# Conduct Unbecoming a Moderator
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduct-unbecoming-a-moderator/94771
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [November 22, 2001, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduct-unbecoming-a-moderator/94771 "2001-11-22T15:41:06Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2001, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduct-unbecoming-a-moderator/94771/1 "2001-11-22T15:41:06Z")
It has been brought to my attention that some have thought that my remarks taking Libertarian to task in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=100066) were not those than an even-handed moderator should have made. In looking back at the situation, I can see that that is correct. Although the sentiments remain the same, the way I phrased them were too way over the top for someone in my position. I humbly apologize to anyone I might have offended.
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### Author:  [@kabbes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kabbes)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2001, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduct-unbecoming-a-moderator/94771/2 "2001-11-22T15:55:52Z")
Not that I have an opinion either way, but do you also think that it was right to lock the thread? If not, are you intending to unlock it?
pan
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### Author:  [@Feynn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Feynn)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2001, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduct-unbecoming-a-moderator/94771/3 "2001-11-22T15:57:51Z")
I don’t know if you really need to apologize… and who said that moderators were “even handed”?
I hear they’re all a bunch of Nazis, (except you of course).
BTW… I wasn’t offended.
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### Author:  [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2001, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduct-unbecoming-a-moderator/94771/4 "2001-11-22T15:59:40Z")
Bullshit. Libertarians little post there was a blatant case of mawkish point scoring. And as for this:
> [@](#):
>
> One or two might have envied him his success. One or two might have huffed when he got his award. One or two might have cried foul when he won the vote. They are the one’s with strong character, of course. They are the one’s we all should emulate. For their sake, he should never have gotten any award at all.
Fuck me, all this because some people pointed out the flaws in his little self elected council. Fuck that shit. If anyone’s got some apologies and retractions to make, it’s not you.
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### Author:  [@Gartog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gartog)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2001, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduct-unbecoming-a-moderator/94771/5 "2001-11-22T16:01:07Z")
I was just wondering, is this the right forum for an apology? Or would it recieve a better responce in MPSIMS where the referenced thread was?
And I thought it was fairly clear that you were speaking without the moderator hat. Although I can understand the viewpoint that with the ‘Moderator’ label, you never really take it off.
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### Author:  [@kabbes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kabbes)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2001, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduct-unbecoming-a-moderator/94771/6 "2001-11-22T16:05:13Z")
**Gary** - I think that the problem here is more that:
1. **Euty’s** reaction as a non-moderator that has just been insulted is entirely reasonable.
2. **Euty’s** action as a moderator in closing the thread is entirely reasonable; but
3. When you put them both together, you don’t have an even-handed moderator decision. You have a pissed-off member that happens to have extra powers.
But I think it would be a nice touch if **Lib** apologised too. Aside from anything else, I’d ask him if his brother would have approved of using the example of his life to make cheap points on a message board. It seems incredibly tacky to me.
pan
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### Author:  [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2001, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduct-unbecoming-a-moderator/94771/7 "2001-11-22T16:11:46Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by kabbes \*
>
> 1. **Euty’s** reaction as a non-moderator that has just been insulted is entirely reasonable.
>
> 2. **Euty’s** action as a moderator in closing the thread is entirely reasonable; but
>
> 3. When you put them both together, you don’t have an even-handed moderator decision. You have a pissed-off member that happens to have extra powers.\*\*
Sorry **kabbes** , I agree with points 1 & 2, but not 3. Closing the thread was reasonable, and the reaction to the comments made was reasonable.
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### Author:  [@Mr.Cynical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Cynical)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2001, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduct-unbecoming-a-moderator/94771/8 "2001-11-22T16:34:21Z")
Why disagree with the man when he’s attempting to atone for what HE feels to have been a transgression? Let him atone, and he will feel better.
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### Author:  [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2001, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduct-unbecoming-a-moderator/94771/9 "2001-11-22T16:39:21Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Mr. Cynical \*
> \*\*Why disagree with the man when he’s attempting to atone for what HE feels to have been a transgression? Let him atone, and he will feel better. \*\*
Fair point, but you could also argue that it’s wrong to let someone take responsiblity for something they didn’t do.
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### Author:  [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2001, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduct-unbecoming-a-moderator/94771/10 "2001-11-22T16:55:18Z")
We have tended to acknowledge and praise the nobility of posters who are able to come forward in public and say “I was wrong, I’m sorry” when they think it appropriate.
I doubt that it is inherently any easier to do so when one is a moderator.
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### Author:  [@Medea\_s\_Child](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Medea_s_Child)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2001, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduct-unbecoming-a-moderator/94771/11 "2001-11-22T17:57:18Z")
Euty, You are an increasingly amazing and worthy individual.
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### Author:  [@DPWhite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPWhite)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2001, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduct-unbecoming-a-moderator/94771/12 "2001-11-22T18:03:45Z")
I’ve read all the threads related now and I think everybody needs to get out of the house.
1. Posting awards. With 19,000 members, 95,000 threads and 1.75 million posts, this is just not practical and cannot possibly be done in a way that does not offend some of the senstive egos that reside here, not to mention the not so sensitive ones.
2. Lib, that was a beautiful story about your brother who was a beautiful person. But it is apparent from the story that your brother was not motiviated by recognition to be the wonderful person he was. As far as argument goes, it violated the rules of logic in that it was only an “appeal to pity” (technical term) and the conclusion didn’t follow in any event.
3. Eut, your reaction was a bit over the top, you are hereby named “immoderator” for a day. I might suggest that in the future that you do not post the “f” word. Grown-ups, while known to utter such things when banging hammers on thumbs, have no excuse for posting such usage on the world wide web, even if it is allowed. By now you see how silly and inarticulate it makes you look.
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### Author:  [@Slip\_Mahoney](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slip_Mahoney)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2001, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduct-unbecoming-a-moderator/94771/13 "2001-11-22T18:04:54Z")
Euty didn’t close the thread. Coldfire did.
Libertarian insulted a lot of people in that thread.
Euty, on the other hand, showed nothing but restraint and civility.
You have nothing to apologize for, Euty.
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### Author:  [@DPWhite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPWhite)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2001, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduct-unbecoming-a-moderator/94771/14 "2001-11-22T18:23:34Z")
Slip, perhaps Liberatian “offended” a lot of people in the thread (I wasn’t, but I could see that others might be), but I didn’t see any “insults”. Lib is pretty good about not directly insulting people.
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### Author:  [@k.os](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k.os)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2001, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduct-unbecoming-a-moderator/94771/15 "2001-11-22T18:59:40Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Slip Mahoney \*
> \*\*Euty didn’t close the thread. Coldfire did. […]
> Euty, on the other hand, showed nothing but restraint and civility. You have nothing to apologize for, Euty. \*\*
> [@](#):
>
> _Originally posted by Eutychus55_
> **I am closing this thread and I will not see another thread on this subject on this board or you will be in danger of losing your posting priviledges.**
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### Author:  [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2001, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduct-unbecoming-a-moderator/94771/16 "2001-11-22T19:01:55Z")
k.os, I think they mean Coldfire closed the ORIGINAL tread.
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### Author:  [@k.os](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k.os)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2001, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduct-unbecoming-a-moderator/94771/17 "2001-11-22T19:04:38Z")
If that is the case, I stand corrected.
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### Author:  [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2001, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduct-unbecoming-a-moderator/94771/18 "2001-11-22T19:20:15Z")
**Euty**
You do a great job, I reckon some of the nasty little attacks you have to put up with and yet remain civil would test any person.
Maybe you were out of order, but hell, we’ve all got personality and opinion, trying to be proffessional by not letting them escape is one tough job which you do well.
You can run for president anytime, maybe there’d be more integrity around, anyways you have my vote already.
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### Author:  [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2001, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduct-unbecoming-a-moderator/94771/19 "2001-11-22T19:30:15Z")
**Euty** , I thought it was way over the top for a moderator.
But you have shown yourself to be a good moderator in the past, and this apology proves it. Bad days happen to everyone.
PS- I knew he had his Mod hat on, because there was a mention of suspension of **Lib** ’s posting privledges.
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### Author:  [@kellibelli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellibelli)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2001, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduct-unbecoming-a-moderator/94771/20 "2001-11-22T21:35:17Z")
Mental illness is never fun to see, and to watch a meltdown on a message board is very sad. Lib, get some help, push the chair away from the desk, go outside - SOMETHING.
Euty, you had your buttons pushed, dont sweat it, Manny is way worse than that! 😉
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