You’ve got to admit, the message board is ruled by an elite group of moderators answerable directly to Cecil Adams, who enforces a cult of personality to enforce the mystery of him and ensure the popularity of this web site and message board. If anyone raises a voice they are immediately scorned and subjected to ridicule, this in a way ensures the regularity and distraction from the darker side of the board.
Personally I love this board, so don’t think this as me being annoyed with anyone or the people on this site but i still think it is a ditatorship a friendly one though.
—You’ve got to admit, the message board is ruled by an elite group of moderators answerable directly to Cecil Adams, who enforces a cult of personality to enforce the mystery of him and ensure the popularity of this web site and message board.—
Perhaps this is true in other forums, but here I’ve only seen the moderators occasionally move threads into different forums. And I’ve not seen Cecil’s name mentioned at all, unless very tangentially. Certainly no one has spoken at any length about “the mystery of him” or his personality.
Of course it is. Almost any message board on the Internet is.
I used to frequent a Socialist board, but left when I discovered a)- 14 yo suburban kids can’t debate and b)- my politics weren’t the right flavor of “left” for the board Admin.
It is only the goodwill of Mods and Admins that keep this board from becoming overwhelmingly dictatorial. And even that has swayed… I’ve had threads closed for the direction that Mods think they were headed. Recently a plain-jane thread was closed by another poster that lead to a rather lenghty debate about the rights and powers of the Mods.
hey guys! we all just might dissapear out in the middle of the night. But yeah I have to agree that the dope is one of the few benign dictatorships like say, Greece in the 30’s and early 40’s.
Well, yes. The mods/admins aren’t elected. They can ban anyone they want without repercussions. And I doubt that any board member wants it any other way.
And if someone does, they’re free to go to some unmoderated message board.
Again and again I am amazed at the number of people who seem to think that the SDMB is:
“Their” community that they somehow have a stake in.
Beholden to or in debt to the Members somehow.
Cannot have its Staff act in a completely arbitrary and even insane manner should they choose to.
Must follow its own Rules, or ask permission to change its own Rules.
It’s not a dictatorship. It’s a free public message Board run by the Chicago Reader. It is not restricted by the 1st Amendment, in that you have no “right” to post anything here. It is not bound by any doctrine of fairness or equality. It is not required to do anything for the Members, as, since it is free, there is no contract in force between the Members and the Reader.
Gee, Anthracite, I don’t think anyone ever thought that the Board’s policies violated the Constitution. The question that was posed is: if the SDMB were a country, and the administration were the government, what form of government would it most resemble? I think we’re all in touch with reality enough to realize that Cecil is not actually our ruler/emperor/king/president.
So, are only choices are dictatorship and anarchy? Remember that other form of government people always talk about… it begins with a D…
This place is definitely a dictatorship, and it kind of bothers me. I haven’t spoken up for fear of irritating the Mods, which is also a sign of the regime we live under. I don’t think it would hurt for the board administration to be more upfront about the rules and establish a more clear process regarding banning/reprimanding members, closing threads, etc. That would create create more good will than the usual “shut up because I say so and I have the power” attitude the Mods often have.
Well, comrades, it’s been nice hanging out here. I’m going to be going into exile now, before they “disappear” me. I’ll be plotting the revolution and will return when it is safe.
It looks to me like a Constitutional Monarchy in the British style, where there is definitely a set of rules, but you’re not suposed to write them down.
Of course the King has a Court, and is surrounded by a set of courtiers. He can give them honours, like ‘Moderator’. If this were a feudal system he could call us out to fight his battles!
You haven’t been around much, have you? It seems a not infrequent occurance to have someone complaining about their “First Amendment Rights being violated” by “censorship” on the SDMB - especially in the Pit. And that is what I’m referring to.
Wouldn’t a dictatorship be comprised of one person forcing his or her will on many others? Or do I have the wrong definition?
I think that people who honestly believe this is a dictatorship might not have the faintest idea what a dictatorship really is. Notice the newest forum, Cafe Society? Do you think your dictator put it there for his own amusement? Nope, it was for the members of this message board. In fact, look at all of the fora - think they’re there for the sole purpose of making the dictator feel good about himself?
In what possible way is this a dictatorship?
Yep, we’re all just repressed soul. Damn the man. Damn the man, I say.
It would be an interesting experiment if people tried to set up constitutional-style protections on this message board.
A constitution might require that bannable offenses be codified; that before being banned, a member is entitled to notice and an opportunity to be heard before a neutral decisionmaker; etc.
It’s probably too cumbersome to be practical, but a forum for “trials” would make for interesting reading.
