Personally, I think Frank’s action was correct but for the wrong reason.
I noticed a lot of this “didn’t violate any board rules” argument, so I looked at the board rules again. While there is no rule against too much naughty talk, I noticed this gem in the user agreement: “We reserve the right to delete any message for any or no reason whatsoever.”
“No reason whatsoever.” There ya go. Recommence the cries of fascism.
Seems most of the argument there is “their board, their rules” which at the time was true. Now it is still their board, but we as customer are their bosses. We are paying members now, when back then we were not.
If they want to “raise the tone” of the board now, they need to tell us, because as customers, and as their bosses, we need to be informed of these decisions. Should we get some say? Perhaps, i’m not as interested in determining if this place is a democracy, free market type of environment, but if the admin wants to moderate this board fairly, they need to lay out the laws, and since this is not a law, it is an injustice.
Just because you have the power to do whatever you want, doesn’t mean it is right. Just because you own something, doesn’t mean it is right to step on the people that pay to use it.
The customer isn’t always right, you know.
What do you mean “now”? Just because they haven’t said much about the tone in four years doesn’t mean they stopped trying to raise it.
Really?
I mean, really really? I mean, like, holy shit are you stupid really?
Tell ya what, go do a search on NSFW and see what you come up with. There will be hundreds of threads edited by mods to placate the “two click rule” and in most of them, they specifically mention the idea of NSFW and not wanting to get members in trouble if they surf the dope from work.
That whole “we pay the memnbership fee so we get input into the board” goes 2 ways. Those of us who are able to surf from work get a say in what happens as well. I don’t bemoan the loss of a couple of sex threads. It’s not like they’re gone for good, or strictly prohibited…open them up again in a week or so when there are not as many on page 1.
Neither is the administration.
Thats fine though, if they want to make NSFW rules other than the two click one, then DO so, none of this pussyfooting around and closing threads at whim.
Law Enforcers enforce the law, not their own sense of justice. Moderators enforce board law, not their own policies.
This isn’t about it being right or wrong, its about Moderators abusing their power to furthur their own percieved wrongs. Which is fine, if they make it a fucking rule.
Good lord. You really want this place to devolve into threads like “my pussy doesn’t get wet anymore”? If you want brazen carnality, volunteer at a MDA Telethon. The chicks who work them will rock your world.
Otherwise, the Dope ought to maintain a certain decorum for fuck’s sake.
I don’t disagree with you, obviously. But the threads closed weren’t the worst ones. It appears our dear Frank picked them via coin toss or some bias he feels towards the posters.
If the board administrators want to tone down the board, or keep filth from cluttering up IMHO and MPSIMS, perhaps they should do one of two things:
1.) Make a rule against posting NSFW or otherwise adult stuff
2.) Make a forum for those that want to chat it up
Not:
1.) Make vague handwaving statements about tonining down the board, while letting some continue to post, while closing down random threads as individual moderators see fit.
Hey, its fine to say “No profanity,” as long as it is part of the rules. No nebulous “guidelines” in which the moderators can squeeze in some of their personal vendettas or bias into their judgement. Cut and dry rules, thats all I ask for.
Either allow, it or ban it. Quit doing this “I feel like closing this one, but letting 5 others that are even worse stay open.” It’s bullshit and it is unfair.
Oh, as an adendium: I don’t have a personal stake in this. I generally avoid threads like this, though I did post in the virginity thread, I tend to avoid the graphic ones. This isn’t about this in particular. What is to keep our dear Puritan Frank from closing down the “Stem Cells: It’s whats for dinner,” “My Vacation with an Atheist,” and “Lets go down to Ye Old Pub and drink and be sinful” just because he finds them “distasteful.”
Judgement calls are one thing - when they get close to the line of the law. It may be only sex threads now, but pretty soon, the flag waving mods are closing down all the threads they find distasteful, under the nebulous guidelines of “toning down the board.”
Kind of like the whole “War on Terror” thing, isn’t it?
Does anyone find it ironic (other than me…) that on The Straight Dope home page itself there are currently three threads about, or related to, sex? :dubious:
**Does sex before an athletic event decrease your performance on the field?
Did Renaldus Columbus discover the clitoris in 1559?
When did mankind figure out that SEX = BABIES?**
This is the SD. Irony knows it’ll get it’s ass kicked if it tries to land here. We are stardust. We are golden. But most of all, we’re individualistic.
Yes, we’re all individuals!
No one is saying that him closing the thread is a violation of the rules - only that the thread wasn’t. By the rules the mods can delete anything they want to, but that doesn’t make it right.
This being a message board and all, the addition of a sex thread does not remove another one - only drive it to page 2 if it isn’t popular enough. There are times when some forums have very little I’m interested in - I wait a few days, and the mix changes.
Not to mention - sex is more analogous to politics than Firefly. If there are a bunch of threads around the same topic, I’m all for closing them to make the discussion work better. But if there are four threads about four political races in four different states, don’t anyone say there are too many and close them.
Being a mod may be a tough job, but feedback (reasonably polite feedback in this thread) never hurt anyone.
I’m not.
The two click rule is well established and reasonable. It’s intended to keep people from getting into trouble for opening porn sites on the company computer.
Closing threads because the subject matter is sexual is not reasonable, and it’s an entirely different matter.
Other than the two click rule, there never has been a NSFW policy here. Let’s cook up some thread titles, just for fun:
ATMB: Fuckin’ hamsters!
GQ:Will fucking five times a day ruin my health?
GD:Fucking Bush did (fill in blanks)
CS: Is Superman fucking Lois Lane?
IMHO: Who here has fucked their brother/sister
MPSIMS: So I fucked my neighbor’s dog
The Pit: Fuck Bush
None of these thread titles are safe for work, and not one of them violates board policy.
But we got to get ourselves back to the garden.
Oops, Adam and Eve were naked. No longer permitted.
But you’re caught in the Devil’s bargain. 
I realize this is a bit late, but I found it interesting that questions to Cecil on the front page today ran thusly:
Today’s Question: Why is the “missionary position” called that? (A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams)
Recent Additions:
What’s the origin of “heretic”? (Staff Report by SD Staff Fierra)
Is it possible to be allergic to sex? (A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams)
Hold it! What happens if you don’t urinate? (By Cecil Adams)
Does sex before an athletic event decrease your performance on the field? (A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams)
So… Cecil isn’t bothered by having 3 out of 5 items on the front page be about sex, but Frank thought the forums had too many. Seems a wee bit inconsistent to me.
Well I would certainly expect something like that from people working a 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine telethon. 