How do the current list of Mods identify themselves as to gender?

You weren’t here when all the shit came down. You missed Rape Month. You really have no idea of what it used to be like here.

I’m glad I wasn’t. I will take your word for it. The “Catcalling” thread earlier this year was harrowing enough.

I see that my response sounded snide. Not intended so.

Mine either. I really do take your word for it.

I’m trying to maintain the good thought that it is all about educating. Sometimes though, if I’m tired, I just sputter and move on, depending on the context and egregiousness.

:vulcan_salute:t3:

Re: The list of mods posted in Post #14:
Has anybody noticed that the official list of moderators still includes tomndebb, Rico, Gaudere, and Gfactor?

Yes, at some point we’ll need to ask Ed about cleaning that up.

But in the About threads for each Forum we do list the specific mods now. For instance,

I have looked, but I have been unable to find a board - wide policy against misogyny. Could you direct me to it?

Rape Month is why I left, actually (in my recollection we’ve had several.) It was less a flouncing and more “I can’t handle this right now,” and as a mod you can’t really exercise discretion about what threads you go into. I haven’t seen anything like that pop up since I’ve returned, but I figured it would eventually. I’m glad to hear things are different now, but I’ve yet to learn how they are different.

The modding is much stricter. Shodan was banned after his final straw of a misogynistic post. I think (but my memory isn’t perfect) someone got mod-noted for using the word “chick”. Either that or the community came down on it - I’m not sure and I’m posting from my phone, so it’s hard to search. There have been mod notes I was surprised about. When we’re having a discussion and some guy pops in to say how hot he thinks a woman is, it always get modded. I’m sure some think it’s too heavy-handed.

I’m saddened to hear about @eschrodinger’s experience, and I’m trying to recall that incident. I may have missed it.

It’s not a rule that’s written down, AFAIK, or I’d have said “rule”. It’s just what the mods indicated in the several ATMB threads about misogyny that constituted a more-than-year-long recurring conversation in this forum , and in concurrent and subsequent rulings.

It got to be an annual event. Glad that’s over.

I hesitate to ask, but what was it?

One year there was a cluster of rape-related threads around February, and this was pointed out the next year when some other rape-related threads came up, and then it became a whole stupid thing. About 10 years ago or so.

Rape Month refers to a sudden explosion of topics about rape that lasts several weeks. It involves a series of threads popping up all over the boards with some posters perpetuating rape apologism and other kinds of rape culture mythology. At the start of the #MeToo movement, there was a different thread about every alleged assault. At its worst it had male posters attacking women posters who identified as victims. One in particular I remember was a thread created to support female victims of sexual assault. Women shared their stories and some men (I remember Der Trihs in particular) came into the thread to harass women about their lived experiences and complain about perceived misandry because some women raped by strange men were now afraid of strange men.

It was vile, honestly. I am so glad I wasn’t here during the Kavanaugh hearings because that was a low point for me and I think I would have lost my everloving mind.

My particular ire with this subject doesn’t mean I support banning general discussion about rape, even if it involves certain posters expressing their odious opinions. We are here, after all, to fight ignorance. I would definitely draw the line at attacking posters who are themselves rape victims, and I think the line can get blurred pretty easily. If you’re posting in a thread in which several members are victims of sexual assault, at a certain point odious generalizations about rape victims become attacks on the posters. IMO.

I suspect I have a higher tolerance for what should be allowed than most. I wouldn’t have batted an eye at “chicks.” I have no interest in censoring male sexuality - or anyone’s, for that matter. Harassment is not acceptable, but I don’t care who thinks who is hot. Have at it.

Yes, but when we’re discussing, say, a female politician, and someone pipes up with how much he’d like to do her, it’s a problem.

Thanks for the explanations. I certainly think diversity of the moderating crew can have an effect on how that stuff is handled.

Another problem is that when a discussion about inequities towards women came up(rape, discrimination etc.), invariably men would rush in to take over the thread with claims about how males have it just as bad, if not worse.

Please report that when you see it. Especially in GQ, P&E or GD.

This is specifically a rules violation now in GD and P&E. Covered by the part below.

I know…but I’m just bringing up that it used to be a recurring problem that certainly did its part in driving a portion of posters away.

Oh, certainly. To be clear, I was referring to times when it has been reported and handled by the mods. And it’s much appreciated.

We are agreed on that point. I think lot of these calls are context - based. I’m just glad to have moderators who are more sensitive to these issues.