# Moderation approves personal harassment by silence **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [June 11, 2018, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870 "2018-06-11T13:49:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/122 "2018-06-11T21:23:08Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > LHoD is confused in that matter. The offer remains, PM me any proof of this if you choose not to post it. A request I made several hours ago and no one has yet responded to. Lack of proof may not be lack of truth, but it does bring motivation into question. FWIW, my motives don’t especially include persuading you. Don’t expect a PM from me therefore :). If others are interested, and if it’s okay for me to post links, I’ll try to spend a little time tonight tracking some of them down. Again, though, I’m not interested in engaging in this discussion by PM–I’d prefer it to be a public discussion. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/123 "2018-06-11T21:28:26Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > FWIW, my motives don’t especially include persuading you. Don’t expect a PM from me therefore :). > … Honestly, I don’t expect a PM from you. Nor do I expect one from anyone else, at least, not regarding your claim. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/124 "2018-06-11T21:46:34Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > Honestly, I don’t expect a PM from you. Nor do I expect one from anyone else, at least, not regarding your claim. It’s completely irrelevant to post a link or two because what happens in that case is an endless semantic and pedantic nitpick session about what each word means and unprovable assertions of intent. What matters is a pattern of behavior that spans a decade plus and the sheer volume of threads and posts attacking and snarking on other posters by a small subset of members. It’s an insult to everyone’s intelligence to feign ignorance of the existence and pattern. The only real question is why is it tolerated? Which is the topic of the thread. Chimera has a legitimate question and gaslighting and misdirection are distractions. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/125 "2018-06-11T21:48:41Z")
Show me this decades of abuse you’re claiming. PM me with proof please. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/126 "2018-06-11T21:51:56Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > Show me this decades of abuse you’re claiming. PM me with proof please. I don’t need to prove or show you anything. The only one who needs proof and links PMed is the site administrator. And I’m not about to be bogged down in transparent attempts at tangential conversation. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/127 "2018-06-11T21:54:03Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > Show me this decades of abuse you’re claiming. PM me with proof please. Again, you are your own worst enemy. Do you think its reasonable for you to apologize to Chimera for crossing the line? Do you see any problem whatsoever with your posting style? ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/128 "2018-06-11T21:56:54Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > I don’t need to prove or show you anything. The only one who needs proof and links PMed is the site administrator. And I’m not about to be bogged down in transparent attempts at tangential conversation. I thought you’d have quick access to the facts you’re using. Sorry, If you get the time, could you PM me a few of them. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/129 "2018-06-11T21:59:19Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > I thought you’d have quick access to the facts you’re using. Sorry, If you get the time, could you PM me a few of them. 🙂 No. This isn’t Great Debates or The Pit. There is one opinion that matters. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/130 "2018-06-11T22:00:42Z")
Well, we’ll just leave it that you stated an opinion, not a fact. Fair enough? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/131 "2018-06-11T22:02:38Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > I’ve patiently wait about an hour and thirty minutes for you to prove your statement. That’s plenty of time for you to get your facts together and post them. You have not done so here, nor have you PM’ed me with any proof. I’m justified in classifying your claim as false. You need to offer proof if you feel the need to build on your conspiracy theory. You are well aware of what happened, and you already have all the proof you need, and you know that very well. “Declaring Victory” is silly. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/132 "2018-06-11T22:03:47Z")
> [@CCitizen](#): > > Especially given the fact that many people call Social Media their second home. Good point. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/133 "2018-06-11T22:03:53Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > You are well aware of what happened, and you already have all the proof you need, and you know that very well. “Declaring Victory” is silly. It’s just an attempt to reframe the narrative. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/134 "2018-06-11T22:05:45Z")
Private Messages: Unread 0, Total 135. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/135 "2018-06-11T22:05:53Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > You are well aware of what happened, and you already have all the proof you need, and you know that very well. “Declaring Victory” is silly. GW Morgenstern? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/136 "2018-06-11T22:07:16Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > It’s just an attempt to reframe the narrative. This tactic doesn’t work when we have a room full of intelligent people and the tactic is obvious. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/137 "2018-06-11T22:08:48Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > This is a tricky issue to discuss, since it necessarily involves off-board drama. It’s not made easier by misrepresenting what happened over on the GB, or by misrepresenting what folks say here. > > But this thread is a minor example of what I’m talking about. Within two minutes of the OP’s complaints about harassment from people from GB, people are talking about it on GB; and of the first five responses to this thread, three are people from GB, and two of them respond in a pretty shitty way. Folks have mocked me over there for defending Chimera–not because they think the behavior Chimera talks about is appropriate, but because they think he’s a bad person, as though harassing bad people is okay. > > I don’t think anyone on GB has told Morgenstern, or Fenris, or cochrane, that maybe they shouldn’t respond to someone complaining about harassment by posting the way they did. In terribly egregious cases like **Morgenstern’s** pit posts, sure, folks might step in gently to admonish each other; but in stuff like this current incident, the positive feedback loop continues. > > I don’t know that mods here can do anything about it, but it’d be lovely if the good folk at GB would rein in their own members more, work more to short-circuit the feedback loops that encourage posts like **Fenris’s** and **Morgenstern’s** (and **cochrane’s** to a lesser extent) in this thread. It doesnt really involve off board drama, since they drag their shit over here. That’s the issue. If they want to just sit there in their own little place and point and snigger and have their little fun, so be it. But they can’t help but drag their shit over here, and that’s the issue. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/138 "2018-06-11T22:17:13Z")
We never drag our shit anywhere. We sell it to a farmer for cash. We buy beer with the cash, then we drink the beer. Sorry to dismiss your claim with humor, but honestly, it’s so hollow it’s funny. ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/139 "2018-06-11T22:21:18Z")
> [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > Mods - can we have a ruling on whether mocking someone’s mental health issues is within the rules? Please see post 50, and 52. There’d be at least a couple of people that would need to change their behaviour if that becomes the case, I’ve had my views dismissed and been ridiculed in the Pit because I’ve spoken about my mental health issues before. My view, however, is that it’s the Pit, and allowing the sort of people who would mock and/or patronise someone for those issues to show their true colours does more good than harm, so I’ve never reported it or attempted to clarify the rules. If other people find it’s a problem, I might change that view. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/140 "2018-06-11T22:35:31Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > LHoD outlined, in this thread, how the pus leaks over from that board to this one. The simplest, albeit probably temporary, solution would be for Giraffe, who still has considerable regard here, to shut down the “Behind Your Back” subforum at his board as a gesture of courtesy. Sure, the core contributors to that subforum can regroup elsewhere. That is up to them. Right now, there is a coterie of shit-stirrers who act with what appears to be the approval and support of a former mod at this board. Here’s a fun lesson on the Internet: people are going to talk about what they want to talk about. When this board clamped down on allowed topics and discussion styles too much, it immediately moved off-site, both in regular spin-off message boards as well as anonymous blogs. The problem with anonymous blogs is you never know how many different people are participating or if certain types of posts are all coming from one person. I started GB because I wanted to have a place to talk about most everything with as few rules as possible. Most people came from here, so that was a common and recurring topic that kept coming up. The thing is, once there was a dedicated subforum, no one but the super mentally ill trolls bothered with the Snarkpit/Snackpit any more. The Snarkpit is now gone. As far as I know, no other anonymous blog has taken its place. So, while you can (and probably do) still think it’s assholish to talk about a message board you post on and its posters with other posters of that message board on a different message board, at least it’s now done somewhere you can see who is saying what and even drop in and call them a smelly dickbag if you want to. (You don’t have to use your username, you can make a sock or twenty if you want, it’s fine.) It’s at least a tiny bit less shitty than the alternative. ---
**Author:** ![splatterpunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3be4f8/32.png) [@splatterpunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/splatterpunk)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/141 "2018-06-11T22:38:29Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > It’s completely irrelevant to post a link or two because what happens in that case is an endless semantic and pedantic nitpick session about what each word means and unprovable assertions of intent. > > What matters is a pattern of behavior that spans a decade plus and the sheer volume of threads and posts attacking and snarking on other posters by a small subset of members. It’s an insult to everyone’s intelligence to feign ignorance of the existence and pattern. The only real question is why is it tolerated? Which is the topic of the thread. > > Chimera has a legitimate question and gaslighting and misdirection are distractions. **Chimera** ’s issue is with one poster and one poster only, conducting an “[e]xtended campaign of personal harassment across the Pit and AMTB.” That is the topic of this thread. Or at least it was, until certain people hijacked it into an anti-GB thread. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870.md?page=8)