yea, I remember manny’s acerbic ways. and ya know what? lots has changed since then. Read the threads where Satan got banned and reflect that at the time, there still were rules about insults only in the pit. Yet he only got warned. before his ultimate banning.
Lots slid by back then that doesn’t now. hell, even the level of swearing and cussing is different (note I"m not saying one’s better than the other, just noting that the rules have become much more tightly enforced, especially in the last couple of years).
My understanding is that mods have always been granted a certain amount of leeway when it comes to reprimanding people. If someone is breaking the rules in a particularly egregious or obnoxious fashion, a vanilla “poster X, that is against the rules, please don’t do it again” is…unsatisfying. Some rule violations warrant a scolding, and it’s difficult to scold someone without being in any way insulting.
That said, we try not to be dicks. If I started out every warning with “listen, you stupid asshole,” it wouldn’t fly, even in the Pit where personal insults are allowed. As imperfect human mods, we may fly off the handle or be unnecessarily harsh at times, but I think those cases are the exception rather than the rule. Personally, I’d rather a moderator be able to speak plainly and directly when necessary than to be straightjacketed by rules solely for the sake of absolute consistancy.
and we’re back to “If we knew what the fuck inspired Dex to fly off the handle, then maybe we’d agree”.
But again, not only must we ‘trust you’ that it was awful enough to hide, but it was awful enough to cause a normally even tempered person to fly off the handle.
and in case you’re thinking well, shouldn’t that be understood?
nope, not in the slightest. Normally, I’m (IRL) an even temepered person. I rarely raise my voice. Very rarely. BUt I recall some 20 years ago, I got really pisssed off when a client asked me for a light (for her cig) and I wrote her up a major misconduct. But added a note “by the way, I just quit smoking and it’s ever so slightly a possability that I over reacted about this”. the ticket was never processed. Fine by me. Later on in life, I went to my family doctor 'cause I was way over reacting to very minor crap - seemed I had a (as it turned out temporary) sugar imbalance, sugar imbalance cured, no more overreactions.
So, if you (metaphorical you) want us (metaphorical) to understand and accept that at times y’all may be provoked to respond so harshly that the rules should (temporarily) not apply to you, it’d behoove you to allow us to see what the fuck so riled you.
If you (metaphorical you) want us (metaphorical) to understand that some posts are just too bad to be seen, it’d behoove you to abide by the rules of the forum or at least note for the record that you regret the breaking of forum rules.
Actually, we’re not. I was answering Lissa’s question on whether or not I think mods should be prohibited from using personal insults outside of the Pit, not commenting on Dex’s decision to hide Weirddave’s post.
Personally, I think hiding the post in this situation was a mistake. Dex felt otherwise, and it was his call to make. It happens. All the mods aren’t always going to agree with every decision by every other mod. We’re not a hive mind, and the judgement call of a single mod in a specific situation does not automatically represent a unanimous policy shift by the board. The sky is not falling.
nope, the metaphorical “we” are. Your personal answer doesn’t change that.
Me too. The “single me”, not the metaphorical version. I understand it’s Dex s call to make. I’m hoping (in vain probably) that he’ll change his mind.
cite?
(actually this summer the roof at my office collapsed suddenly. yep the whole roof. yep suddenly -as in seconds. IT’s not really as funny IRL as it may sound)
Huh. I thought I was part of the “we”, since you were responding to my post. But go ahead, kick me out of your “we”, see if I care. I’ll just make my own “we” and it’ll be like a hundred times better than yours!
If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got something in my eye…
Hiding posts of established members is an extremely bad precedent to set, even if the post was “trolling,” as Dex alleged on page 2 of this thread. The decision to warn Weirddave (and the harshness of the warning) do not bother me nearly as much as the act of censorship and secrecy.
I just think it was a stupid move. Warn, email even ban but to delete the post is just silly IMO.
Look what it’s led to. This 4 page thread with people guessing what he said. Admin and posters who saw the post disagreeing about it’s meaning/context. The anons making shit up and putting false words in dave’s mouth etc. A re-examination of the whole Showgirls/ Starship Troopers bollocks.
Way to calm things down. Crap admin/moderation IMO and the reaction was totally expected as this is what happens every time this kind of crap is pulled.
Leaders are the example. They must set that expectation. My mother would be dead wrong and would deserve a curse in response. If you swear at your children, don’t be surprised when they do it to you.
Certainly, the thing to be most jealously protected on the SDMB is freedom of speech. Censorship in all its forms must be resisted (and first ruthlessly identified - it may be masquerading behind flippancy or its opposite, solemness). Regarding leaders, it is useful to remember that ‘classes never rule, any more than nations. The rulers are always certain persons. And whatever class they may have belonged to, when they are rulers they belong to the ruling class.’
Left and right, Unitarian Universalists and Mere Christians - we can all appreciate that.