Thanks much for the heads up.
Here’s the major disconnect that so far none of the mods have appeared to address:
How is informing somebody that their wording is insulting – in this case the word “whine” – a rules violation anywhere on the boards?
To me, it’s clearly and obviously NOT against the rules, but rather the two mods in question simply have a grudge against CarnalK, and are taking every possible opportunity they can to bully him just for the fun of it.
Really, seriously, explain how saying that “whining” is a derogatory phrasing is against the rules in ATMB. I’m all ears.
This issue has pretty fairly been beaten into the ground, but I’d like to address one point from the recent responses.
If by sarcasm you mean breaking forum rules or disregarding other moderators, no.
We’ve had this debate before over other posters. You can be witty, urbane, and charming, and still get banned. You can contribute to lots of threads in a helpful and informative manner and still get banned. You can serve as a moderator and still get banned. Yes, being a contributor and being intelligent helps. Dumbasses tend to get the boot sooner rather than later. But nonetheless the rules apply to everyone. I don’t think any moderator on the board, nor generally our users, wants to excuse a few posters to be allowed to do as they like as long as they amuse and entertain.
I think there’s a time and a place for snarking at people, criticizing behavior, or even blatantly flaming or making fun. It’s just that the place is the Pit, and certainly not ATMB.
In any case, I believe a mountain is being made out of a molehill here considering particularly that there were no actual warnings given. I think any honest reading of that thread shows that CarnalK was being slightly snarkier than really called for in ATMB (and in nearly identical fashion to a prior post which a moderator objected to). CarnalK was asked to knock it off. Ellis Dee still posted in the same vein, and seemed to take great offense when asked to take it to the Pit and also told to knock it off. I honestly don’t see what anyone could object to on the moderator end.
coughBULLshitcough
Sorry about that.
Wow, guess who showed up about 42 posts late.
shrug You set 'em up, I’ll knock 'em down, sweetcheeks.
'k, I’ll bite. Cite?
No, you have it backwards. I posted in the same vein, and took offense that the mods thought it was just fine.
It was the clear evidence of mod bias that pissed me off.
No reading comprehension tests or general familiarity with the boards required to become a mod then, I take it?
Because CarnalK’s post wasn’t pitworthy, yet you jumped all over him for no good reason whatsoever.
Please respond to [post=9769068]post 5[/post] and [post=9781893]post 42[/post].
My-post-is-my-cite ain’t gonna cut it. 
If you’ve got a beef, out with it, you coy little devil.
I don’t understand what you mean. I very straightforwardly asked for a reply to a very straightforward post. Here’s the question I want answered:
Explain how saying that “whining” is a derogatory phrasing is against the rules in ATMB.
I just want to say again that Colibri was wrong to get on my case about a factual correction I made to DSYoungEsq and I hope the mods choose not to enter it in my persistent behaviour file.
You’re only answering technical and theoretical questions so far, fluiddruid, but please answer this: Do you disagree or find anything wrong with my reply to DSYoung in the ATMB thread?
They have your number dude. Your PBF is full. Pack your shit and report to HR ASAP.
I did no such thing. But, I don’t think he was jumped all over, either. He was told to knock it off - just as you were.
#1. I can’t speak for Samclem, but I don’t think there was anything that required a moderator comment there. It was borderline, I suppose, but I think that Samclem’s general admonishment to take it to the Pit was aimed at the thread. As you were particularly prominent, you were addressed, DSYoungEsq wasn’t, but I don’t see anything to make a federal case over.
#2, you’ve mischaracterized what the moderator said, so I can’t answer this question. Nobody was told that calling someone a whiner or saying their post was whining was a rules violation, and nobody was warned for any such thing. Read CarnalK’s two posts in that thread. They are not ATMB material. He had previously posted similarly and was told as such. Here he was told again. Just as you were.
Personally? I doubt I’m the best judge for these matters, as most of my moderating tenure has been in the Pit, but I’d say your posts were borderline jerkish when considering the forum that you were in, and that telling you to stop was probably appropriate.
Further, I think that the whole subject of free posting is inflammatory - by this I don’t mean that it doesn’t belong in ATMB, or that I mean to come down on users who post on the subject, but rather that it’s not entirely unexpected for tempers to soar in such threads (and you definitely weren’t helping). In the spirit of keeping ATMB for asking questions and such, rather than complaints about staff, board policy or other users, I think it was appropriate that both you and Ellis Dee were told to knock it off and that it was generally put forward to take any arguments to the Pit. We give more leeway in other forums, but ATMB is pretty locked down in subject matter and even minor potshots at other users are generally inappropriate. People are getting pretty entrenched in their camps on the subscription issue. When the time comes to hash it out, it belongs here, in the Pit. That’s all we ask.
In any case, I’m off to bed and I think we mods have pretty much answered what we can here, barring any substantial new questions on this topic.
(my emphasis)
I made 1 post to DSYoung that I was given notice for. So All I can assume is that you think the phrase “Am I the only one who knows this?” is borderline jerkishness. But meanwhile characterizing any complaints as “whining” as both he and SkipMagic seem to enjoy, is AOK? Not that I was offended, I’m just surprised by the wavery lines of offense-taking some others seem to have.
That ATMB thread and my criticism there really aren’t under discussion in this thread, so I’m not sure why you brought that up. It’s a whole other discussion.
He was warned after only one post to that thread, not two. This was the post that drew the warning, in its entirety:
When you say that “Nobody was told that calling someone a whiner or saying their post was whining was a rules violation”, you’ve dodged the actual question, which is completely unrelated. So I ask again, point blank, and hope for a mod to address the actual question:
Explain how saying that “whining” is a derogatory phrasing is against the rules in ATMB.
Note that this is NOT “is calling someone a whiner or saying their post was whining was a rules violation?” Here’s a hypothetical that may shed some light:
Pissed Guy: Dude, quit being a shitstain, I’m asking for help.
Random Guy: People would be more willing to help if you didn’t call them a shitstain.
Mod: Hey Random Guy, knock it off. You’re on last warning.
The question isn’t “is calling someone a shitstain against the rules?” The question is: “is pointing out that ‘shitstain’ is derogatory against the rules?” Note how those two questions have nothing to do with each other.
As an aside, how would you mods like it if your ATMB posts were replied to with “quit your whining”? Would “whining” be recognized as a derogatory term then?
The latter could be considered “junior modding”, which is indeed frowned upon.
Junior modding would be “you aren’t allowed to call somebody a shitstain in ATMB; take it to the pit.” Note how none of my examples have anybody citing any board rules or standards. It’s all based on normal use of language that would apply anywhere, not just on the SDMB.