# OP requests **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [September 15, 2016, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/op-requests/766035 "2016-09-15T20:14:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2016, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/op-requests/766035/1 "2016-09-15T20:14:05Z")
In this thread, I repeat the OP “You were asked not to attack the posters here.” [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=800565&page=5](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=800565&page=5) In post 205 \*\*Jonathan Chance \*\* posts: “_DrDeth you do not get to instruct other posters in their behavior. Stop it._” We have\* always\* been allowed to request that posters follow the OP. In fact posters have been warned for not doing so. But\*\* Czarcasm\*\*, who has made a big stink about others obeying his OP “rules”, blatantly disregards my Op\* request.\* In post 183, Czarcasm attacks a poster, accusing him of mental issues. This was reported. _Nothing was done._ This is blatant favoritism for a ex-moderator. And a massive rule change. My OP made a _request._ I reminded Czarcasm of that _request_ in the OP. It’s by no means an “instruction.” It’s a reiteration of a request. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2016, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/op-requests/766035/2 "2016-09-15T20:15:45Z")
Used to _try_ to do that a long time ago…and was slapped down for trying to junior moderate. ---
**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:** [September 15, 2016, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/op-requests/766035/3 "2016-09-15T20:44:27Z")
What an incredibly dreary back-and-forth. May I suggest a different approach next time? > [@](#): > > Folks, I get that you’re frustrated with Trump voters. However, I worry that if this turns into a debate thread, we’ll get more noise and less signal. I’d love to keep it as a thread in which Trump voters give their reasons. If you’d like to debate, could I persuade you to use a different thread? When you use phrases like “You are allowed,” that is of course going to get pushback, since you’re not in a position to allow or forbid anything. Instead, **request**. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2016, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/op-requests/766035/4 "2016-09-15T20:45:43Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > What an incredibly dreary back-and-forth. May I suggest a different approach next time? > > When you use phrases like “You are allowed,” that is of course going to get pushback, since you’re not in a position to allow or forbid anything. Instead, **request**. “Please do not attack the posters who admit this, guys.” is not a request? 😕 ---
**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:** [September 15, 2016, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/op-requests/766035/5 "2016-09-15T20:49:04Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > “Please do not attack the posters who admit this, guys.” is not a request? 😕 Dude, I am NOT going to argue with you. If you think proceeding as you’ve done so far will get you the results you want, please feel free to ignore my advice. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2016, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/op-requests/766035/6 "2016-09-15T20:50:37Z")
No, it appeared to be an order. Which you don’t get to do. OPs may request that moderators step in to keep a thread on track. We may or may not decide to do so. Original Posters, on the other hand, have no peremptory powers or control. Even a simple request may get out of hand. Best practices: if you think a thread is going off in a direction you don’t like? Report it. Oh, and you sure don’t get to tell moderators what to do or how to manage threads, whether in threads or via PM. Ever. ---
**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:** [September 15, 2016, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/op-requests/766035/7 "2016-09-15T20:53:11Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > No, it appeared to be an order. Which you don’t get to do. > > OPs may request that moderators step in to keep a thread on track. We may or may not decide to do so. Original Posters, on the other hand, have no peremptory powers or control. Even a simple request may get out of hand. > > Best practices: if you think a thread is going off in a direction you don’t like? Report it. > > Oh, and you sure don’t get to tell moderators what to do or how to manage threads, whether in threads or via PM. Ever. I will say, threatening a warning for his “Close the thread” post seems a bit over the top. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2016, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/op-requests/766035/8 "2016-09-15T20:54:52Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > No, it appeared to be an order. Which you don’t get to do. > > OPs may request that moderators step in to keep a thread on track. We may or may not decide to do so. Original Posters, on the other hand, have no peremptory powers or control. Even a simple request may get out of hand. > > Best practices: if you think a thread is going off in a direction you don’t like? Report it. > > Oh, and you sure don’t get to tell moderators what to do or how to manage threads, whether in threads or via PM. Ever. “You were asked not to attack the posters here.” is an order? 😕:dubious: It’s a simple restatement of the OP. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2016, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/op-requests/766035/9 "2016-09-15T21:00:57Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I will say, threatening a warning for his “Close the thread” post seems a bit over the top. I should have said “Then, please close this thread at the request of the OP”. My wording was a bit terse, I admit. I apologize for any idea I was giving a order. Still- Ops are allowed to make that request. The Mods may or may not grant that request. In other threads I have seen the OP _castigate_ posters for not following the "rules’, and nary a note or a warning. And yes, they were reported. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2016, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/op-requests/766035/10 "2016-09-15T21:09:37Z")
> [@Who, here is voting for Trump?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-is-voting-for-trump/761989/196): > > You are allowed to ask why, to ask them to elaborate on their answers. This gets more into debating. Telling somebody what they’re “allowed” to do in a thread is basically the same as an order. We don’t get to do that. ---
**Author:** ![Krav\_Manga](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/krav_manga/32/3153_2.png) [@Krav\_Manga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krav_Manga)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2016, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/op-requests/766035/11 "2016-09-15T21:21:42Z")
> [@GrandWino](#): > > Telling somebody what they’re “allowed” to do in a thread is basically the same as an order. We don’t get to do that. Ever. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2016, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/op-requests/766035/12 "2016-09-15T21:40:06Z")
> [@GrandWino](#): > > Telling somebody what they’re “allowed” to do in a thread is basically the same as an order. We don’t get to do that. Preach it. ETA: what I meant was +1 ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2016, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/op-requests/766035/13 "2016-09-15T21:41:16Z")
> [@GrandWino](#): > > Telling somebody what they’re “allowed” to do in a thread is basically the same as an order. We don’t get to do that. It was in the context of what the OP said. We were discussing what I had set as requested parameters. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2016, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/op-requests/766035/14 "2016-09-15T21:44:59Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > We were discussing what I had set as requested parameters. Wasn’t nobody doing no discussing, son. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2016, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/op-requests/766035/15 "2016-09-15T22:33:50Z")
That’s not my forum to moderate so I don’t know where lines are typically drawn there, but here’s my thoughts on it. Your OP with the “Please do not attack the posters who admit this, guys” is, in my opinion, perfectly fine. It’s your attempted enforcement of that later in the thread that very much comes off as junior modding. > [@Who, here is voting for Trump?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-is-voting-for-trump/761989/184): > > You were asked not to attack the posters here. > [@Who, here is voting for Trump?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-is-voting-for-trump/761989/196): > > You are allowed to ask why, to ask them to elaborate on their answers. This gets more into debating. This is VERY CLEARLY telling them what they are allowed and not allowed to do. This is where you not only went over the line, you went zooming waaaayyyyy past the line and kept on going. This one’s not even close. This is practically the very definition of junior modding. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/op-requests/766035/16 "2016-09-16T00:36:12Z")
I agree with \*\*\*\*DrDeth \*\*\*\*on one point: How did \*\*Czarcasm \*\*get away with [accusing](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=19630673&postcount=183)other posters of having a persecution complex? In what way is that \*not \*a personal insult? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/op-requests/766035/17 "2016-09-16T01:07:03Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > “You were asked not to attack the posters here.” is an order? 😕:dubious: Yes, it is. In fact, it’s more like something you’d tell a small child. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/op-requests/766035/18 "2016-09-16T11:52:55Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I will say, threatening a warning for his “Close the thread” post seems a bit over the top. After being mod noted for junior modding? Context is important. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/op-requests/766035/19 "2016-09-16T12:59:23Z")
Okay, I think people are getting into a twist over semantics. Which is kind of silly. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve seen a poster NOT follow the parameters set by the OP, only to be followed by another poster that says something to the effect of: “You didn’t read the OP did you?” or “Try reading the OP”, “Did you even _bother_ to read the OP?”. And this snark, (Which I think is justified BTW) never gets moderated. **DrDerth** chose not to be snarky but instead pointed out in a very matter of fact way that posters aren’t following the guidelines of the OP and gets moderated for it. I think that’s just a wee bit fucked up. Some of you moderators sure do get defensive when you think some one else is honing in on your territory. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/op-requests/766035/20 "2016-09-16T13:39:09Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > Some of you moderators sure do get defensive when you think some one else is honing in on your territory. In the sense of enforcing a clearly-written, long-standing, and consistently-enforced rule? :rolleyes: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/op-requests/766035.md?page=2)