# Context While Modding

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/context-while-modding/819690>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [August 15, 2018, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/context-while-modding/819690 "2018-08-15T21:58:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 21

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**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/context-while-modding/819690/21 "2018-08-16T15:48:44Z")

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> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#):
>
> There are obvious insults and they are easy to deal with. Much of the time, though, comments can and should be dismissed as “what you just \*said \*is dumb” rather than “you are a stupid poopyhead.” That won’t change the civility of a thread. Contentious threads aren’t civil in the first place. Mods can still come in and tell everybody to tone it down. Pretty much everything would stay the same except that the mods wouldn’t have to mind-read intent. Nor would they have to go back and read through every post to parse who exactly said what to whom that is being referred to by third parties and commented on by fourth. We know that happens because very often mods explicitly say they don’t have time to do that.

To me, it’s an obvious insult when someone insults a person. What makes an insult obvious to you?

Here’s some context from that thread:

> [@How likely is this scenario? Global warming at 4C](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-likely-is-this-scenario-global-warming-at-4c/819484/17):
>
> Odd. I would have expected an expert of your magnitude to be able to read the caption on a chart. That first diagram clearly says “ **present** climate.”
> 
> Most of the rest of us would therefore read on to the **second** diagram, which has the projected future aridification that I mention.

That looks like sarcasm directed at the same poster to me. The post that is in the OP comes after that. That makes the comment look more like an insult to me.

> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#):
>
> It’s a small change, a matter of kicking the line over a bit, and certainly not erasing it.

What would that change look like? How would you define that line?

So far, I’m not following how you would know which insults are obvious.

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