I would drape myself in chocolate, if it were socially acceptable.
What you do behind closed drapes is your buisness.
Well, some people call their closest loved ones normally detestable terms like “bitch” or “nigga” or “stupid face” in a non-insulting way, still shouldn’t go around doing it on the board unless there’s some abundantly clear context that there’s no insulting going on. And even then probably not.
Probably not much of an insult, but I believe given the context and the framework of the thread Mod intervention was going to happen- and rightly so.
Saying that “you’re a real piece of work” equals “you’re an asshole” is bullshit. Saying that it’s an insult is still a stretch. Just because something’s negative doesn’t mean it’s an insult, doesn’t mean it’s over the line, and doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be said. If the OP had said, “You’re being a hypocrite”, that’s just as bad, and just as much not an insult. Saying “you’re being annoying” is just as bad, and just as much not an insult.
Yes, a mod told people to dial it down - big fucking deal. That’s not carte blanche to rewrite the rules and move the goalposts to the 25-yard line for that thread only. If things are getting out of hand, then deal with what’s out of hand. If things look like they’re going to get out of hand, remind people exactly where the line in the sand is - don’t draw a new one.
You meant it as an insult, and in a thread where someone is looking for advice. Lately I’ve noticed almost every time someone posts asking for advice there will be lots of good advice with a few smartass remarks when the advice isn’t appreciated enough.
It may have always been that way and I’m just reading more threads these days but it does seem that people are walking that line, often stepping over without even considering where they are posting.
Ellen Cherry is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I’ve ever known in my life.
Ellen Cherry is an excellent Moderator of Cecil’s message board.
Ellen Cherry is the wind beneath my wings.
She’s just a mod. Clearly you’ve been spending way too much time on the Boards. You should really get out more. Why don’t you pass the time by playing a little solitaire?
Did you read the thread? If anybody needed a mod warning it was the OP who shat all over the people offering constructive criticism. It seems unfair to describe the situation as “a few smartass remarks when the advice isn’t appreciated enough”, when to my mind people were only reacting to the extremely rude tone adopted by the OP. You may have noticed a trend for piling onto people requesting advice, but I dont think this case is as good an example of that as you may think.
Even the wording of the insult reflects this. “You’re a real piece of work” suggests frustration and disbelief rather than snark or an intent to belittle.
(I was going to say “snark and insultation”. Is insultation a word yet?)
My problem with this decision is simple. Czarcasm said to cut out “Pit-worthy responses.” People freely admit that this is not Pit level language, and is frequently found in IMHO. So why did AT get modded? It’s not as if Czarcasm said, “This hijack is over. This thread is about helping the OP with her graphics work. You want to comment on the character of the OP, take it to the Pit.” Then you could argue that even normal, non pit-level insults were verboten in the thread. (Though I’d seriously question such a decision based on precedent.)
Whether you think the comment is appropriate or not, I do not see how you can argue it rose to Warning level. Especially compared with other comments in that thread, let alone the whole subforum.
Surely the post from Czarcasm was a flag to cool responses? Why then post something which can be taken as crossing the line.
Never complain, never explain.
Better a real piece of work than a thousand fakes, or or or the millions out of work…no?
Chocolate-covered Ellen Cherry?
I’ll be in my bunk.
Yes I read the thread. I would have thought my comment would be a clear indication that I’d read it. Agent Foxtrot is not responsible for the other posters’ behavior, only his own. Every person in that thread had one reaction or another to the OP’s words but not everyone felt the need to make it personal. The ones who did got a warning. I read the entire thread as it happened and I could sense frustration all around. If I’d tossed in a personal insult without offering any advice in an advice thread I’d get a warning too. This is the way it’s been here since I joined up 11 years ago and as far as I know I’ve never received a warning.
You clearly haven’t read the mole thread. 
*Anything *can be and is taken as across the line on this board. Why don’t we just try to limit ourselves to being moderated for things that *actually *cross the line?
What positive could possibly come from saying “you’re a real piece of work?”
I don’t have a dog in the fight. I think - more than anything - the comment was the figurative straw that broke the camel’s back. Maybe the comment itself was semi-innocuous, but it’s not conducive to progressing the conversation. Yeah, the OP was out of line, too. But I think it was more of a culmination of the entire thread that prompted Ellen Cherry to nip the obviously oncoming train wreck in the bud.
If I’m a mod in that situation, I make the same call. Of course, there’s probably a valid reason why I’m not a mod.
Because you don’t want to deal with this bullshit?