# Jonathan Chance, what's with the defensiveness over some polls? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [February 15, 2019, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-chance-whats-with-the-defensiveness-over-some-polls/829634 "2019-02-15T20:52:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-chance-whats-with-the-defensiveness-over-some-polls/829634/1 "2019-02-15T20:52:46Z")
**jsc1953** has festooned **Elections** with several “March Madness” polls related to the 2020 Dem primaries. A couple (but not all) of those poll threads have included some responses questioning the logic of the seedings. Notice that I said _not all_. Yet _immediately_ in storms **Jonathan Chance** on his white charger, he (JC, not the horse) of the annoying throat clearing (buy some Hall’s for chrissake!), to demand everyone “stop bitching” about the seedings. **In every one of these threads.** Even in threads where there wasn’t any kvetching or, as he prefers it, “bitching”: > [@Democratic March Madness - East Semifinal 2 - McAuliffe/Hickenlooper](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democratic-march-madness-east-semifinal-2-mcauliffe-hickenlooper/829605/4): > > Everyone stop bitching about the seedings. No one’s forcing you to vote. > > Let it be a fun distraction during the doldrums. We could do one every quarter or so until things get serious in January. And now he’s even warned someone who just reiterated that yeah, the seedings are weird. Is this “fun distraction during the doldrums” really so serious that a fairly mild cavil over the seeding is worth a frickin’ _warning_? Yeah, he disobeyed your instructions but it was incredibly non-confrontational. Not only that, the poster is ordered to stay out of the threads entirely! So much for “fun distraction.” Look at this exchange: > [@Democratic March Madness - East Semifinal 1 - O'Rourke/Gabbard](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democratic-march-madness-east-semifinal-1-orourke-gabbard/829604/4): > > If you set it up so the final two are a top contender against a neverwas, the whole thing loses its appeal. Needs to be redone, IMO. > [@Democratic March Madness - East Semifinal 1 - O'Rourke/Gabbard](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democratic-march-madness-east-semifinal-1-orourke-gabbard/829604/5): > > What did I just say? > > Warning issued. And you’re directed to stay out of these threads. WTF, dude? And come clean: are you the OP of these threads (note the coincidental initials in the OP’s username), or maybe related to them in some way? Because your warnings and obligatory phlegm-spewing preface are awful quick to rise to their defense. And if so, are Mods allowed to have duplicate usernames, which for the rest of us peons are called “socks?” ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-chance-whats-with-the-defensiveness-over-some-polls/829634/2 "2019-02-15T20:55:52Z")
Yeah, I noticed that too. It seems like a weirdly over the top reaction. A few mild complaints about the seeding don’t deserve warnings and thread-bans. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-chance-whats-with-the-defensiveness-over-some-polls/829634/3 "2019-02-15T20:57:38Z")
The complaint was in enough of the threads that it made sense to pre-emptively put the note in all of them. And no, mods are not allowed to have socks. It’s almost like names starting with “J” are common, or something. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-chance-whats-with-the-defensiveness-over-some-polls/829634/4 "2019-02-15T21:04:36Z")
**BigAppleBucky** is right, nevertheless. Pitting Sanders against Biden immediately screws the pooch. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-chance-whats-with-the-defensiveness-over-some-polls/829634/5 "2019-02-15T21:07:52Z")
People have complained about poll selections since polls were invented, and certainly since the SDMB has allowed them. Have these complaints been moderated in the past? ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-chance-whats-with-the-defensiveness-over-some-polls/829634/6 "2019-02-15T21:20:24Z")
Nine similar threads flooding a discussion forum gets enthusiastic approval, but a little “bitching” draws a warning? ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-chance-whats-with-the-defensiveness-over-some-polls/829634/7 "2019-02-15T21:47:13Z")
It’s the fact that, immediately following my mod note, he continued to complain that got him the warning. There’s no way that wasn’t a violation of the issue. He earned the warning, plain and simple. It wasn’t a ‘mild cavil’. It was active, similar complaints in multiple threads. That’s not a complaint. That’s an attempt to derail a thread and prevent it from being something enjoyable for our members. I decided that was detrimental to the threads and headed it off. And what’s with the sock accusation? I’ve no buy-in there except it’s perfectly legit to start those threads. It’ll be fun and distracting during this silly season where everyone’s declaring but no one’s really running. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-chance-whats-with-the-defensiveness-over-some-polls/829634/8 "2019-02-15T21:51:21Z")
It looks like the warning was for not obeying moderator instructions. There were no warnings for dropping turds in multiple threads. I think a preemptive note in the other threads was a good idea. > [@Democratic March Madness - East Semifinal 1 - O'Rourke/Gabbard](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democratic-march-madness-east-semifinal-1-orourke-gabbard/829604/4): > > If you set it up so the final two are a top contender against a neverwas, the whole thing loses its appeal. Needs to be redone, IMO. > [@Democratic March Madness - West Semifinal 2 Brown/Warren](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democratic-march-madness-west-semifinal-2-brown-warren/829607/2): > > Bad choice for me since Brown and Warren are my two early personal favorites. > [@Democratic March Madness - East Semifinal 2 - McAuliffe/Hickenlooper](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democratic-march-madness-east-semifinal-2-mcauliffe-hickenlooper/829605/2): > > Who cares. Very poor seeding being done here. > [@Democratic March Madness - North Semifinal 1 - Biden/Sanders](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democratic-march-madness-north-semifinal-1-biden-sanders/829600/6): > > Yet another poor pairing. This whole thing was set up terribly. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-chance-whats-with-the-defensiveness-over-some-polls/829634/9 "2019-02-15T21:57:02Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > That’s an attempt to derail a thread and prevent it from being something enjoyable for our members. I decided that was detrimental to the threads and headed it off. > > And what’s with the sock accusation? I’ve no buy-in there except it’s perfectly legit to start those threads. It’ll be fun and distracting during this silly season where everyone’s declaring but no one’s really running. Maybe complaining about the seedings is part of the fun. Seems like it’s just not the kind of fun _you_ prefer. In any event, derailing threads is part and parcel of this board, particularly polls. I don’t remember many that haven’t had a “I wish you’d included xxxx instead of yyyy” comment, followed by some discussion of xxxx. Over the top reaction. Ridiculous, in fact. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-chance-whats-with-the-defensiveness-over-some-polls/829634/10 "2019-02-15T21:57:37Z")
NM ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-chance-whats-with-the-defensiveness-over-some-polls/829634/11 "2019-02-15T22:01:26Z")
> [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > Maybe complaining about the seedings is part of the fun. Seems like it’s just not the kind of fun _you_ prefer. > > In any event, derailing threads is part and parcel of this board, particularly polls. I don’t remember many that haven’t had a “I wish you’d included xxxx instead of yyyy” comment, followed by some discussion of xxxx. > > Over the top reaction. Ridiculous, in fact. Not if, as has been explained, the admonition was for disobeying mod instructions, not for bitching about the poll selections. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-chance-whats-with-the-defensiveness-over-some-polls/829634/12 "2019-02-15T22:06:50Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Not if, as has been explained, the admonition was for disobeying mod instructions, not for bitching about the poll selections. Maybe **JC** shouldn’t have been issuing those sorts of mod instructions in the first place. Can we all add our own seeding threads, or are those 9 the ones we’re using and that’s it? ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-chance-whats-with-the-defensiveness-over-some-polls/829634/13 "2019-02-15T22:09:58Z")
_**No! You will have fun and distraction[sup]tm[/sup] only the way i want you to!**_ ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-chance-whats-with-the-defensiveness-over-some-polls/829634/14 "2019-02-15T22:12:12Z")
If this were between two non-mod posters, would a warning have been issued? ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-chance-whats-with-the-defensiveness-over-some-polls/829634/15 "2019-02-15T22:12:33Z")
Can we bitch about the seedings in an actual March Madness thread? Or is bitching about tournament seeding off limits in general now? Because it seems complaining/debating about the seeds is pretty much part of a tournament’s discussion, even if it is seen by some as “bitching.” ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-chance-whats-with-the-defensiveness-over-some-polls/829634/16 "2019-02-15T22:13:25Z")
> [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > Maybe **JC** shouldn’t have been issuing those sorts of mod instructions in the first place. > > Can we all add our own seeding threads, or are those 9 the ones we’re using and that’s it? There’s a big difference between “I wish you had included X” or “I wish you match Y against Z” versus what was actually said: “Who cares” and “Yet another poor pairing. This whole thing was set up terribly.” The first type of comments probably are fine. The second are threadshits and are frequently modded. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-chance-whats-with-the-defensiveness-over-some-polls/829634/17 "2019-02-15T22:17:22Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > The first type of comments probably are fine. The second are threadshits and are frequently modded. I don’t see them as threadshitting. That’d be something along the lines of “Guessing now is stupid. Why even bother?” The ones you mentioned were mere complaints. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-chance-whats-with-the-defensiveness-over-some-polls/829634/18 "2019-02-15T22:25:02Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > That’s an attempt to derail a thread and prevent it from being something enjoyable for our members. I decided that was detrimental to the threads and headed it off. Well for what it’s worth, seeing the same copypasta from you in every thread within the first 5 posts turned me off from posting in them and ruined\* my enjoyment of them. \*No flowers are necessary. I shall soldier on. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-chance-whats-with-the-defensiveness-over-some-polls/829634/19 "2019-02-15T22:29:43Z")
> [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > I don’t see them as threadshitting. That’d be something along the lines of “Guessing now is stupid. Why even bother?” > > The ones you mentioned were mere complaints. “Who cares?” is the very first example given in the rules against threadshitting. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-chance-whats-with-the-defensiveness-over-some-polls/829634/20 "2019-02-15T22:35:54Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > “Who cares?” is the very first example given in the rules against threadshitting. The post in question, though, goes on to be entirely a complaint about the seeding. The phrase is not automatically a threadshit. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-chance-whats-with-the-defensiveness-over-some-polls/829634.md?page=2)