Dex seems to be really tightening the rules three offical warnings in one post…when I don’t think even one is merited.
over a general comment about people that don’t like the LOTR movies
over…ummm I’m not even sure what it’s over? He made a snarky comment in one post but I’d hardly call it anything someone would give a warning over. Maybe I missed the one he’s upset about.
Here Equipoise was talking about authors of a work criticizing LOTR…how this violates board rules is beyond me.
Well posted too soon. He just put a retraction in the thread. Move along nothing to see here.
It still speaks to a general stance of over-reacting and hysteria
I’m chiming in rather late here, but I have a problem with moving/deleting posts as a matter of policy. Unless it’s trolling or spam, I think the more transparent and better solution is to lock the thread and/or leave the offending post up. The mods here generally do a good job, but “it was really bad, take our word for it” doesn’t inspire much confidence, especially when accompanied by an overly impassioned warning.
Now, maybe this was a worthwhile exception to the general policy of not deleting/removing offending posts. I’ll never know. I am somewhat skeptical though, since I am unaware of this ever happening before.
I think Dex overreacted in his warning, and quite possibly (probably?) erred in judgment in removing the offending post. I sincerely hope not to see either action from the mods in the future.
Perhaps I’m just generally confused and lost (wouldn’t be the first time) but do you have a link? I can’t find a retraction anywhere.
(Or am I being whooshed?)
Feydeau, are you sure you’re looking at this thread? Darkhold suddenly switched threads on ya. (Warning on page 3, retraction on pg 4).
Or more properly, here.
To me, it’s really simple. The admins are often really bad as mods. Think of some the stunts TubaDiva has pulled. CKDH has made two questionable, over-the-top calls in the last week. Maybe a warning was in order to Weirdave, as it did seem like bit of a low blow, but CKDH’s response was filled with far more invective than Weirddave’s initial comment. More importantly, I can’t check my recollection of the post because CKDH blew it away. I guess it could be in a Google cache somewhere.
Hmm, since this is the pit, why not just post it here?
This is what Weirddave allegedly said. Maybe someone can verify it?
The anon boards are not the most reliable place to go looking for accurate information. That was not my post.
Then, care to enlighted us as to what it was?
So, are you saying that there was no way for Mr. Dexter to fulfill his role as a mod without resorting to personal insults?
Since we cannot see the post, I have no comment on the rest.
I remember this line (paraphrased): “Now’s your chance to defend that dogsuck of a movie of yours.”
That sticks in my mind because I’d never heard the word “dogsuck” before.
Well, if I had the post, I wouldn’t post it because the administration has ruled it inapropriate, but beyond that, I don’t have the post. Other people may archive everything they post on their hard drive, but I don’t. I’ve even thought “Wow, maybe it came out a lot harsher than I intended” since everything went down, but the post is disappeared from my sight too, so I’m in the same boat as everyone else.
Actually, forget my previous post. I just want an official answer to this question. It is a simple yes or no and there is no evasion possible, no need ro explanation or justification either. It is simple, yes or no.
Is it ok, for a moderator, acting in official capacity outside the pit, to use a personal insult against a poster when there is no related value to the insult? (i.e. you are not calling them a troll, which is not an insult IMHO, or a sock)
To gain the answer to your question, read the post you just quotred, AGAIN. Or read the thread entitled “Can Manhatten swear when closing a pit thread?” ( Ihad it hyperlinked. I can’t find it now, however.)
Short answer: Yes.
Long answer: Yes, you $%&*(!
See the result? without the post, we get to play a game. Do we believe Dex wouldn’t go ballistic w/o sufficient and just cause or do we believe that dave wouldn’t do anything that bad.
we have on the one side, Dex saying ‘trust me’ and dave on the other with “Gosh oh gee”.
Bad decision.
Well, see, I should pay more attention. I was still in the Stupid Movie Awards thread.
Nothing to see here, move along.
I would prefer an answer from a mod, thanks. Someone will probably be personally offended by my criticism and I regret that. I might even get insulted, who knows.
The original post by ‘This Year’ discussed calling someone a troll or a sock. A sock, is definetely not an insult. A troll, if used properly is not.
I just want to make sure the rules are clear here. Quite frankly, I am extremely disappointed in the lack of response.
I reflect upon all the criticisms I have seen on this board about the current president, the government, the police and anyone who is in power. In the cause of fighting ignorance, many on this board, including myself, have asserted that individuals in power subvert the rules and systems to maintain their aura of power. I have always been displeased with this in our society.
I cannot understand why individuals who have even the smallest amount of power, like a mod on these boards, protect it as if it is their birthright. That there is some notion of divine infallibility associated with the position. I never have, nor will I ever, hold those individuals up to that standard. They are just people, acting in a position, doing good, doing bad.
People in power, even when they are wrong, dance and prance and tip-toe around the issue. I have seen this at work and in the public. My husband has experienced it. He tells me so many stories about how people are amazed when he simply admits that he was wrong because it is the common cultural expectation to try and justify yourself. Nonetheless, he is subject to the same pressures and sometimes I have to remind him (and myself) of this fact. We have both watched individuals with false pride and arrogance, caught up in their petty power trips, go down. This particular case is not an egregious example of this phenomena, but the root cause is the same.
How many times have we read posts by those on this board that criticize Bush for lieing about WMD’s, only to get incredible frustrated when some apologist comes and says, well he never technically lied, you see blah blah blah? Probably just as frustrated as people who criticize Clinton get when his apologists play word games with things like “sexual relations”.
I guess, I had a higher expectation from those who are purported to be the leaders of a board dedicated to fighting ignorance.
I don’t care about whether or not Weirddave deserved a warning. I cannot comment on the nature of the post because it is hidden. I disagree with the majority of the things that Wierddave says (no offense Dave), so I am not supporting his position. In addition, I agree with 99.9% of the moderator decisions, but this does not mean that I grant them infallibility.
I simply, and firmly, assert that if rules say you cannot insult someone outside the pit, then they apply to all. Too often we as a society allow our leaders to use the infamous “do as I say, not as I do approach”. Parents who smoke, who tell their children not to, question why their children disobey them. Bosses who come in at 10:30, take 2 hour lunches and take home office supplies wonder why their employees resent their actions and do not follow the rules themselves. A society, built around justifying our own behavior, while criticizing the decisions of others, wonders why we are so litigious.
This board, devoted to fighting ignorance, should demand more from the moderators.
When they make a mistake, which they have and will, they should have the moral courage and ability to simply say, your right, I was wrong. The rules apply to me too, I am not above them. But, for some reason, even someone with a tiny bit of power believes one of two things: 1) they are above the law/rules, or 2) They cannot admit fault- for whatever reason.
I daresay that all of our fighting ignorance is doomed to fail if the leaders we choose in our own little debating world cannot live up to this expectation.
I realize that by offering criticism, many will take it as an insult. It really is not. It is simply a criticism that I sincerely hope will be reflected upon. I will never be perfect and it would be hypocritical to want others to be the same. I just want parity, equality and fairness.
The rules are very clear.
I have never heard any examples of mods acting like it is their birthright. I suspect the blame lies in your perception.
Think of it this way. A mod is like your mom. They have to watch over you, clean up the goldfish you forgot to feed, etc. Occasionally, she might swear at you because you were not doing the right thing, or because she was feed-up. Now, you will not be allowed to swear at your mother in return. Conflict? I think not.