I think it’s arguable that the insult “cunt” is inherently derogatory toward women, but that is neither here nor there. I seem to remember both things happening at the same time, though I may be mistaken. I remember getting PMs encouraging me to leave the boards in protest.
Might as well ask now… What is the difference between an administrator and a mod, anyhow?
Cuntgate happened maybe a few years earlier.
And while “cunt” might be misogynistic normally, the usage of it in that specific instance wasn’t even remotely sexually aggressive. The poster’s usage clearly seemed to be intended as a harsher version of “bitch”.
As to mods/admin. In the board’s software Admins simply have more rights to do stuff (ban people, things like that). Admins have an extra control panel that allows user name-changes and similar for admins. I vaguely think I remember something about the SDMB not actually giving Admins here actual admin access–they have the title, but not the access/power. I could be 100% wrong on this though.
Mods can ban though, right? I know they usually discuss a banning before one occurs, except for spammers, in which case they just go right in for the kill.
Mods can ban user accounts and look up IP addresses. Looking up IP addresses is useful for sock hunting.
Admins can ban IP addresses, change passwords and look up email addresses of user even if they are hidden by the user. They can also make changes to the board layout, add or remove subforums and change the permissions to the subforums. For example, there is a subforum here, like on most moderated boards, only visible to moderators. Lots of other stuff too.
Yep. It happened subsequent to a database breach where users’ passwords were potentially at risk and the assumption is (but I believe never confirmed) that an administrator account was somehow used in the hacking hence the ‘demotions’.
I’m avoiding letting slip the name of the person in question, which includes any identifying details that aren’t necessary.
And it sure seems like a secret, since it seemed everyone was avoiding saying why the rules were put in place.
And the rule about “pervs crashing women’s threads” came a whole lot later. I had barely been here when “cunt-gate” started, but I was very much involved in getting that rule enforced. (I even actually deliberately stayed out of certain parts to avoid the mods who hate me not doing it because they hate me.)
They seemed like a single chain of events. I’ve been here too fucking long.
Wow, you were only here shortly and mods already hated you? You must have really toned it down since then since now you post reasonably and calmly.