<post doorhinged>
Could you explain what you mean by a poster “reacting badly” in the pit? While you’re at it could you expound on the idea of “willy-nilly”?
Mods need a variety of tools in their mod toolbox. A thread that has become too contentious can be closed, heavily moderated, moved to the Pit, or closed and suggested a new thread is started (perhaps linking to the original).
Closing a thread is not consequence free- other posters get upset that the effort they put into discussion is essentially undermined.
Recommending to start the thread again and link to a new thread rarely results in the new thread being created, shutting down conversation.
Handing out a ton of notes and warnings to get a thread back on track often stifles conversation and creates hard feelings as some people feel unjustly warned, while other posters only get a note.
Moving to the Pit has the problems you’ve noted. So there is no one perfect solution and all possible approaches need to be available on a case-by-case basis.
But you see, they have forced me (or others) to post in the Pit, whether we want to participate in that nastiness or not.
No, the mods would have forced some of the poster’s prior posts into the Pit.
The consequences of this are so immeasurable that nobody’s ever bothered to measure them.
Yes, however your post before moving is still there, thus you have been forced into participating in a Pit thread.
Yes, still your posts are in the Pit, a place that many of us choose to not participate in.
To you, perhaps. You willingly participate in the PIT. Others do not choose to do so. Should not their choice be honored also?
You keep saying this and its one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard, to the point that I am skeptical of your intentions. Frankly, I wish this thread was in the pit.
I still don’t understand why this bothers you so much. Are you afraid that, when you die and arrive at the Pearly Gates, St. Peter is going to check and see if there are any posts by you in the Pit?
I agree with the OP.
If a poster starts a thread on a polarizing issue like Trump, sexism, or whatever. And they happen to have an unpopular opinion, Mods shouldn’t be allowed to move the thread to the Pit just so the other posters can bag on him or her with impunity.
Close the damn thread and let someone else start a pit thread if they feel they must.
Bolding mine. Saying that mods shouldn’t move a thread in this sort of circumstance is different from saying that that’s not a tool that mods should have available to them in their toolbox (as per IvoryTowerDenizen’s post).
Yes, absolutely! Nobody will force you to follow your old posts into the Pit. The mods and admins, even the ones with jackboots ;), don’t have that power.
You don’t even have to go to the Pit yourself to see your old posts that have been moved there. You can click on the ‘moved’ icon in the original forum, and re-read the part of the thread before the move.
Actually, never mind. I’ll hold that thought until the thread is moved.
Perhaps the OP could adopt the credo that “No Gentleman would insult me. No man not a Gentleman can insult me.”
Otherwise this is coddling to the nth degree.
Exactly. It seems like the mods would rather not moderate the threads they move to the pit. Funny thing is the posts that would have been warned or noted but aren’t when the the thread is moved to the Pit were still made outside the Pit.
That’s not how linear time works.
Guys? I think I’ve found next year’s April Fools joke. 
This seems like a ‘if a tree falls in the woods does it make a sound’ problem. If you’re not actively posting in the thread after the move to the Pit and not reading threads in the Pit and not seeing people potentially insult you in the Pit, why would it matter?
Ok, you sign your name to a petition to stop Nazis.
Afterwards, the guy changes it to a petition to support nazis.
I mean, since you are no longer actively participating in that petition, why does it matter?
How is that even remotely analogous?
Will ye or nil ye. Whether you like it or not.