# Is this mod behavior acceptable \[editing titles with bias\]? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [July 20, 2010, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-mod-behavior-acceptable-editing-titles-with-bias/547332 "2010-07-20T10:47:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-mod-behavior-acceptable-editing-titles-with-bias/547332/81 "2010-07-24T01:15:17Z")
Casting my vote: For a RC to change the title of a thread that is overwhelmingly critical of the RC church to “RCC = Evil” is the same as a Conservative changing a thread critical of Bush to “Bush = Evil.” It comes of as dismissive, eye-rolling and straw-mannish. (Even if the mod wasn’t known to be RC it would come off that way, but to a lesser degree.) ## It says: All the contents of this thread are knee-jerk Church bashing. And yes, it also distorts the OP’s position (which **TomN** apologized for.) And in the context of this thread it was apparent that the accusation of “tone deafness” referred to the specific incident of not understanding the clear implications of his title change. It was not dismissive of the person. It was not saying, You’re Stupid and Uncomprehending. It was saying you’re not seeing what’s obvious to most people in this thread. It was no harsher than that. Or possibly I’m tone deaf. ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-mod-behavior-acceptable-editing-titles-with-bias/547332/82 "2010-07-24T01:30:33Z")
> [@leander](#): > > Title is not topic. Topic is “RCC=evil”. Ed. I generally support the mods around here, but come on, that’s clearly an argumentative edit. For one thing, you’re calling the poster out for picking a bad title with that whole “title is not topic” business. There are much more poorly titled posts than that which didn’t get called out like that. Also, as others have mentioned, “RCC=evil” is overstating the OPs position, to the point of caricature. How about just adding [RCC and child abuse] to the title. If you’d done that, I don’t think anyone would be complaining. Let me put it this way: If you asked me to read that edit and guess whether the moderator was pissed off by the content of the thread, I’d guess yes. I bet most posters would get yes. No matter how offended you are by the thread in question, edits to the _subject_ shouldn’t convey this. And if you _weren’t_ pissed off, then all the more reason not to make edits that make it sound like you were. ---
**Author:** ![leander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bcef8e/32.png) [@leander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leander)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-mod-behavior-acceptable-editing-titles-with-bias/547332/83 "2010-07-25T09:31:34Z")
I am glad that \*\*tomndebb \*\*has changed the title finally, though it still doesn’t appear that he really understands his error (or at least will not admit it here). Either way, I think he will be much less inclined to make that same error again in the future, which is a good thing. The mods can close this thread now if they like. ---
**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:** [July 25, 2010, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-mod-behavior-acceptable-editing-titles-with-bias/547332/84 "2010-07-25T14:04:20Z")
Sure he’ll learn from it. After all, he learned from the last time something like this happened, and the time before, and the time before that, right? ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-mod-behavior-acceptable-editing-titles-with-bias/547332/85 "2010-07-25T15:03:11Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Yeah, poor form. Using the edit-title functionality to improve clarity is one thing. Using it to advance an argument, or to dismiss an argument, dilutes that function and is skeezy. > > It was a shitty thread, and I stopped reading it after a couple of posts, given the obnoxious OP. But Tom’s edit is unnecessary, snarky, and an abuse of that mod power. This is how I see it, too. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-mod-behavior-acceptable-editing-titles-with-bias/547332/86 "2010-07-26T03:51:10Z")
This is one of the rare times I disagree with the mods here, for reasons already adequately explained throughout this thread. ---
**Author:** ![leander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bcef8e/32.png) [@leander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leander)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-mod-behavior-acceptable-editing-titles-with-bias/547332/87 "2010-07-26T04:07:55Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Sure he’ll learn from it. After all, he learned from the last time something like this happened, and the time before, and the time before that, right? You may be right, but at the end of the day if he adjusts his behavior appropriately then it doesn’t really matter if he’s learned from it or not. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-mod-behavior-acceptable-editing-titles-with-bias/547332/88 "2010-07-26T04:36:34Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Sure he’ll learn from it. After all, he learned from the last time something like this happened, and the time before, and the time before that, right? You, of course, can point to the many complaints that posters have lodged against any titles I have edited before this? ---
**Author:** ![leander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bcef8e/32.png) [@leander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leander)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-mod-behavior-acceptable-editing-titles-with-bias/547332/89 "2010-07-26T10:43:29Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > > [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > > > Sure he’ll learn from it. After all, he learned from the last time something like this happened, and the time before, and the time before that, right? > > You, of course, can point to the many complaints that posters have lodged against any titles I have edited before this? **tomndebb** , you’re not really helping your case here. Let’s try a little multiple choice. When \*\*Peter \*\*says _“the last time something like this happened, and the time before, and the time before that”_ he is referring to: (a) The many, many times you have edited titles OR (b) The many, many times you have been accused of showing bias and hand waved it away ? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-mod-behavior-acceptable-editing-titles-with-bias/547332.md?page=4)