# Dex: Clarify, please **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [August 9, 2011, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dex-clarify-please/592082 "2011-08-09T14:30:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dex-clarify-please/592082/1 "2011-08-09T14:30:58Z")
In [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=619468) you said: > [@The non-offensive version of soulfrost's "Madam, I must protest"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-non-offensive-version-of-soulfrosts-madam-i-must-protest/591913/44): > > Public defense of mod action is usually (like in this case) when we’re unanimous… which, frankly, happens WAY more often than not. Later in the same thread, Twickster said: > [@The non-offensive version of soulfrost's "Madam, I must protest"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-non-offensive-version-of-soulfrosts-madam-i-must-protest/591913/91): > > **Bricker** , no, the decision in this case was not unanimous. **Dex** definitely misspoke in implying that it was. Obviously, both statements cannot be true. I’d like an explanation. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dex-clarify-please/592082/2 "2011-08-09T14:34:41Z")
At least one mod disagreed. Glad I could help. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dex-clarify-please/592082/3 "2011-08-09T14:41:56Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > I’d like an explanation. Looks to me like **twickster** ’s post explained that **Dex** misspoke. What more do you want that required yet _another_ thread? Not getting enough attention? ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dex-clarify-please/592082/4 "2011-08-09T14:44:29Z")
I know a cover-up when I see it… there’s gonna be whistle-blowers turning up in shallow graves, mark my words. THIS THING IS BIGGER THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE, PEOPLE! ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dex-clarify-please/592082/5 "2011-08-09T14:46:42Z")
Of the staff members that were consulted (or responded), all were unanimous. Some of the rest have since registered their disagreement. A true unanimous decision is unlikely considering there are almost 20 staff members and usually a few that are not very active. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dex-clarify-please/592082/6 "2011-08-09T14:48:14Z")
That seems to me to be a curious thing to be innocently mistaken about, and Dex has yet to retract his statement. I expect accurate information from the staff when they speak in an official capacity. Either he was careless, which means he should apologize for his error, or he thinks it was a unanimous decision…which makes me wonder why another mod disagrees. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dex-clarify-please/592082/7 "2011-08-09T14:50:34Z")
This is what I get when I don’t look at who the OP is. This isn’t a fucking court of law. Get the fuck over it. ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dex-clarify-please/592082/8 "2011-08-09T15:03:48Z")
These pieces of the sky, they make satisfying crunch noises when you step on 'em. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dex-clarify-please/592082/9 "2011-08-09T15:13:03Z")
> [@SkipMagic](#): > > These pieces of the sky, they make satisfying crunch noises when you step on 'em. Sure those aren’t snails? ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dex-clarify-please/592082/10 "2011-08-09T15:14:07Z")
Or little children. I don’t always watch where I’m walking. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dex-clarify-please/592082/11 "2011-08-09T15:15:38Z")
People have explained the situation well here – not everyone chimes in on everything all the time, as has been noted, we do have a lot of staffers and their level of participation varies as availability and real life situations affect staffing. I would say that we have consensus on most things. Sometime we agree to disagree. We speak in consensus publicly; it would be counterproductive otherwise. Group decision making rarely employs “always” or “never,” though we mostly are in agreement without too much discussion. In the large we are of like mind, with occasional variances. Of course we are moderating a community that can have two people in a discussion and three opinions all at the same time, so it gets interesting. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dex-clarify-please/592082/12 "2011-08-09T16:02:07Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > This isn’t a fucking court of law. Get the fuck over it. Based on my extensive legal training (consisting of being a juror twice) I’d say there’s a lot less nitpicking in actual courts of law. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dex-clarify-please/592082/13 "2011-08-09T16:08:34Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Based on my extensive legal training (consisting of being a juror twice) I’d say there’s a lot less nitpicking in actual courts of law. “University politics are vicious precisely because the stakes are so small.” – Henry Kissinger ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dex-clarify-please/592082/14 "2011-08-09T16:18:07Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > People have explained the situation well here – not everyone chimes in on everything all the time, as has been noted, we do have a lot of staffers and their level of participation varies as availability and real life situations affect staffing. The problem here is that Dex made a representation of material fact–that this was a unanimous decision by the mods. There is now reason to believe that it was not a unanimous decision. So what is it? Unanimous, which would mean that Twickster is somehow mistaken, or not unanimous, which means Dex needs to explain why he said otherwise. It seems to me that if there was actual discussion among the mods, and Dex participated in that discussion, he should know full well whether the decision was unanimous or not. And he should not be careless in relating that information to those that question the decision. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dex-clarify-please/592082/15 "2011-08-09T16:35:59Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > “University politics are vicious precisely because the stakes are so small.” – Henry Kissinger That truly explains this. ---
**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:** [August 9, 2011, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dex-clarify-please/592082/16 "2011-08-09T19:15:16Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > The problem here is that Dex made a representation of material fact–that this was a unanimous decision by the mods. There is now reason to believe that it was not a unanimous decision. > > So what is it? Unanimous, which would mean that Twickster is somehow mistaken, or not unanimous, which means Dex needs to explain why he said otherwise. It seems to me that if there was actual discussion among the mods, and Dex participated in that discussion, he should know full well whether the decision was unanimous or not. And he should not be careless in relating that information to those that question the decision. Dude, let it go! Seriously. **Dex** misspoke. **Twix** corrected his statement. **Dex** is probably extremely busy, which is probably w thhy he hasn’t come back to the thread. It was a mistake, and I’m sure he’ll say as such if/when he shows up. What do you expect to accomplish with this cross-examination? ---
**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:** [August 9, 2011, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dex-clarify-please/592082/17 "2011-08-09T19:44:40Z")
I have been a message board moderator or admin on several different message boards of and on since the late 90’s. I can kind of see how Dex and twix can be correct depending on interpretation. For example, suppose a group is discussing whether or not to ban someone. The opinions range from an outright ban to a one month suspension to a one week suspension. Eventually they come to a unanimous consensus to do a one month suspension. Sure, the consensus was unanimous but, on the other hand, not everyone got what they wanted either. Was that a unanimous decision? ---
**Author:** ![Ostrya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/35a633/32.png) [@Ostrya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ostrya)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dex-clarify-please/592082/18 "2011-08-09T19:45:50Z")
“All power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great moderators and administrators are almost always bad moderators and administrators, even when they exercise influence and not authority: still more when you superadd the tendency or certainty of corruption by full authority. There is no worse heresy than that the office sanctifies the holder of it.” – Sir John Dalberg-Acton, and the lone cashew ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dex-clarify-please/592082/19 "2011-08-09T20:48:35Z")
“Lighten up, Francis.” –Sgt. Hulka ---
**Author:** ![Ostrya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/35a633/32.png) [@Ostrya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ostrya)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dex-clarify-please/592082/20 "2011-08-09T21:24:43Z")
"We got to take these bastards. We could fight them with conventional weapons. That could take years…cost millions of lives. In this case…I think we have to go all out. I think this situation absolutely requires…a really futile and stupid gesture… be done on somebody’s part. We’re just the guys to do it. Let’s do it. Let’s do it!! (All shouting) Go!! Go!! Go!!" (Soaring instrumental music) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dex-clarify-please/592082.md?page=2)