# Has Twickster finally jumped the shark? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [February 20, 2013, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-twickster-finally-jumped-the-shark/650868 "2013-02-20T07:34:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-twickster-finally-jumped-the-shark/650868/41 "2013-02-20T16:29:49Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > Yeah, they don’t like us to modify quotes, so when you did that, as soon as it was noticed it was. . . dead on arrival! _whips off sunglasses_ YEEEEEAAAAAH! ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-twickster-finally-jumped-the-shark/650868/42 "2013-02-20T16:53:36Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > So the underlying question is: what makes referencing an inchoate board meme unacceptable? And the corollary question: what does inchoate mean? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-twickster-finally-jumped-the-shark/650868/43 "2013-02-20T16:55:47Z")
“Being only partly in existence or operation” ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-twickster-finally-jumped-the-shark/650868/44 "2013-02-20T16:58:22Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > And the corollary question: what does inchoate mean? I’ve heard of Choate. Snooty school of some sort. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-twickster-finally-jumped-the-shark/650868/45 "2013-02-20T17:14:32Z")
Your concerns aren’t being dismissed, **elbows**. We’re here responding. The fact that we don’t agree with what you’re saying is not the same as dismissing the whole issue. From where I sit, the fact remains that her interpretation of the post was accurate and her comments to **Nunzio Tavulari** were not in any way insulting, inappropriate, or out of line with what we’re allowed to say as moderators. There are times the mods have to calm posters down, but this wasn’t one of those - this was a situation where a poster needed to be told plainly that he’d broken the rules again and needed to stop doing it. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-twickster-finally-jumped-the-shark/650868/46 "2013-02-20T17:21:27Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > First half of your post, I couldn’t figure out what could be wrong with that warning. Second half I see the problem, and you’re right: this looks like a bad warning, based on misreading “James Otto” as “James Otto Sweet Heart.” So I’m a musical ignoramus most of the time, and based on that I assumed that James Otto was a well-known musician to people who aren’t me. It sounds like I’m wrong in this case, that James Otto is a relative unknown, which makes me think that Nunzio probably was snarking. If that’s so, then I figure the mod call was pretty good after all. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-twickster-finally-jumped-the-shark/650868/47 "2013-02-20T17:22:11Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > So the underlying question is: what makes referencing an inchoate board meme unacceptable? It seems that there’s a tendency— primarily but not exclusively **twickster’s** — to employ a very broad definition of “insult” or “jab” in forums outside the Pit. One that includes any mildly wry or teasing comment, even if not meant spitefully-- comments we should as adults be able to bear and share without collapsing into sobs, and (IMHO) comments that give this board its color and make it a less boring place. > > The Pit is supposed to be used for “beefs with other posters,” which is fine. Not everything is a “beef” just because it addresses or refers to another poster. I think we need to lighten up. Yes! ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-twickster-finally-jumped-the-shark/650868/48 "2013-02-20T17:25:28Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I agreed with **twickster** ’s modding of this post, by the way. **Nunzio Tavulari** ’s comment is about the real James Otto, but it’s a joke at the expense of **James Otto Sweet Heart**. It doesn’t belong in Cafe Society. So if I profess sufficiently strong feelings about a subject, do I get special mod protection as well? I mean, I nearly cried last time I saw someone misusing ‘correlation does not equal causation’, so now that that’s public, I expect that every further occurrence of this is considered a personal swipe at me, and the offending poster summarily banned. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-twickster-finally-jumped-the-shark/650868/49 "2013-02-20T17:30:23Z")
> [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > So if I profess sufficiently strong feelings about a subject, do I get special mod protection as well? I mean, I nearly cried last time I saw someone misusing ‘correlation does not equal causation’, so now that that’s public, I expect that every further occurrence of this is considered a personal swipe at me, and the offending poster summarily banned. If 1. You were the _only_ poster using the phrase and 2. You used it in every post then I think you might have a case. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-twickster-finally-jumped-the-shark/650868/50 "2013-02-20T17:32:55Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > If > > 1. You were the _only_ poster using the phrase and > 2. You used it in every post then > > I think you might have a case. Well, I can start! But seriously, why should my private obsession dictate the acceptability of others’ behaviour? ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-twickster-finally-jumped-the-shark/650868/51 "2013-02-20T17:34:41Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Your concerns aren’t being dismissed, **elbows**. We’re here responding. The fact that we don’t agree with what you’re saying is not the same as dismissing the whole issue. From where I sit, the fact remains that her interpretation of the post was accurate and her comments to **Nunzio Tavulari** were not in any way insulting, inappropriate, or out of line with what we’re allowed to say as moderators. There are times the mods have to calm posters down, but this wasn’t one of those - this was a situation where a poster needed to be told plainly that he’d broken the rules again and needed to stop doing it. **Marley** , you guys address each incident individually without ever acknowledging or dealing with the underlying pattern. The root of the problem (and I’m speaking generally, not about this particular incident) is that **twickster** herself doesn’t post moderately. As somebody who doesn’t keep a level head in her own posts, she’s unconvincing when she instructs others to do so. Nothing gets a pit thread going like hypocrisy, and what you guys are dealing with (again and again) in this forum is the same thing that gets the RO ramped up in the pit. Responding to each issue is not the same thing as addressing the concerns raised by **elbows** and others in this forum. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-twickster-finally-jumped-the-shark/650868/52 "2013-02-20T17:38:51Z")
> [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > So if I profess sufficiently strong feelings about a subject, do I get special mod protection as well? When we start doing that, I will be sure to let you know. The issue here is taking potshots at another poster, not protecting people with strong feelings. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-twickster-finally-jumped-the-shark/650868/53 "2013-02-20T17:38:56Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > Who is the _least_ bitched about mod, whose decisions are generally well-received and approved of? **Dex**. I’ve rarely seen a bad word against him. I’ve never seen him make a bad moderator decision, and when he takes action, it’s always polite and calm. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-twickster-finally-jumped-the-shark/650868/54 "2013-02-20T17:43:04Z")
I have nothing against **twickster** , but she doesn’t seem to be doing a very good job (as evidenced by her almost dailt ATMBings). At some point, don’t you have to start considering replacing her? > [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > Who is the _least_ bitched about mod, whose decisions are generally well-received and approved of? **GFactor** seems to have retired or something, but he was pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![NineToTheSky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5a626/32.png) [@NineToTheSky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NineToTheSky)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-twickster-finally-jumped-the-shark/650868/55 "2013-02-20T17:47:01Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > **Dex**. I’ve rarely seen a bad word against him. I’ve never seen him make a bad moderator decision, and when he takes action, it’s always polite and calm. I have; he went through a bad patch a few years ago. I can’t remember what it was about; possibly the new Pit rules? If you go through the mod list, I’d say most have a pretty clean record. There are just one or two defaulters. ---
**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:** [February 20, 2013, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-twickster-finally-jumped-the-shark/650868/56 "2013-02-20T17:48:12Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > Who is the _least_ bitched about mod, whose decisions are generally well-received and approved of? Take a look at the list of Moderators. I bet that there are one or two that you never had heard of. For the more active Mods, off the top of my head, **samclem** , **Miller** , **Gfactor** and **RickJay** fit the bill. There are others who end up with complaints all the time, mostly for perceived bad decisions and the tone of their moderation. ETA: I don’t mean to say that everyone not on my list is doing a poor job. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-twickster-finally-jumped-the-shark/650868/57 "2013-02-20T17:53:52Z")
So if there is a pretty good list of active mods who rarely or never get complaints/ATMB threads, what can we infer? Is it because they are _less_ active? Are they as active, but make better modding decisions? Do they make the same modding decisions, but handle their wording differently? Do they mod forums where controversy over the modding is less likely? Just saying that,\* ceteris paribus\*, if a mod(s) keeps getting ATMB’d then that would indicate that perhaps there’s legitimate issue with their fitness. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-twickster-finally-jumped-the-shark/650868/58 "2013-02-20T17:55:33Z")
I would go with #4 mostly, but **twicks** mods MPSIMS. Hardly the wrong-side-of-the-tracks foruym. ---
**Author:** ![Ostrya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/35a633/32.png) [@Ostrya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ostrya)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-twickster-finally-jumped-the-shark/650868/59 "2013-02-20T18:00:03Z")
The reason Twickster took issue here is because this poster is already being barbequed on all corners of the board, virtually no participation they partake in here that does not invite attackers. Basically, they have a target on their back. Not defending the reasons for that, not sure what their motive is to remain here, either too proud to be driven away easily, or perhaps other esteem issues of some sort. But anyways, that’s what makes this reference to Otto different than other more loosely interpreted jabs and fun poking, the undeniable fact this poster alluded to is already getting the shit kicked out of them everywhere else. Sad really, I read the pit thread and googled some of the posts. This seems like a harmless person, one who has likely gone through a lot and is dealing with their world the best they can, with their religious views, and obsessing over some obscure musician. Certainly this behavior looks like it could be construed as stalking by definition, but I think the bottom line should be how the “stalkee” feels, whether there is actually any “stalking” going on. I saw/read no evidence that this musician is unhappy with this doting and delirious fan. So who knows? Maybe they like the attention? But anyways, it should be up to Otto to determine if they feel stalked or not, no one else can determine what is over the line and attention becomes unwanted. So anyways, I am on Twicksters side on this issue. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-twickster-finally-jumped-the-shark/650868/60 "2013-02-20T18:05:01Z")
Yeah, **Marley** and **Tomndebb** get a lot of grief, but GD has got to be an impossible forum to moderate. It could just be renamed the “I’m not touching you!” forum. So taking that into account, surely if you run an operation and one person gets the overwhelming share of customer complaints, you’d start to consider if they were right for that job, even if they were generally a good person. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-twickster-finally-jumped-the-shark/650868.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-twickster-finally-jumped-the-shark/650868.md?page=4)