# Bad Moderation in the "What happens politically if gas prices go through the roof?" thread **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [March 2, 2026, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-moderation-in-the-what-happens-politically-if-gas-prices-go-through-the-roof-thread/1028143 "2026-03-02T16:14:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-moderation-in-the-what-happens-politically-if-gas-prices-go-through-the-roof-thread/1028143/1 "2026-03-02T16:14:37Z")
In [this thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-politically-if-gas-prices-go-through-the-roof/1028133/20), two people including me have been moderated for so-called off topic" remarks that look completely _on_ topic to me. How can anyone discuss the political reactions to prices _without_ being allowed to discuss political reaction to prices? All I see is people getting slapped down totally arbitrarily. If we aren’t allowed to talk about the topic just say so. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-moderation-in-the-what-happens-politically-if-gas-prices-go-through-the-roof-thread/1028143/2 "2026-03-02T16:15:47Z")
You mean your rant about people living under overpasses and cooking squirrels? > [@What happens politically if gas prices go through the roof?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-politically-if-gas-prices-go-through-the-roof/1028133/18): > > What’s the line? Something like “America is full of millions of people who will be willingly reduced to living under a bridge eating a squirrel off a stick, if it means the people they hate don’t have a squirrel or a stick.” ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-moderation-in-the-what-happens-politically-if-gas-prices-go-through-the-roof-thread/1028143/3 "2026-03-02T16:19:11Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > You mean your rant about people living under overpasses and cooking squirrels? A paraphrase of a quote, not a “rant”. One making the important point that the country is full of people who prioritize hatred over self interest. An important thing to consider in a thread about _politics._ ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-moderation-in-the-what-happens-politically-if-gas-prices-go-through-the-roof-thread/1028143/4 "2026-03-02T16:19:22Z")
> **[Of Sparrows and Curtain Rods](https://outsidetheinterzone.blogspot.com/2009/10/of-sparrows-and-curtain-rods.html)** > > Here's a comment that I shunted off onto the back burner a few days ago, hoping to find a larger context to place it in. However, after con... ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-moderation-in-the-what-happens-politically-if-gas-prices-go-through-the-roof-thread/1028143/5 "2026-03-02T16:20:02Z")
Thank you, that’s the quote I was trying to (badly) remember. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-moderation-in-the-what-happens-politically-if-gas-prices-go-through-the-roof-thread/1028143/6 "2026-03-02T16:24:18Z")
That thread is specifically about gas prices; there’s plenty to discuss specifically on that topic without bringing in adjacent examples of MAGA insanity. I believe that’s where What\_Exit is drawing the line. I don’t see an issue with that; it will otherwise turn into another Trump complaint thread, no different from the others. And I say this as someone who thinks What\_Exit is sometimes too heavy-handed with moderation. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-moderation-in-the-what-happens-politically-if-gas-prices-go-through-the-roof-thread/1028143/7 "2026-03-02T16:25:20Z")
I agree with the OP, **Mighty\_Mouse** ’s post was talking about the _political_ attitudes of their coworkers on economic issues, if that’s off-topic in a thread called “What happens politically if gas prices go through the roof?” what is _on-topic_? Moreover, I think the mods efforts to keep threads “on-topic” is getting too extreme these days, we should relax a bit and let topics wander a bit, nobody is going to die or _worse_ stop reading/posting in the SDMB because a thread was not strictly on-topic for a post or five. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-moderation-in-the-what-happens-politically-if-gas-prices-go-through-the-roof-thread/1028143/8 "2026-03-02T16:34:53Z")
I don’t think that “off topic” is the mot juste for those posts, more that they do not conform to the usual seriousness that some people at least expect in P&E. They were, if I may so put it, too hyperbolic to contribute much to a serious discussion. Are MAGA voters willing to follow Trump, open-eyed, off the edge of a cliff? That’s a valid question, one that deserves a serious-minded discussion, more than cheap caricature. This is just my opinion, of course, and I have not generally seen mods modding on the basis of style, at least not much. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-moderation-in-the-what-happens-politically-if-gas-prices-go-through-the-roof-thread/1028143/9 "2026-03-02T16:42:12Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > That’s a valid question, one that deserves a serious-minded discussion, more than cheap caricature. Cheap caricature? The irony burns. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-moderation-in-the-what-happens-politically-if-gas-prices-go-through-the-roof-thread/1028143/10 "2026-03-02T16:53:20Z")
1. The mod note explicitly said “Please, no replies that take us further off the topic of the OP” 2. Since when is a mod’s job to police “the tone” of a post? unless the poster is being a jerk (which is not the case in this thread). ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-moderation-in-the-what-happens-politically-if-gas-prices-go-through-the-roof-thread/1028143/11 "2026-03-02T17:00:33Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > I agree with the OP, **Mighty\_Mouse** ’s post was talking about the _political_ attitudes of their coworkers on economic issues, if that’s off-topic in a thread called “What happens politically if gas prices go through the roof?” what is _on-topic_? Quoting this to upvote the sentiment. If that post was off-topic, then just close the thread as the subject is unsuitable for discussion on SDMB. But that’s a ridiculous conclusion, you say? Well yes, that is ridiculous; that’s the point we’re making. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-moderation-in-the-what-happens-politically-if-gas-prices-go-through-the-roof-thread/1028143/12 "2026-03-02T17:03:45Z")
I don’t feel I was policing tone, not even sure what you mean by that here. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-moderation-in-the-what-happens-politically-if-gas-prices-go-through-the-roof-thread/1028143/13 "2026-03-02T17:09:22Z")
He’s replying to a poster who tried to justify you moderation by saying that my post was not off topic, but a cheap caricature, and that you were moderating for tone, not for being off topic. Your argument is with Roderick-Femm’s characterization of your moderation, not Frodo. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-moderation-in-the-what-happens-politically-if-gas-prices-go-through-the-roof-thread/1028143/14 "2026-03-02T17:11:29Z")
I wasn’t policing tone, I was moderating that replies to your post could easily go off topic into discussion about minimum wage and such. I didn’t even hide yours in fact. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-moderation-in-the-what-happens-politically-if-gas-prices-go-through-the-roof-thread/1028143/15 "2026-03-02T17:30:12Z")
> [@Dorjan](#): > > That thread is specifically about gas prices; there’s plenty to discuss specifically on that topic without bringing in adjacent examples of MAGA insanity. I believe that’s where What\_Exit is drawing the line. I don’t see an issue with that; it will otherwise turn into another Trump complaint thread, no different from the others. Right. Not a bad call, and it was only a Note. If it had been a warning then the OP would have had a more valid complaint. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-moderation-in-the-what-happens-politically-if-gas-prices-go-through-the-roof-thread/1028143/16 "2026-03-02T17:31:55Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > Moreover, I think the mods efforts to keep threads “on-topic” is getting too extreme these days, we should relax a bit and let topics wander a bit, nobody is going to die or _worse_ stop reading/posting in the SDMB because a thread was not strictly on-topic for a post or five. I’m just going to weigh in here with a general comment. I agree with this sentiment, but don’t blame the mods. There have been a bunch of complaints about moderation in recent months that all have one thing in common – it’s not about any particular mod, it’s about a policy about strict moderation for staying on topic in P&E which the mods are all trying to follow. It was first stated by the late **Colibri** as follows: > **Hijacks.** This is, perhaps, the single largest and most important change to the rules in Great Debates and Politics and Elections made in 2020. Staying on topic is a strong goal of Great Debates and Politics and Elections moving forward. I don’t know if this came just from Colibri or directly from Ed, but while it expresses a valid goal, I do think it’s being taken to extremes and that the policy should be revisited and loosened up just a bit, because it seems to be causing more grief for posters than any problem it actually solves. Again, not the fault of anyone, but I think loosening the rule just a tad would make the board a happier place with less grumbling in ATMB, and fewer instances of posters so concerned about being sanctioned for something deemed not exactly on topic that they don’t post at all. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-moderation-in-the-what-happens-politically-if-gas-prices-go-through-the-roof-thread/1028143/17 "2026-03-02T17:45:45Z")
All the people that made the current policies for P&E are dead and have been for years. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-moderation-in-the-what-happens-politically-if-gas-prices-go-through-the-roof-thread/1028143/18 "2026-03-02T18:07:33Z")
> [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > Your argument is with Roderick-Femm’s characterization of your moderation, not Frodo. I did not say anyone was policing for tone, I said that modding for “off-topic” seemed off-base to me, and that the parts of those posts that struck me badly were the hyperbole. I was wrong about that part. I now think they were in fact veering off topic. Here’s the sequence as I see it: What will happen if gas prices skyrocket? Some answers: Trump voters will at some point become disgruntled with it. Some reasons provided. Other answers: Trump voters will not become disgruntled. Some reasons provided, including some about the nature of Trump voters. Why are Trump voters like that? (and this is where the veering starts) Because they hate certain people so much they don’t care about their own interests, etc. etc. What I conclude from this is that discussions of “why are Trump voters like that?” is a well-traveled road and not strictly relevant to this thread. At least according to the moderation applied. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-moderation-in-the-what-happens-politically-if-gas-prices-go-through-the-roof-thread/1028143/19 "2026-03-02T18:13:43Z")
I note that there’s now been several posts about _whether_ oil prices will go up, which have not been modded despite being definitely “off topic” by any strict standard. Not that I want them to be, but I can’t help but note the inconsistency. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-moderation-in-the-what-happens-politically-if-gas-prices-go-through-the-roof-thread/1028143/20 "2026-03-02T18:20:40Z")
I agree, but **Roderick-Femm** post advanced the theory that you were. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-moderation-in-the-what-happens-politically-if-gas-prices-go-through-the-roof-thread/1028143.md?page=2)