# Does the SDMB now delete whole threads? (No but we do cornfield sock and troll threads) **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [May 11, 2025, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-sdmb-now-delete-whole-threads-no-but-we-do-cornfield-sock-and-troll-threads/1018242 "2025-05-11T02:16:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2025, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-sdmb-now-delete-whole-threads-no-but-we-do-cornfield-sock-and-troll-threads/1018242/1 "2025-05-11T02:16:51Z")
I thought a golden rule at the SDMB was threads do not get deleted except for special circumstances (like someone making an account to advertise something). Today, there was an ATMB thread by @songsoflovetrouble regarding the [John Fetterman thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-fetterman-really-needs-to-resign/1017875) in P&E. I posted in the ATMB thread a few hours ago as did a few others. Seemed tame enough. But, for the life of me, I can no longer find any evidence it ever existed. It looks like @songsoflovetrouble was banned but still…is it policy to remove threads now? I might be missing something. Mostly curious. I leave the board admin to the mods (most times). ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2025, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-sdmb-now-delete-whole-threads-no-but-we-do-cornfield-sock-and-troll-threads/1018242/2 "2025-05-11T02:20:28Z")
**songs** is singing at Banned camp. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2025, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-sdmb-now-delete-whole-threads-no-but-we-do-cornfield-sock-and-troll-threads/1018242/3 "2025-05-11T02:33:56Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I might be missing something. Troll, sock, and trock posts and threads get “sent to the corn field”. Deleted as far as non mods are concerned. ---
**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:** [May 11, 2025, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-sdmb-now-delete-whole-threads-no-but-we-do-cornfield-sock-and-troll-threads/1018242/4 "2025-05-11T02:35:14Z")
Are you just learning about the cornfield today? The poster in question was the sock of a banned poster. We don’t make ATMB announcements for said, but I did drop a post in the troll thread where he was already discussed. He has been in the modloop discussions for days. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2025, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-sdmb-now-delete-whole-threads-no-but-we-do-cornfield-sock-and-troll-threads/1018242/5 "2025-05-11T02:37:56Z")
Huh…the account seems two years old. The offense didn’t seem _that_ bad (not the sock part but the what was written part). But sure…I am not arguing against the mods’ decision here. Just curious. ---
**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:** [May 11, 2025, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-sdmb-now-delete-whole-threads-no-but-we-do-cornfield-sock-and-troll-threads/1018242/6 "2025-05-11T02:40:15Z")
The thread was just one more data point. Not the reason for the banning. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2025, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-sdmb-now-delete-whole-threads-no-but-we-do-cornfield-sock-and-troll-threads/1018242/7 "2025-05-11T02:44:30Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I thought a golden rule at the SDMB was threads do not get deleted except for special circumstances (like someone making an account to advertise something). Nope. This has gone on for a long time. > [@Why was a thread deleted? {Cornfielded as Sock Op}](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-a-thread-deleted-cornfielded-as-sock-op/1009207): > > See subject line. The subject matter was a little offbeat, but I didn’t see anything that clearly deserved cornfielding. > [@What happened to the thread abour a hurricane being manmade?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-thread-abour-a-hurricane-being-manmade/1006763): > > I was reading it and it just disappeared. > [@Capitalism thread disappeared?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalism-thread-disappeared/1012534): > > Did I see a thread this morning on capitalism that later disappeared? The only poster I recall from the short thread was Ulfrieda, but can’t locate the thread or their post now. Operator error–that is, me–or something else? Been discussed a lot. Lest you think this is something new… > [@Deleted thread, possibly?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deleted-thread-possibly/79180): > > I had posted to Tom Waits Patiently’s thread “I am Rude” in MPSIMS. A few minutes later, I got an e-mail notification that someone had replied. I clicked on the link, and I was told that there was an error displaying the link. Thinking it was just a problem with Hotmail, I went to MPSIMS and searched for the thread. I couldn’t find it. Was this thread deleted? This possibility struck me as weird, because I couldn’t find anything remotely offensive about the thread (unless TWP was a known troll/s… I mean, two and a half decades is quite a bit of precedence I’d think. ---
**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:** [May 11, 2025, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-sdmb-now-delete-whole-threads-no-but-we-do-cornfield-sock-and-troll-threads/1018242/8 "2025-05-11T02:49:03Z")
In general, such posters as the departed are happy to have attention. As such, once banned, it’s better to deprive them of that attention. Though I will say I appreciated the analysis that the other posters raised about the ruling, and made a deliberate point to not post to it when emotions were high. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2025, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-sdmb-now-delete-whole-threads-no-but-we-do-cornfield-sock-and-troll-threads/1018242/9 "2025-05-11T02:53:23Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I mean, two and a half decades is quite a bit of precedence I’d think. Sure. I just thought those were caught early and not done with two year old accounts. But, to be fair, I do not have a lot of experience running across this here (read basically none…I only read the worthwhile threads 😉 ). I am sure the Mods are doing the appropriate thing. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2025, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-sdmb-now-delete-whole-threads-no-but-we-do-cornfield-sock-and-troll-threads/1018242/10 "2025-05-11T02:55:53Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > But, to be fair, I do not have a lot of experience running across this here (read basically none…I only read the worthwhile threads 😉 ) Haha, nicely-played there. 😉 And I understand completely. ---
**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:** [May 11, 2025, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-sdmb-now-delete-whole-threads-no-but-we-do-cornfield-sock-and-troll-threads/1018242/11 "2025-05-11T02:59:45Z")
This was a sleeper account to some degree, created, barely used, and then used a lot to troll the board in a mild way. Age of account often means little with trocks.