# Jerk is warnable now? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [March 8, 2009, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerk-is-warnable-now/488717 "2009-03-08T06:50:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerk-is-warnable-now/488717/21 "2009-03-08T08:29:56Z")
> [@SkipMagic](#): > > Which rule would that be? The one where “You jerks” merits an official warning, and the one that says you get to make it appear that I started a thread, including writing a title that I did not write. Nobody speaks for me about any damn thing. Not you with your Magic Mod Hat of Perfection, not Ed Zotti, not Lynn Bodoni, not any other mod or admin. Nobody. You do not put words in my mouth. Ever. For any reason. ---
**Author:** ![spinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerk-is-warnable-now/488717/22 "2009-03-08T08:36:00Z")
Wait, are you saying **Oakminster** did not start this thread? Should I do a search for threads I’ve started but don’t know about? ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerk-is-warnable-now/488717/23 "2009-03-08T08:37:45Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > The one where “You jerks” merits an official warning, and the one that says you get to make it appear that I started a thread, including writing a title that I did not write. You insult someone, you take the chance of getting warned. That’s not making up a rule, that’s enforcing one that’s always been there for ATMB. Splitting a thread isn’t a rule I made up, either. As for the title, I grabbed the first non-tagged line of your post. If you’d like another title, please let me know. ---
**Author:** ![BooBoo316](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e0b2c6/32.png) [@BooBoo316](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BooBoo316)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerk-is-warnable-now/488717/24 "2009-03-08T08:48:38Z")
Sweet Zombie Jesus, this is getting stupid. I read how **Ed** finally seems to be “getting” it and posted an apology for how all this was handled, so I came back to check it out. Hmmm, he seems sincere about making amends…and about a hour or so later, this bullshit kills it. :smack: **Skip** , enlighten me, I may be wrong, but I was never aware of the rule that we can’t use “jerks” or the like in a collective sense outside the Pit. ---
**Author:** ![spinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerk-is-warnable-now/488717/25 "2009-03-08T08:49:07Z")
I just read the post you linked, **Skip** , and I’m totally confused. What made you think the comments about that warning were going to keep coming? ---
**Author:** ![BooBoo316](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e0b2c6/32.png) [@BooBoo316](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BooBoo316)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerk-is-warnable-now/488717/26 "2009-03-08T09:01:08Z")
Well, in his defense for splitting the thread, we have had a lot of comments. Not counting the ones about starting the thread in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerk-is-warnable-now/488717/27 "2009-03-08T09:06:07Z")
> [@SkipMagic](#): > > You insult someone, you take the chance of getting warned. That’s not making up a rule, that’s enforcing one that’s always been there for ATMB. What part of “He did not insult anybody” are you having trouble understanding? Go look through that 1000+ post thread. You’ll find plenty of posts directly to Ed Zotti that are a hell of a lot harsher than “You jerks”. Some of them are mine. Zotti took it all, and then, finally, apologized. But you can’t do that. Nope. You’re **Skip-frakkin-Magic**. Old Iron Balls himself. You could not possibly have screwed the pooch and tossed away whatever shreds of credibility you had left in the most batshit insane ruling I’ve ever seen. It’s ok, Skip. I know it’s hard to be humble when you’re perfect in every way. I just don’t give a damn how you fill out those skin tight blue jeans. ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerk-is-warnable-now/488717/28 "2009-03-08T09:09:31Z")
> [@ntucker](#): > > I just read the post you linked, **Skip** , and I’m totally confused. What made you think the comments about that warning were going to keep coming? Because **Oakminster** and **Tuckerfan** had already responded to it, and ATMB is a popular forum right now, so it doesn’t take much to foresee more comments from other people. I also wanted to respond to **Tuckerfan** ’s post without having him feel I was blowing him off by reminding him to take his comments to a new thread. So, after the third post in this thread, I split it from the original. It was a housekeeping chore, and not meant to steal **Oakminster** ’s thunder from a better-written OP (if he wanted to write one), or make him feel like I was putting words in his mouth. I assumed it would be a better choice than to keep repeating my request for someone to start a new thread (which would be tiresome and its own senseless hijack). > [@BooBoo316](#): > > Skip, enlighten me, I may be wrong, but I was never aware of the rule that we can’t use “jerks” or the like in a collective sense outside the Pit. You don’t get a pass when you’re using the group insult to attack another poster. We even spell it out in the forum rules in MPSIMS: > [@](#): > > Do Not Insult Other Posters > > While we appreciate that conversations can turn heated when it comes to controversial subjects, insults do little more than distract from the conversation and drag down the overall tone. If you’d like to vent your anger, please take it to The Pit, our forum for flaming other posters. Group insults, while permitted in most cases, will not be tolerated if they are aimed at other posters participating in the discussion. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerk-is-warnable-now/488717/29 "2009-03-08T09:12:50Z")
So, Skip…from that rule you quoted, what **poster** was Tuckerfan insulting? ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerk-is-warnable-now/488717/30 "2009-03-08T09:13:26Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > So, Skip…from that rule you quoted, what **poster** was Tuckerfan insulting? Ed. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerk-is-warnable-now/488717/31 "2009-03-08T09:16:46Z")
> [@SkipMagic](#): > > Ed. I’m sure he’ll be pleased to know you demoted him. Also note that Ed is one person, and “you jerks” is plural. Try again. Use your phone a friend if you need to… ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerk-is-warnable-now/488717/32 "2009-03-08T09:18:36Z")
I am now totally and hopelessly confused about the rules. I don’t even think all of the mods agree on what the rules are. Personally, I’m even confused about who was insulted. Skip, you said that you were not. This is just awful…_awful_. ---
**Author:** ![superwombat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superwombat/32/16616_2.png) [@superwombat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/superwombat)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerk-is-warnable-now/488717/33 "2009-03-08T09:21:16Z")
**SkipMagic** : Out of curiosity, was the “you jerks” post reported, or just caught while reading the thread yourself? ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerk-is-warnable-now/488717/34 "2009-03-08T09:28:49Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > I’m sure he’ll be pleased to know you demoted him. You think you were allowed to insult mods and admins outside the Pit even _before_ board and staff complaint threads were moved to ATMB? If so, I’m sorry, but you had the wrong impression. > [@superwombat](#): > > Skipmagic: Out of curiosity, was the “you jerks” post reported, or just caught while reading the thread yourself? I just happened to be reading the thread. > [@Zoe](#): > > I am now totally and hopelessly confused about the rules. I don’t even think all of the mods agree on what the rules are. We all agree insults are not acceptable outside the Pit. > [@Zoe](#): > > Personally, I’m even confused about who was insulted. Skip, you said that you were not. This is just awful…awful. I didn’t say no one insulted me; I just said that I’d let another mod handle it. I tend to do that so it doesn’t appear as if I’m picking on the person with whom I’m having a conversation. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerk-is-warnable-now/488717/35 "2009-03-08T09:39:25Z")
> [@SkipMagic](#): > > You think you were allowed to insult mods and admins outside the Pit even _before_ board and staff complaint threads were moved to ATMB? If so, I’m sorry, but you had the wrong impression. Real slow, with small words. He. Did. Not. Insult. Anybody. For that matter, neither did I, in that thread. And there’s still the matter of you abusing your mod powers to make it appear I started a thread I didn’t start, with a title I did not write. When I first saw this thread, I thought somebody hacked my account. Serious, Skip. You fucked up. People are laughing at you on at least three boards that I know about. Walk away and stop digging yourself in deeper. In the morning, come back, post “You’re right, Oak, I fucked up”. I’ll still think you’re a terrible mod, but maybe you can save some face. ---
**Author:** ![leander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bcef8e/32.png) [@leander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leander)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerk-is-warnable-now/488717/36 "2009-03-08T09:40:36Z")
Sorry, but this was a really, really stupid thing to do **Skip**. \*\*Ed \*\*makes a heartfelt apology and you have to stir shit up by being hyper-vigilant. Not smart. ---
**Author:** ![BooBoo316](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e0b2c6/32.png) [@BooBoo316](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BooBoo316)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerk-is-warnable-now/488717/37 "2009-03-08T09:44:05Z")
Skip, do you see the irony in issuing a heavy-handed, nit-picky warning in a thread where Ed was apologizing for heavy-handed administration of the board? The rule you posted was from fluffy-happy MPSIMS, I don’t have the energy to look it up, but I know in GD I’ve seen much worse. I would think with discussion of mod behavior being moved to ATMB from the Pit, combined with the current level of stress around here, you would want to have a light touch when dealing with this kind of rule. ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerk-is-warnable-now/488717/38 "2009-03-08T10:08:59Z")
> [@BooBoo316](#): > > Skip, do you see the irony in issuing a heavy-handed, nit-picky warning in a thread where Ed was apologizing for heavy-handed administration of the board? I disagree it was heavy-handed or nit-picky. If we allowed some insults and not others, I could see where nit-picking plays into it, but the “no insults” rules is as simple and as clear as it can get. There’s really not much room to maneuver. > [@](#): > > The rule you posted was from fluffy-happy MPSIMS, I don’t have the energy to look it up, but I know in GD I’ve seen much worse. That was for illustration purposes, and so I didn’t have to write out what was written before. The rules for insults apply to ATMB same as MPSIMS. I know GD is always a contentious forum, so I’m not sure how the mods there handle what I’m assuming are insults presented in a million different ways. I would prefer not to split so many hairs in ATMB so that the discussions remain civil; and to support that, it means all insults are not allowed, no matter the mildness. > [@](#): > > I would think with discussion of mod behavior being moved to ATMB from the Pit, combined with the current level of stress around here, you would want to have a light touch when dealing with this kind of rule. I do, however, agree that it would probably benefit the board a lot more if I rescinded the warning and just left it as a note/reminder. Personally, I feel that flies in the face of the requests for consistent moderation, but based on the remarks made in the reasonable posts in this thread, it would, hopefully, help to get board reconciliation back on track. I’ll go take care of that now. And then I’ll head to bed. ---
**Author:** ![leander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bcef8e/32.png) [@leander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leander)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerk-is-warnable-now/488717/39 "2009-03-08T10:38:12Z")
> [@SkipMagic](#): > > I do, however, agree that it would probably benefit the board a lot more if I rescinded the warning and just left it as a note/reminder. Personally, I feel that flies in the face of the requests for consistent moderation, but based on the remarks made in the reasonable posts in this thread, it would, hopefully, help to get board reconciliation back on track. I’ll go take care of that now. That’s really not going to cut it, kiddo. Follow your boss’s lead and take it on the chin. You fucked up. It was stupid. Now apologise and take responsibility for your actions. ---
**Author:** ![BooBoo316](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e0b2c6/32.png) [@BooBoo316](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BooBoo316)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerk-is-warnable-now/488717/40 "2009-03-08T10:47:58Z")
> [@SkipMagic](#): > > I disagree it was heavy-handed or nit-picky. If we allowed some insults and not others, I could see where nit-picking plays into it, but the “no insults” rules is as simple and as clear as it can get. There’s really not much room to maneuver. We’re just gonna have to agree to disagree on this point. I don’t see it as an insult to another poster, more as a collective reference to a group. > [@](#): > > That was for illustration purposes, and so I didn’t have to write out what was written before. The rules for insults apply to ATMB same as MPSIMS. I know GD is always a contentious forum, so I’m not sure how the mods there handle what I’m assuming are insults presented in a million different ways. I would prefer not to split so many hairs in ATMB so that the discussions remain civil; and to support that, it means all insults are not allowed, no matter the mildness. ATMB has been plenty contentious of late and I don’t expect that will change anytime soon. I thought discussion of mod actions were moved here to protect **Ed’s** precious snowflakes from curse words not to shield you from even the mildest insults (not that I agree it was an insult). > [@](#): > > I do, however, agree that it would probably benefit the board a lot more if I rescinded the warning and just left it as a note/reminder. Personally, I feel that flies in the face of the requests for consistent moderation, but based on the remarks made in the reasonable posts in this thread, it would, hopefully, help to get board reconciliation back on track. I’ll go take care of that now. > > And then I’ll head to bed. That’s much better than a warning, but I still disagree that any action was necessary. I’m working hard on being civil, but this kind of crap pisses me off. In happier news: Good night, get some sleep. We can all use some at this point. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerk-is-warnable-now/488717.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerk-is-warnable-now/488717.md?page=3)