers are un-lurking to show their support for you. Hopefully, the support doesn’t go unnoticed by the staff of SD.
>^,^<
KITTEN
Coarse and violent nudity. Occasional language.
I’m not as bothered about Melin being fired (although I’m sympathetic to the feelings of betrayal she’s probably experiencing) as I am about all these threads being deleted right and left. I think a clash of personalities is an adequate excuse for firing a moderator, but I can’t think of any excuse for the administrators’ Orwellian approach to shutting her up.
I agree with you Papa, but there is something more to the picture when a moderator gets fired for defending her views while another moderator (with a background with the SD) does not get fired for her bigoted comments.
>^,^<
KITTEN
Coarse and violent nudity. Occasional language.
These matters are addressed in the thread, “REPOSTED: ‘Fired for being politically incorrect,’” in the BBQ Pit.
Damnit Ed, it’s not a Pit question! Nothing to flame- just something to explain -
in plain, simple, grammatical English: why the “minorities” thread was censored; why one moderator was fired and another seemingly uncensured. These are indeed guestions that belong in this forum, not in the Pit.
-Randy-
Never thought I’d live to see Animal Farm.
A little full disclosure would have gone a long way here.
Thank you, Melin’s husband.
your humble TubaDiva
There’s a long Latin name for the illogical arguement you just made, Tuba. Sorry I can’t think of it right now.
I have no connection to Melin and I second what Randy just said. I don’t think all the people jumping on you in the Pit right now have anymore connection to Melin than I do.
You’re coming off looking like a very petty person, today. Perhaps you should sign off for the day before you make things worse.
TubaDiva is asking someone else for full disclosure? I have a mental picture of a little note: “Hey, kettle! You’re black! Signed, the pot.”
Whoever Highlander is, I agree with his point, and I said as much on the thread in the Pit. I think that Melin-related discussion has been moved to the flame forum because the moderators don’t want anyone taking it too seriously.
This has also been asked in the pit, but I’ll repeat it here: has anybody got a copy of the whole minorities thread? Lots of people want to read it, and see what got “the other moderator” so upset that she had to complain to the admins.
One caveat: Ed Zotti says that he “reserves the right” to edit the thread if anyone puts it back on the board. Somebody repost the thing, and we’ll see what happens.