# Moderator Intellectual Honesty **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 24, 2009, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderator-intellectual-honesty/482752 "2009-01-24T02:58:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2009, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderator-intellectual-honesty/482752/21 "2009-01-25T16:54:00Z")
> [@Ponderoid](#): > > This is my first pit thread. Make of that what you will. 🙂 > > The moderators on this board do plenty of things the SDMB members find reason to complain about. The complaints about mod actions are quite vehement and colorful. In all fairness your first sentence should read, “The moderators on this board do plenty of things **that a tiny minority of** SDMB members find reason to complain about.” Yes, this minority is vehement and colorful and it can be quite entertaining to watch them at play but I’m positive that they in no way reflect most of us here, who in general find the moderators congenial and fair. This doesn’t mean that moderator actions are always right, and some complaints from members are genuine and well-grounded. It’s just that some people seem to make a sport of complaining about the mods and are never happier than when they imagine themselves most oppressed and hard done by. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2009, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderator-intellectual-honesty/482752/22 "2009-01-25T16:56:56Z")
> [@Jenaroph](#): > > Meant to respond to the OP: I’d leave that board toot sweet, yes. Given the fact that the things you write online tend to stick around far longer than most people realized when they wrote them, I’d not want the extra risk of something that was anonymously edited to change the meaning popping up under my name 10 years down the line. Depending on the topic and seriousness of course. And here is the response to SmartAleq’s criticism. The OP has now documented in cyberspace, with date and time stamps, that his words have been mangled elsewhere. If he is ever taken to task for his comments, he need only dig up this thread from some archive to demonstrate that words were attributed to him falsely. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2009, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderator-intellectual-honesty/482752/23 "2009-01-25T16:57:36Z")
> [@Ponderoid](#): > > If a mod doesn’t like your post, they’ll delete or edit it. AND THEN NOT TELL YOU. They have all the valid contact info they need, but they won’t use it to tell the poster what they did wrong, or why. If they edited the post, they don’t add a reason, nor any indication of what they removed. Complain to the administration? The complaints go into a black hole, no response to that either. I know they’re reading their feedback, because they will respond with appropriate action for other issues. But NEVER when it’s about their own. Make a public complaint about the lack of response on the board? That post goes poof too, and no word about it from the mod responsible. Huh. I wasn’t aware that the Department of Motor Vehicles even \*had \*a message board. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2009, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderator-intellectual-honesty/482752/24 "2009-01-25T17:00:10Z")
> [@Jenaroph](#): > > Not really, but how is this OP any lamer than anybody complaining about anything else in their lives on this board? When it comes right down to it, who seriously cares if somebody’s cat pees on the rug or somebody’s boss is a twat, but those types of threads aren’t regularly singled out as lame. Might as well shut the pit down for the lack of cosmically important posts. Yes, yes it is lamer. The OP isn’t even funny, or interesting, and has nothing to relate to. A funny story about a Twat Boss or stepping in the cat pee has its own intrinsic amusement value, but this is just totally unfunny mundane bitching about some people and message board drama (that is interesting to NO ONE who doesn’t frequent that board, and to few of those who do) that NOBODY on this board knows or cares about. It’s like that person who insists on telling you about their dreams, blow by blow. “Oh, and Bob was in it, but it wasn’t really Bob, y’know but I knew it was really him and he, get this, he had a roll of toilet paper and he gave it to Sue, but Sue was really Gail in disguise and she said ‘But what about the paper towels?’ and Bob was all ‘Shoehorn butterhorse!’ and blah blah blah blah…” _head assplodes_ Besides, it’s a misleading title. Bitching about OUR mods can be equally boring, but at least we know who the hell the OP is talking about and can at least say to ourselves, “Oh yeah, that guy’s a dick” or “WTF is he talking about–she’s as sweet as pie!” and we can at least get a link to the issue in question so we can argue the relative merits from the standpoint of knowledge. This, though? Nothing to relate to, nothing intrinsically amusing or universal. Ergo, lame. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2009, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderator-intellectual-honesty/482752/25 "2009-01-25T17:03:54Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > And here is the response to SmartAleq’s criticism. The OP has now documented in cyberspace, with date and time stamps, that his words have been mangled elsewhere. If he is ever taken to task for his comments, he need only dig up this thread from some archive to demonstrate that words were attributed to him falsely. > 😛 Yeah, because this TOTALLY proves his whole assertion! The blinders are removed and now I see the light–thanks **tomndebb!** _runs over to Something Awful to document what that other twat saidthatwastotallywrongandnowI’llhavethefactstoproveitonceandforall, bwahahaha!_ ---
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2009, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderator-intellectual-honesty/482752/26 "2009-01-25T19:18:57Z")
> [@SmartAleq](#): > > it is lamer. Lameness is in the eye of the beholder. I felt like bitching, and this seemed like the place to do it. I am oh so sorry I failed to entertain you. :rolleyes: > [@SmartAleq](#): > > Besides, it’s a misleading title. Bitching about OUR mods can be equally boring Reread the 3rd and penultimate paragraphs in the OP. True, I didn’t bitch about our mods here. But the title applies to both the mods here and the FUCKHEADS over on [REDACTED]. And now I have another gratuitous flame for all of you LAZY MORONS in this thread who FUCKING ASSUMED which pronoun was the right one to use. I don’t expect you to have read even one of my posts before, and even if you had I don’t expect perfect recall of the admittedly sparse personal details I’ve dropped here and there. It’s certainly not expected that you dive into the archive and read through several dozen posts to figure it out before responding. But you had to just assume. Lazy fucktards. I’ll try to remember that when reading other posts from you; who knows what else you casually assumed when making your lame-ass lazy arguments about this, that, or whatever. There, was that a more entertaining flame? \*\*\* Ponder ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2009, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderator-intellectual-honesty/482752/27 "2009-01-25T19:30:25Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > I am not an animal!!! > [@rayh](#): > > Cite? _I don’t have a monkey’s brain I’m not an animal_ Wait, that only applies to the Ramones. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2009, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderator-intellectual-honesty/482752/28 "2009-01-25T19:34:39Z")
> [@Ponderoid](#): > > There, was that a more entertaining flame? > > \*\*\* Ponder Nope, still fucking lame. Your title was misleading, and the fact that one has to get all the goddamned way to the “3rd and penultimate paragraphs in the OP” in order to establish that fact conclusively was just insult to injury. I don’t think it’s too much to ask that threads **started** on this message board be in some way germane or of interest to at least a few other people **on** this message board–otherwise why don’t you just go write a terribly scathing retort on your LiveJournal? It would have the same venting catharsis for you without the rest of us wasting our time reading your incredibly mundane bitch about something nobody else could possibly know anything about. Gee, now that you’ve started this thread why not just go ahead and blether on about that totally fascinating dream you had last night? Might as well go on as you’ve begun… ---
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2009, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderator-intellectual-honesty/482752/29 "2009-01-25T19:42:31Z")
> [@SmartAleq](#): > > Nope, still fucking lame. Your title was misleading, and the fact that one has to get all the goddamned way to the “3rd and penultimate paragraphs in the OP” in order to establish that fact conclusively was just insult to injury. Now I’m gonna flame your lack of reading comprehension, because my flame was about your LAZY USE OF PRONOUNS, not your accusation that the OP was lame. \*\*\* Ponder ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2009, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderator-intellectual-honesty/482752/30 "2009-01-25T19:50:12Z")
> [@SmartAleq](#): > > I don’t think it’s too much to ask that threads **started** on this message board be in some way germane or of interest to at least a few other people **on** this message board… I count at least 8 people expressing interest in or otherwise participating in this thread without complaint. > [@SmartAleq](#): > > Gee, now that you’ve started this thread why not just go ahead and blether on about that totally fascinating dream you had last night? Yeah, we never get people posting about dreams here. :rolleyes: Hey, look, isn’t that a windmill over there? Here’s your lance…go! ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2009, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderator-intellectual-honesty/482752/31 "2009-01-25T20:07:28Z")
> [@Q.E.D](#): > > I count at least 8 people expressing interest in or otherwise participating in this thread without complaint. You, on the other hand, have only bothered posting in here to pecksniff at me–so your point is? You don’t have a lot of room to maintain that I ruined your enjoyment of the thread, since you haven’t even bothered to address the OP yet. And did the rest of those oh-so-fascinated-by-the-thread posters take umbrage at my reaction? Maybe you ought to hold off a tad until/unless there’s an actual need for your own windmill tilting–makes you look just a bit less like an overeager junior mod, y’know? > [@Q.E.D.](#): > > Yeah, we never get people posting about dreams here. :rolleyes: Trust me, if the thread title is “This amazingly kewl dream I had last night” it will steadfastly remain a blue link on my browser page. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2009, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderator-intellectual-honesty/482752/32 "2009-01-25T20:26:25Z")
> [@SmartAleq](#): > > Maybe you ought to hold off a tad until/unless there’s an actual need for your own windmill tilting–makes you look just a bit less like an overeager junior mod, y’know? I don’t understand you. How do you figure this for junior modding? > [@SmartAleq](#): > > Trust me, if the thread title is “This amazingly kewl dream I had last night” it will steadfastly remain a blue link on my browser page. I don’t read them, either; but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a place here. There are lots of threads here with a limited amount of interest; especially here in the Pit, many have been almost exclusively of interest to their respective OPs. The majority of Pit threads aren’t even germane to the Board. And, so what? How long does it really take you to determine that a thread isn’t going to be of interest to you? 10 seconds? 15? Well, boo hoo for your wasted time. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2009, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderator-intellectual-honesty/482752/33 "2009-01-25T20:43:17Z")
> [@Q.E.D](#): > > I don’t understand you. How do you figure this for junior modding? I didn’t say it was junior modding, I said if you’d refrain from making your only contribution to a thread bitching at me for my reaction you’d look less like a junior mod. It’s a subtle distinction, I guess, but if you think hard I’m sure you can figure it out. > [@](#): > > I don’t read them, either; but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a place here. There are lots of threads here with a limited amount of interest; especially here in the Pit, many have been almost exclusively of interest to their respective OPs. The majority of Pit threads aren’t even germane to the Board. And, so what? How long does it really take you to determine that a thread isn’t going to be of interest to you? 10 seconds? 15? Well, boo hoo for your wasted time. Getting snarky **at the OP** is my retribution for my wasted time, and whereas you no doubt think it’s terribly noble of you to stick up for the OP I didn’t see a solicitation for your assistance and I’m assuming the OP can stick up for him/herself. So, since you’ve appointed yourself the arbiter of proper response to this OP, how about you actually contribute to the thread by commenting directly on it? Hmmm? Or are you finding it as stultifyingly immaterial as I, such that the only thing you find worthy of bitching about is my response? If the latter is the case then you’ve rather invalidated your own point, haven’t you? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2009, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderator-intellectual-honesty/482752/34 "2009-01-25T20:58:09Z")
> [@SmartAleq](#): > > I didn’t say it was junior modding, I said if you’d refrain from making your only contribution to a thread bitching at me for my reaction you’d look less like a junior mod. It’s a subtle distinction, I guess, but if you think hard I’m sure you can figure it out. It’s a distinction without much of a difference, but I’ll play your silly game: how does this make me _look_ like a junior mod? > [@SmartAleq](#): > > Getting snarky **at the OP** is my retribution for my wasted time Soooo…you gain retribution for having your time wasted by wasting more of your time? Or are you operating under the delusion that your post actually accomplished anything here? > [@SmartAleq](#): > > I didn’t see a solicitation for your assistance and I’m assuming the OP can stick up for him/herself. Indeed. On the other hand, I don’t recall anyone asking if you thought the OP was lame or not. One might actually get the impression you were only posting because you wanted to. > [@SmartAleq](#): > > So, since you’ve appointed yourself the arbiter of proper response to this OP, how about you actually contribute to the thread by commenting directly on it? Sure, although I’d have thought such a keen mind as yours would have been able to deduce my opinion from context. I have no problem with the OP posting his thread here. I agree with his premise that mods here do a better-than-average job for the most part. And, I think the mods on that other board are bunch of dishonest, power-hungry tools. Happy now? ---
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2009, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderator-intellectual-honesty/482752/35 "2009-01-25T21:03:49Z")
> [@SmartAleq](#): > > I’m assuming the OP can stick up for him/herself. And now I’m gonna flame you for using unnecessary CYA ambiguity after I made it pretty damn clear what the right pronoun was. Please try to keep up. > [@Q.E.D](#): > > I agree with his And you too, please. \*\*\* Ponder ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2009, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderator-intellectual-honesty/482752/36 "2009-01-25T21:10:15Z")
Oh, go screw yourself. “He” is widely accepted as the default pronoun whether you like it or not. If you don’t like people guessing wrong, then it’s your own damn fault for choosing a username which is somewhat masculine. ---
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2009, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderator-intellectual-honesty/482752/37 "2009-01-25T21:12:18Z")
> [@Q.E.D](#): > > “He” is widely accepted as the default pronoun It’s accepted in some archaic circles, and even then it’s only accepted when the subject’s gender is unknown. It’s inexcusable and downright rude when you know damn well it should be “she”. \*\*\* Ponder ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2009, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderator-intellectual-honesty/482752/38 "2009-01-25T21:19:06Z")
It _was_ unknown to me. I read your little rant about proper pronoun usage, but strangely enough you completely failed to mention the correct one it it despite the apparent level of importance you place upon it. I wasn’t about to go sifting through every previous post to locate a “he” or “him” I might have overlooked. If it’s so damned important you then just come right out with it instead of playing stupid guessing games. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2009, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderator-intellectual-honesty/482752/39 "2009-01-25T21:24:48Z")
And signing off your posts with the shortened version of another long-time Doper’s name. Although you couldn’t have been expected to know about **Ponder Stibbons** (a male, if I’m remembering correctly). ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2009, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderator-intellectual-honesty/482752/40 "2009-01-25T21:29:20Z")
> [@Q.E.D](#): > > Soooo…you gain retribution for having your time wasted by wasting more of your time? Or are you operating under the delusion that your post actually accomplished anything here? Yup–that’s my choice, y’see. As for doing any good, have I ever said that was my intent? Can’t polish a turd, as my mom used to say. > [@Q.E.D](#): > > Indeed. On the other hand, I don’t recall anyone asking if you thought the OP was lame or not. One might actually get the impression you were only posting because you wanted to. Any post carries with it the intrinsic expectation that it will be read and/or responded to by somebody–were it otherwise there would be no message boards, merely LiveJournal clones with no comment feature enabled. Yes, I responded voluntarily, as is my right, and I don’t actually give a rat’s ass if my response wasn’t what the OP wanted–that’s not part of the deal. You have the same right to respond to me and have done so–equally voluntarily. Now I’m voluntarily responding back to you. Isn’t it amazing how all this works? Here we are, basically doing exactly what one is expected to do on a message board. Quite worthy of much analysis and discussion, ain’t it? So again, didja have a point or is it just a boring Sunday afternoon for you? > [@Q.E.D](#): > > Sure, although I’d have thought such a keen mind as yours would have been able to deduce my opinion from context. I have no problem with the OP posting his thread here. I agree with his premise that mods here do a better-than-average job for the most part. And, I think the mods on that other board are bunch of dishonest, power-hungry tools. Happy now? I don’t have a problem with the OP posting the thread either–just as I also don’t have a problem with me expressing my opinion that it’s a boring and pointless and vapid thread. I don’t care whether or not you do care about the OP but I do think it’s kind of funny that apparently the only thing you find worthy of discussion is my reaction to it. You’re just bolstering my point–it’s lame and jejune. Thanks for the assist, dude. > [@Ponderoid](#): > > And now I’m gonna flame you for using unnecessary CYA ambiguity after I made it pretty damn clear what the right pronoun was. Please try to keep up. Am I understanding you correctly that you’re taking exception to my not knowing/caring about your gender? Who gives a shit? You ought to thank me for keeping this yawner from sinking without a trace, especially since your follow-up rejoinders are if anything even more irrelevant snooze inducers than the original post. It’s telling that even old **Q.E.D** can’t find anything interesting enough in your premise to respond to, other than a fairly weak agreement that only occurred because I challenged him to respond. To sum up, your Pit-fu is weak. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moderator-intellectual-honesty/482752.md?page=1)