# Can the mods require a poster to reply to a question?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-mods-require-a-poster-to-reply-to-a-question/925356>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [November 11, 2020, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-mods-require-a-poster-to-reply-to-a-question/925356 "2020-11-11T19:02:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 25

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**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\
**Post date:** [November 12, 2020, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-mods-require-a-poster-to-reply-to-a-question/925356/25 "2020-11-12T00:04:41Z")

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> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#):
>
> So a moderator command to back it up is inappropriate, especially if, as is the case here, the moderator themselves is a partisan of the other side of the argument, and apt to see things as more black and white than they actually are.

This is my concern here. **What Exit** was participating in the thread as a poster, and asked questions twice of **Kearsen1**. Then suddenly he puts the modhat on and insists that **Kearsen1** answer the question.

I don’t think a mod should be doing both in the same thread. It makes it looks like if you’re engaging with a mod in a discussion, suddenly you face discipline if the mod doesn’t think you’re not replying to his questions as a poster. It’s bad to mix the two functions.

Here’s my extracts from that thread. **What Exit** made four posts, apparently as a poster:

**Post 55:**

> [@"Supreme Court to hear latest challenge to the Affordable Care Act"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supreme-court-to-hear-latest-challenge-to-the-affordable-care-act/925227/56):
>
> Actually can you back up this statement please,
> 
> > [@"Supreme Court to hear latest challenge to the Affordable Care Act"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supreme-court-to-hear-latest-challenge-to-the-affordable-care-act/925227/44):
> >
> > It was aimed at helping a small subset of people to the detriment of a whole lot of others.
> 
> You’re asking a lot of questions, even after they’re answered. So please, back up this statement that appears to be false at first glance.

**Post 62:**

> [@"Supreme Court to hear latest challenge to the Affordable Care Act"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supreme-court-to-hear-latest-challenge-to-the-affordable-care-act/925227/62):
>
> Yes, how many people had rates go up? How many people had to find new doctors.
> 
> Show some work where somehow 20 million people is a small number compared to that number.

Comment to **Procrustus** in **post 70.**

General comment at **post 73**.

And then the mod comment at **post 83** :

> [@"Supreme Court to hear latest challenge to the Affordable Care Act"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supreme-court-to-hear-latest-challenge-to-the-affordable-care-act/925227/83):
>
> You still haven’t answered the question. You made what appears to be an incorrect claim above. Please back it up or apologize for the mistake.
> 
> **Modhat: I’m not allowing you to ignore this.**

**What Exit** was clearly participating in the thread as a poster, expressing his opinions, but put the modhat on when **Kearsen1** didn’t respond to his questions, demanding that **Kearsen1** answer his questions.

Reading the thread, I had thought **What Exit** was posting as a thread participant. That was why it was so jarring when he insisted as a mod that **Kearsen1** answer his question.

That’s not a power that any regular poster has.

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