# Mod rewrites an OP and tells us to respond to the re-write, not the OP? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [July 16, 2015, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mod-rewrites-an-op-and-tells-us-to-respond-to-the-re-write-not-the-op/725335 "2015-07-16T16:30:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mod-rewrites-an-op-and-tells-us-to-respond-to-the-re-write-not-the-op/725335/21 "2015-07-16T19:35:54Z")
2 things are a guaranteed exercises in futility. Bending the course of a river, and criticizing a mod’s good intentions. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mod-rewrites-an-op-and-tells-us-to-respond-to-the-re-write-not-the-op/725335/22 "2015-07-16T19:41:13Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > I’ll put five bucks on Denmark. I knew someone from there who thought all Americans were ignorant louts; but a long serious of exchanges with a wide range of people cured him of that idea. 😃 > > I can’t speak to the OPs history or yours for that matter. But I do know I’ve made the same kinds of poor word choices myself when operating in other languages. I give it a pass and my thinking is the mod made a good move on this one. I’ll accept your definition, which I will slightly restate as “correcting a flaw”, as a valid definition of “cure”. Doesn’t change the meaning of that OP to any significant degree. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mod-rewrites-an-op-and-tells-us-to-respond-to-the-re-write-not-the-op/725335/24 "2015-07-16T20:04:58Z")
> [@Wold1987](#): > > Whatever that was, must have been fascist moderating. I’ve never come across anyone who would have the free time to totally re-write someones OP! :smack: > > @tomndebb: _Really_ not seeing where all this free time is found. Are fascists known for their extensive free time? I knew I shoulda been a fascist. Is it too late for me? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mod-rewrites-an-op-and-tells-us-to-respond-to-the-re-write-not-the-op/725335/25 "2015-07-16T20:49:58Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > How about anything to do with **Boyo Jim** ’s OP? **Boyo Jim** ’s OP was an example of politically correct oversensitivity. I don’t think anything can or should be done about it. So I am laughing at it, which is what it needs. If you can’t or don’t want to understand that, oh well. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mod-rewrites-an-op-and-tells-us-to-respond-to-the-re-write-not-the-op/725335/26 "2015-07-16T20:57:38Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Somebody used a bad word in GD. Fetch my smelling salts while I lie down with a cool cloth over my eyes! Would you settle for salt in your eyes and a wet cloth over your nose and mouth? ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mod-rewrites-an-op-and-tells-us-to-respond-to-the-re-write-not-the-op/725335/27 "2015-07-16T21:18:15Z")
If a mod wants to see a discussion of something different than what the OP wrote, shouldn’t he just start his own new thread? That’s what they always tell the rest of us to do in cases like that. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mod-rewrites-an-op-and-tells-us-to-respond-to-the-re-write-not-the-op/725335/28 "2015-07-16T21:46:01Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > **Boyo Jim** ’s OP was an example of politically correct oversensitivity. I don’t think anything can or should be done about it. So I am laughing at it, which is what it needs. > > If you can’t or don’t want to understand that, oh well. > > Regards, > Shodan Wow, are you … way off. I was protesting a mod for attempting to make an OP _more_ PC, or at least less offensive to the posters here. I prefer that is stayed as originally written. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mod-rewrites-an-op-and-tells-us-to-respond-to-the-re-write-not-the-op/725335/29 "2015-07-16T22:42:35Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > **Boyo Jim** ’s OP was an example of politically correct oversensitivity. Seemed like the opposite to me – that he was complaining that the mod was too PC oversensitive. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mod-rewrites-an-op-and-tells-us-to-respond-to-the-re-write-not-the-op/725335/30 "2015-07-16T22:52:04Z")
The text of the OP of the thread in question is: > [@Can homosexuality be cured?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-homosexuality-be-cured/725173/1): > > If we disregard the question of whether it should be, are there any methods, psychological or medical, which have shown to be effective in turning gay people straight? Certainly the only I thing one hear from the faith based programs you have in the USA, is that they’re totally bogus – but again that may by confirmation bias. Rune says that the question of whether it is appropriate to attempt a change is not his question. He then notes that his explicit question is whether anyone has knowledge of any effort that has actually succeeded. His OP is followed by legitimate posts, sly attempts to insult Rune implying that he wants to promote changing orientation, and a couple that mix those two . Rather than start handing out Warnings for threadshitting, I declared that the topic was > [@](#): > > Is there any evidence that homosexual orientation is open to change? I see no difference between > [@](#): > > Is there any evidence that homosexual orientation is open to change? and > [@](#): > > are there any methods, psychological or medical, which have shown to be effective in turning gay people straight? Neither one is “more PC” than the other, my paraphrase is just shorter. It is not a change to the question asked in the OP. Subsequent to my post, the dumb misreadings of the OP and sly digs at the Original Poster stopped and the discussion went on for another day and a half. I did not change the OP. I Moderated the discussion. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mod-rewrites-an-op-and-tells-us-to-respond-to-the-re-write-not-the-op/725335/31 "2015-07-16T22:55:50Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > I see no difference between and Neither one is “more PC” than the other, my paraphrase is just shorter. It is not a change to the question asked in the OP. If it were not a change, you would not have made it. You required that people ignore that Rune said “cured,” in order to participate. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mod-rewrites-an-op-and-tells-us-to-respond-to-the-re-write-not-the-op/725335/32 "2015-07-16T23:09:33Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > If there is a question about the meanings of terms that a person uses, wouldn’t the better resolution be for the person to respond to inquiries and explain on their own what they meant? In a perfect world, maybe - but here? Not always. Trying to explain once a semi-hijack starts can be an exercise in futility. And while I haven’t read the entire thread, I did go past Post 19 for a bit. Once there is a sort of _pile on_ of responses, so to speak, its not a bad time for a mod to step in. And in this case it looks to have done some good. > [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I’ll accept your definition, which I will slightly restate as “correcting a flaw”, as a valid definition of “cure”. Doesn’t change the meaning of that OP to any significant degree. You will slightly restate, huh? Isn’t that what our mod did that set you off in the first place? Kind of makes you look like a ------- person who should have more carefully worded their thoughts as well, doesn’t it? 😃 Your efforts are not needed; I am where I began at “change” and you are where you began at trying to find offense in an OP where (probably) none was intended and a moderators actions that look to be very much in order. But it has been interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mod-rewrites-an-op-and-tells-us-to-respond-to-the-re-write-not-the-op/725335/33 "2015-07-16T23:33:11Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > … > Your efforts are not needed; I am where I began at “change” and you are where you began at trying to find offense in an OP where (probably) none was intended and a moderators actions that look to be very much in order. But it has been interesting. You misunderstand me. I don’t care whether the OP intended offense or not. I don’t care whether the post was in fact offensive or not – I personally think it was, but I don’t object to it being posted. What I DO object to is a mod sanitizing the language. Tomdebb clearly understood that lots of people would find the language offense, and told us to ignore it. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mod-rewrites-an-op-and-tells-us-to-respond-to-the-re-write-not-the-op/725335/34 "2015-07-17T00:03:23Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > If it were not a change, you would not have made it. You required that people ignore that Rune said “cured,” in order to participate. Precisely. Well said. ---
**Author:** ![callander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ed655f/32.png) [@callander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/callander)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mod-rewrites-an-op-and-tells-us-to-respond-to-the-re-write-not-the-op/725335/35 "2015-07-17T00:18:53Z")
Sounds like a few people are ovulating here, whine after whine, and strangely I think most are males. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mod-rewrites-an-op-and-tells-us-to-respond-to-the-re-write-not-the-op/725335/36 "2015-07-17T00:24:03Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > … You will slightly restate, huh? Isn’t that what our mod did that set you off in the first place? Kind of makes you look like a ------- person who should have more carefully worded their thoughts as well, doesn’t it? 😃 … I would say that YOU are the one who could have more thoughtfully worded your post. 😛 Yet I long for the day when I have the power to tell people what questions to reply to in a thread! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! No more dog threads! Only cats. Even threads having nothing at all to do with cats MUST have a link to a kitten picture within the first 10 posts. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mod-rewrites-an-op-and-tells-us-to-respond-to-the-re-write-not-the-op/725335/37 "2015-07-17T01:00:18Z")
Oh, my god. Some of you people are so goddamned bored, you have to invent things to bitch about. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mod-rewrites-an-op-and-tells-us-to-respond-to-the-re-write-not-the-op/725335/38 "2015-07-17T01:01:10Z")
> [@callander](#): > > Sounds like a few people are ovulating here, whine after whine, and strangely I think most are males. Awesome. This post is not clever, not funny, extrodinarily hostile and offensive all at the same time. All while offering absolutely nothing of any sort about the topic of the thread. Quite a coup. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mod-rewrites-an-op-and-tells-us-to-respond-to-the-re-write-not-the-op/725335/39 "2015-07-17T01:05:15Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > If it were not a change, you would not have made it. You required that people ignore that Rune said “cured,” in order to participate. This is true. I think **tom~**'s point is valid, however. Had he not made the change, the thread would have remained focused on calling **Rune** nasty names, and would likely have been closed or moved to the Pit in fairly short order. The change as made did allow the thread to continue with some fair amount of legitimate discussion, which is IMHO the core of GD and the Dope as a whole. Honestly, if I thought it would do any good beyond venting my spleen I’d have opened the “WTF Rune” Pit thread already. But since s/he has not returned to the GD thread after dropping off the turd of an OP, I don’t think s/he has any actual interest in engaging on any level. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mod-rewrites-an-op-and-tells-us-to-respond-to-the-re-write-not-the-op/725335/40 "2015-07-17T01:13:04Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > [Here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=762300), Rune asks if homosexuality can be “cured”. And then further suggests it’s a disease by saying he didn’t want to debate whether or not it **should** be cured, only whether it is **possible**. People were understandably upset and provided snarky replies. > > And then tomndebb swoops in at post 19 and re-writes the OP’s question and tells us all to reply the the new version of the OP. I’ve never seen this before, and I don’t think it’s right. > > The OP needs to stand or fall on its own merits, not a laundered version written by someone else to make it less offensive. If it’s that bad (and I think it is), then maybe the thread should be closed, or the mods need to discipline anyone who crosses the line of an acceptable response. > > That is all. Only reading the OP and the post you mentioned, ISTM, Tomndeb would have been better off acting not as a mod (at that point) but as a regular member and suggesting the other question (can it be changed, not can it be cured). I didn’t read the rest of the comments, but maybe let it go a bit further and if it’s a trainwreck then shut it down and suggest that if that’s what the OP meant they should start a new thread worded differently. If the OP really means ‘cured’, then the thread is never going to do well (at least not here). If the OP really means ‘changed’, then there may be some meaningful discussion to be had. Also, maybe some PM’s to the OP would have been in order to find out what Rune really meant. If ‘cured’ was just a poor word choice, the mod could have A)changed the thread title and B)clarified/reiterated the question. OTOH, if the thread is falling apart from Post 2, it may be better if the mod closes it and asks Rune to start a new one if “Changed” is what they meant…mod hat on and let us know that they’re not putting words in Rune’s mouth, but that they spoke to Rune and this is what he/she meant. Of course, if Cured is what Rune really meant, then it’s the mod’s job to keep the discussion on track and deal with it when it falls apart, which it’s going to with a topic like that. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mod-rewrites-an-op-and-tells-us-to-respond-to-the-re-write-not-the-op/725335/41 "2015-07-17T01:39:21Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Would you settle for salt in your eyes and a wet cloth over your nose and mouth? Brilliant (as always from VT). As for the OP in question: I accept tomndebb’s observation that its text was not well reflected in the wording of its title. Changing the title isn’t so different from the other thread titles mod-edited for clarity (most often, vague titles by new or newish Dopers). At most, I’d expect tomndebb to give Rune heads-up (via PM) a bit before making the change. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mod-rewrites-an-op-and-tells-us-to-respond-to-the-re-write-not-the-op/725335.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mod-rewrites-an-op-and-tells-us-to-respond-to-the-re-write-not-the-op/725335.md?page=3)