Hmmm, tempting offer. You’re going to have to step up your game if you want me to switch my undying devotion away from Inigo Montoya, though. 
“Pussified Cynicsim” - dammit, too late for my username change!
Opal, on second thought… if you wanted to change your user name… 
Almost everybody who runs a Web site with more than a little bit of traffic is going to be “threatened” by some kind of legal action. Cease-and-desist and takedown notices are a part of the job. I’ve gotten a few. It sucks, but most of the time, they can be resolved without much drama. You have to stay aware of case and statutory law regarding copyright, trademarks, and libel to reduce your risk.
However, you do enjoy special privileges and protection here. From a former staff member who was a mod when they made this post:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=3712300&postcount=6
There’s also the perception that you can get away with a lot more than other Dopers, and that mods will be more likely to run to your defense and close threads or warn users when you’re attacked.
Odds are this thread will be closed fairly soon. If it was anyone else who made a similar OP, outside of the Pit, and the thread took the turn of becoming an intervention of sorts, would the mods take similar action?
I guess when I became a moderator, Ed forgot to send me the list of “most favored Dopers” with “get out of jail free” cards.
Just so you know, each of the 20+ mods and admins on this board can issue a warning or mod note to any non-staff member without approval from anyone else. Suspensions require discussion and consensus. We’re all authorized to ban spammers and sock puppets on sight. All other bans require discussion and consensus.
Oh, NOW I understand. You’re referencing something that happened eight years ago, that everyone else has forgotten about! Look, elmwood, I’ve never had a beef with you or with Opal, I’d be no more or less likely to issue a warning to either of you, and I wouldn’t have to get Ed’s approval before doing so. I obviously can’t speak for the rest of the mods (we’re all real human beings with our own biases, however much we try to be unbiased), but I can tell you there simply ain’t no magic list of people who can do anything they want on the Straight Dope without repercussions.
Either way, though, this little sidetrack has left MPSIMS territory and wandered over to ATMB. If you’d like to continue the discussion of moderator favoritism and bias, let’s take it out of this thread and start a new one.
Speaking of which, enough about Opal. Let’s talk about ME some more…
That was nearly ten years ago! Isn’t Opal’s point that she’s tried to move ahead from those very days?
Seemed apropos. 
[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:64, topic:602108”]
…Just so you know, each of the 20+ mods and admins on this board can issue a warning or mod note to any non-staff member without approval from anyone else. …
[/QUOTE]
Hell, I can do that.
Mod, note: be warned!
(slinking away, suitably chastised…)
As Boyo Jim’s worshipping fan, I heartily applaud this post.
Not bad, not bad. If you keep this up, I might have to switch allegiances.
Keep in mind that being worshipped is a passive state – don’t expect any help from me.
Hmm, good point. I guess you’ll just have to fall backwards into it.
I just want to clarify a point. When I say I’ve changed I mean I’m not the person who freaks out over everything crying. I’m not the one on the edge of a suicidal relapse. I’m not the one with unpredictable mood swings like I used to be.
I still post silly crap but I guarantee you it’s almost never BECAUSE I’m trying to get attention. I just like to gab and I consider the SDMB my casual circle of friends.
WTF is the deal with the pile-on?
While I’ve not always agreed with everything I’ve seen from Opal, it seems to me that she was sharing some heartfelt self-reflection with the rest of us - IMO, if anyone’s entitled to overshare on the Dope, it’s the one person who’s pretty much permanently enshrined as a local meme.
So what if said self-reflection borders on self-validation? We all deserve to be able to say to the world “I’m getting better” and have it taken at face value - for you all to come in and say (to paraphrase) “You’re not different now and stop being an attention whore” is approaching the height of douchebaggery. If you disagree with something so personal, how about you just, oh, I don’t know, keep it to yourself?
Sometimes, you people really do make the SDMB a miserable fucking place.
Wait a minute. Opal herself started a thread whereupon we could talk about her. How is it a pile-on? People are going to have different opinions, and if she only wanted positive opinions, then she should have finished the thread title with (positive opinions only, please!). I say if you’re going to start a thread about who you are and invite responses, it’s not a pile-on if you get some negative responses.
I don’t know you and you don’t know me, but I’ve always wondered if you have an opal colored cat
I was never counted among those who were annoyed by Opal. Just wanted to say: glad you are doing better. KBO.
I recall she very specifically said this:
And one person has done that, with maybe one or two posters agreeing with the viewpoint. Hardly a pile-on.
In the past, the mods have said that OPs don’t own their threads, and generally have no choice in the direction that it will take.