# Can we discuss recent trends in moderation? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [November 16, 2022, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-discuss-recent-trends-in-moderation/975048 "2022-11-16T19:42:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2022, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-discuss-recent-trends-in-moderation/975048/21 "2022-11-16T23:58:42Z")
I can’t think of any major complaints about trends in moderation. > [@Aspenglow](#): > > You can do a search of just **What\_Exit** or **raventhief** or **Aspenglow** from the OP, and if it’s a fast-moving thread where you don’t want to review the whole thing, that’s a quick shortcut to see if you’ve missed a mod instruction. You can also search for “group:moderators” ~Max ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2022, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-discuss-recent-trends-in-moderation/975048/22 "2022-11-17T00:10:54Z")
Personally, I’m in the ‘moderation is just fine, thank you!’ camp. What I feel we’re seeing is the mods (in multiple forums, but especially GD and P&E) see a hijack starting and try to note it _early_, rather than some older threads where the hijack has gone on for 20+ posts and the thread has lost any relevance. So yeah, it looks more aggressive because they’re heading off the problem rather than closing the barn door after the horse has bolted. This has been especially important in the forums noted, and to only a slightly lesser extent in the MPSIMS breaking news threads. So here’s 🍺 to the mods trying to keep it in check. _Especially_ when in a large number of the recent moderation, one poster or another has _already_ posted “I know this is probably a hijack” and then gone ahead and continued it. IF you have recently typed this or a related phrase out, probably better to reconsider the post. Not that I haven’t been guilty at least once, so take it as constructive criticism, not a complaint, please and thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Win\_Place\_Show](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/win_place_show/32/13469_2.png) [@Win\_Place\_Show](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Win_Place_Show)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2022, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-discuss-recent-trends-in-moderation/975048/23 "2022-11-17T00:44:35Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > _Especially_ when in a large number of the recent moderation, one poster or another has _already_ posted “I know this is probably a hijack” and then gone ahead and continued it. Yep, I’ve seen that one in addition to the several-sentence intentional hijack, followed by a “but that’s probably a hijack that’s better discussed in its own thread” comment as a close. It’s like, how blatant can you be? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2022, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-discuss-recent-trends-in-moderation/975048/24 "2022-11-17T09:25:16Z")
> [@naita](#): > > Current moderation is just fine. _Better_ than fine. Current moderation is a vast improvement over moderation in the past in many forums, like GD, FQ and even this forum. And it’s not just the work of the current mods, but efforts started before them, like JC’s reforms in GD. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2022, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-discuss-recent-trends-in-moderation/975048/25 "2022-11-17T10:10:06Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > A lot of things that were acceptable a decade or two ago are no longer acceptable now. We can’t use the standards of the past to moderate in the present. Why is that? ---
**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:** [November 17, 2022, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-discuss-recent-trends-in-moderation/975048/26 "2022-11-17T10:14:17Z")
Do you really need someone to explain that? The casual misogyny of the past alone would be a good example where we needed to clean things up. Otherwise this board becomes the embarrassing uncle at Thanksgiving. ---
**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:** [November 17, 2022, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-discuss-recent-trends-in-moderation/975048/27 "2022-11-17T11:33:54Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > I can’t say I’ve noticed a lot more moderation re hijacking in other parts of the forum, but maybe I’ve just missed it. I’ve been protecting the Ukraine Invasion thread from Hijacks. That is a Breaking News thread in MPSIMS. I read that one at least daily and generally more often. I’ve had to stop hijacks about Musk 2 or 3 times already. Also other issues have popped up. I don’t normally Mod MPSIMS, this is kind of the exception as I’m very active reading it and occasionally posting to it as a poster. I don’t recall stopping hijacks in IMHO very often, it is a much looser forum than P&E and GD. The Café can get some major hijacks but once a thread is largely played out, we generally allow hijacks there. So there is a timing issue in that forum that is honestly very subjective and I just try to use my best judgement. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2022, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-discuss-recent-trends-in-moderation/975048/28 "2022-11-17T11:35:25Z")
For the same reason that _Blazing Saddles_ couldn’t be made today. The standards of acceptability are vastly different. ---
**Author:** ![colinfred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colinfred/32/21338_2.png) [@colinfred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colinfred)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2022, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-discuss-recent-trends-in-moderation/975048/29 "2022-11-17T11:38:13Z")
If _Blazing Saddles_ didn’t already exist, it could be made in 2022 verbatim no problems ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2022, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-discuss-recent-trends-in-moderation/975048/30 "2022-11-17T12:16:42Z")
> [@naita](#): > > Current moderation is just fine. I agree. The fact that posters are allowed to bring up these decisions and freely discuss them in threads is a good indication to me that this is a very fair discussion site. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2022, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-discuss-recent-trends-in-moderation/975048/31 "2022-11-17T12:53:59Z")
[Here’s a thread (warning: the prurient cringe levels are off the charts) that recently floated up, no doubt by a cornfielded zombie.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-find-women-in-pigtails-sexy-poll/204479) It was thankfully locked. Thank god this isn’t us anymore. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2022, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-discuss-recent-trends-in-moderation/975048/32 "2022-11-17T14:27:45Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > Thank god this isn’t us anymore. Amen. There have been some cases of modding that I’ve felt have been a little bit off the mark, but overall new rules and the more proactive modding are a net positive for the board. We went for a long time with under-modding IMHO, letting toxic posters scare off quality posters. If we swing back a little bit too far in the opposite direction before finding an equilibrium, I’m OK with that. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2022, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-discuss-recent-trends-in-moderation/975048/33 "2022-11-17T14:38:30Z")
> [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](#): > > Why is that? Because things like misogyny, homophobia and transphobia (as an example) are rightly considered to be disgusting and have no place in society. There are plenty of other places for people to be pigs if they so wish. The staff here are to be applauded for cracking down on that. They are also to be applauded for things like quickly tamping down on hijacks in breaking news threads. Nearly always the hijacks are innocently started but have the potential to spin out of control and ruin the thread. Those topics can be spun off elsewhere. The current thread on the US midterm election and the ongoing Ukraine invasion thread are great sources of information that haven’t gotten bogged down. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2022, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-discuss-recent-trends-in-moderation/975048/34 "2022-11-17T14:50:35Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > [Here’s a thread (warning: the prurient cringe levels are off the charts) that recently floated up, no doubt by a cornfielded zombie.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-find-women-in-pigtails-sexy-poll/204479) It was thankfully locked. > > Thank god this isn’t us anymore. Some really cringey replies in there. I’m pretty happy with the strong stances on unnecessary references to personal kinks or language that objectifies or demeans any specific individual or class of persons (sexually or otherwise). But I have noticed the much more active moderation of tangents. That is definitely a noticeable change in moderation. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2022, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-discuss-recent-trends-in-moderation/975048/35 "2022-11-17T15:22:20Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > For the same reason that _Blazing Saddles_ couldn’t be made today. As I mentioned elsewhere, I am a believer in free speech. I am also a believer in Mel Brooks. The would would be a worse place without _Blazing Saddles._ ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2022, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-discuss-recent-trends-in-moderation/975048/36 "2022-11-17T15:48:41Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Some really cringey replies in there. I’m pretty happy with the strong stances on unnecessary references to personal kinks or language that objectifies or demeans any specific individual or class of persons (sexually or otherwise). I would hope that if some of those posts were made today, they’d be _very_ heavily modded. > [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](#): > > As I mentioned elsewhere, I am a believer in free speech. That’s great. Do you think that I should be moderated if I were to insult you here? If so, then you believe that there should be limits to free speech, we are just debating where those limits are. If not, then that’s not a board I would be willing to participate in, and there are plenty of places that do not have moderation that you _could_. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2022, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-discuss-recent-trends-in-moderation/975048/37 "2022-11-17T15:55:16Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > That’s great. Do you think that I should be moderated if I were to insult you here No, not really. “Free speech is my right to say what you don’t want to hear.” -Eric Blair. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2022, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-discuss-recent-trends-in-moderation/975048/38 "2022-11-17T15:57:34Z")
> [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](#): > > As I mentioned elsewhere, I am a believer in free speech. I am also a believer in Mel Brooks. The would would be a worse place without _Blazing Saddles._ Mel was disgusted by bigotry in all forms. That movie pointed out, via parody, that bigots have no place in this world. He knew, as all intelligent people do, that using “free speech” as an excuse to spew foul views is cowardly at best. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2022, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-discuss-recent-trends-in-moderation/975048/39 "2022-11-17T16:00:45Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Mel was disgusted by bigotry in all forms. And yet, if the posts upstream are to be believed, in this modern era we would not allow him to make _Blazing Saddles._ ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2022, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-discuss-recent-trends-in-moderation/975048/40 "2022-11-17T16:01:02Z")
> [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](#): > > “Free speech is my right to say what you don’t want to hear.” -Eric Blair. That’s (sort of) a quote by Orwell in his original introduction to Animal Farm. The actual quote is: “If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” From the same essay: > Now, when one demands liberty of speech and of the press, **one is not demanding absolute liberty.** **There always must be, or at any rate there always will be, some degree of censorship, so long as organized societies endure.** But freedom, as Rosa Luxemburg said, is “freedom for the other fellow.” The same principle is contained in the famous words of Voltaire: “I detest what you say; I will defend to the death your right to say it.” If the intellectual liberty which without a doubt has been one of the distinguishing marks of Western civilization means anything at all, it means that everyone shall have the right to say and to print what he believes to be the truth, **provided only that it does not harm the rest of the community in some quite unmistakeable way.** Bolding mine. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-discuss-recent-trends-in-moderation/975048.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-discuss-recent-trends-in-moderation/975048.md?page=3)