# 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:** 8
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/142 "2018-06-11T22:39:38Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > There is a rule against harassment in the Pit: > > Since I do not moderate the Pit, I have to admit that I am more than a little fuzzy on exactly what has historically been considered harassment in the Pit and what exactly normally falls under this rule and what does not. > > There is also this: > And again, I have to admit that I don’t have much of a clue about what exactly falls under the category of civil or not with respect to how this rule has historically been enforced. > > From the Pit forum rules, here: > [Revised Forum Rules for the BBQ Pit: read this before posting - The BBQ Pit - Straight Dope Message Board](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=507985) > > Generally speaking, though, there aren’t many rules in the Pit. A lot of truly awful behavior has been allowed there over the years. Thank you. With my apologies to Miller, since I know he’s alone in mod duty on the Pit, I’d like to suggest that we need to tighten things up. Yes, the Pit is a hell dimension by design, but I think there are several instances of harassment. Tempers are running high among certain posters, but there are other examples. Would it make sense to report these for now, as we see them in the Pit and elsewhere, so they can be evaluated? ---
**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, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/143 "2018-06-11T22:42:04Z")
> [@splatterpunk](#): > > **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. No. It’s still an anti-harassment thread and people pointing out where the harassment originates from and is encouraged are not the ones hijacking. ---
**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, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/144 "2018-06-11T22:44:31Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > No. It’s still an anti-harassment thread and people pointing out where the harassment originates from and is encouraged are not the ones hijacking. No. The harassment the OP is complaining about originated right here. On this board. In the Pit. ---
**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, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/145 "2018-06-11T22:46:43Z")
No, a very small number of people are assuming that the harassment starts there. No one has a shred of proof, merely opinions. Still, some 3 1/2 hours later, not one PM. ---
**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, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/146 "2018-06-11T22:47:59Z")
> [@splatterpunk](#): > > No. The harassment the OP is complaining about originated right here. On this board. In the Pit. What if there were no Pit? No more harassment? At least on this board. As ECG said, truly awful things have been allowed in the Pit. In this era of a kinder and gentler board do we still want to endorse and encourage this misanthropy? ---
**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, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/147 "2018-06-11T22:49:41Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > What if there were no Pit? No more harassment? At least on this board. As ECG said, **truly awful things have been allowed in the Pit**. In this era of a kinder and gentler board do we still want to endorse and encourage this misanthropy? (bolding mine) That has not been my experience. Can you link to some specific examples? ---
**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, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/148 "2018-06-11T22:50:47Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > No, a very small number of people are assuming that the harassment starts there. No one has a shred of proof, merely opinions. Still, some 3 1/2 hours later, not one PM. Its been 9 hours since I’ve had a BM; a factoid as relevant as your post. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/149 "2018-06-11T22:51:03Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > 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 a least a tiny bit little less shitty than the alternative. Ah. I see. So you consider it that you are doing this board a solid by maintaining the Behind Your Back sub-forum at your board? I guess if it stayed at your board, I would agree. This whole situation actually reminds me of what it was like teaching middle school. You are the “cool teacher” who lets the kiddies sit where they want, say what they want, and has very relaxed rules in his classroom. This board has the “mean teachers” who have a tighter set of rules, especially regarding etiquette, and they enforce those rules. Most of the kiddies can go from one classroom to another and it not be an issue. Some can’t. Some “cool teachers” manage to guide those kids and remind them that different rooms have different rules. Some “cool teachers”…don’t. ---
**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, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/150 "2018-06-11T22:51:46Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > (bolding mine) > That has not been my experience. Can you link to some specific examples? I’ve asked, he’s out of links. ---
**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:** [June 11, 2018, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/151 "2018-06-11T22:54:50Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > No, a very small number of people are assuming that the harassment starts there. No one has a shred of proof, merely opinions. Still, some 3 1/2 hours later, not one PM. I would opine that it’s not lack of proof. It’s that no one wants to play your stupid game. You don’t get to set the rules and then bitch that no one wants to play with you. ---
**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, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/152 "2018-06-11T22:55:48Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > (bolding mine) > That has not been my experience. Can you link to some specific examples? I’m not getting sidetracked with pedantic debates which hinge around the precise definition of truly awful. I just paraphrased what ECG had said earlier in this thread at post #91. ---
**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, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/153 "2018-06-11T22:57:14Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > I would opine that it’s not lack of proof. It’s that no one wants to play your stupid game. You don’t get to set the rules and then bitch that no one wants to play with you. Okay, then fucking post it. I gave them the option. They made the claim, I called cite, they ran. Whole story. ---
**Author:** ![Tee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@Tee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tee)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/154 "2018-06-11T22:59:54Z")
What kind of proof are you looking for? ---
**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, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/155 "2018-06-11T23:01:18Z")
> [@Tee](#): > > What kind of proof are you looking for? He wants you to play a semantic game that would be shut down there in a minute. ---
**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, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/156 "2018-06-11T23:02:53Z")
Any agenda of harassment brought from one board to the other. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/157 "2018-06-11T23:04:00Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > What if there were no Pit? No more harassment? At least on this board. As ECG said, truly awful things have been allowed in the Pit. In this era of a kinder and gentler board do we still want to endorse and encourage this misanthropy? Can we split this up? Good discussion happens in the Pit. The parts we as board should focus on are the harassment and the truly awful bits. ---
**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, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/158 "2018-06-11T23:07:07Z")
> [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > Can we split this up? Good discussion happens in the Pit. The parts we as board should focus on are the harassment and the truly awful bits. The good part of the Pit discussions could occur in GD, IMHO, MPSIMS. The only thing that would be different would be personal attacks at other posters. It seems like that’s being abused and driving people off. Why do we want a board where participants feel unwelcome and are directly abused? And not the type of abuse one is subjected to by a cartoon poll? But vile, personal, persistent, and untrue abuse? ---
**Author:** ![Tee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@Tee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tee)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/159 "2018-06-11T23:08:20Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > Any agenda of harassment brought from one board to the other. Already mentioned. There was a link to the Idle Thoughts thread, all you need is the Thanksgiving drunk-pitting of **Shodan** that preceded it. Anything else? ---
**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, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/160 "2018-06-11T23:11:03Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > This whole situation actually reminds me of what it was like teaching middle school. You are the “cool teacher” who lets the kiddies sit where they want, say what they want, and has very relaxed rules in his classroom. This board has the “mean teachers” who have a tighter set of rules, especially regarding etiquette, and they enforce those rules. Most of the kiddies can go from one classroom to another and it not be an issue. Some can’t. Some “cool teachers” manage to guide those kids and remind them that different rooms have different rules. Some “cool teachers”…don’t. I have zero interest in being a middle school teacher to posters on either board. If you come to my board and act like a tool, I’ll either make fun of you or ban/Box you, depending on how big of a tool you are. If you come over to this board and act like a tool, I’m not going to do anything at all, regardless of whether you acted like a tool on my board or not. It’s not my job. (OK, I may make fun of you again, but that’s off the clock.) The mods here have laid out the rules of acceptable behavior and they don’t include researching and cross-checking things someone may have done or said elsewhere. I’m sorry if another site on the Internet offends you. That’s probably not going to change anytime soon, you should probably get used to it. ---
**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, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderation-approves-personal-harassment-by-silence/815870/161 "2018-06-11T23:11:38Z")
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