# Rescind this warning, please

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rescind-this-warning-please/946668>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [July 16, 2021, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rescind-this-warning-please/946668 "2021-07-16T21:35:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rescind-this-warning-please/946668/41 "2021-07-18T06:24:10Z")

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> [@mordecaiB](#):
>
> Do you want to explain this please? Any special reason you singled me out for saying what everyone else in this thread has said?

We all disagreed with the call to issue a warning (or any moderation at all), nobody else was calling for Hari to be stripped of being a mod. That was just you.

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**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rescind-this-warning-please/946668/42 "2021-07-18T06:33:41Z")

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And is that against the rules? This is the place to complain about mods and I did, and all of it was factual, all of it about his modding. If that’s against the rules show me where it says you can only complain about one thing at a time about a mod.

And if what happened with the warning this thread is about is what I think it is, it would be another thing to add to the list. But I’ll have to wait to see if we get an explanation first. Like I said, it’s been 13 hours and the warning is still in the thread with no explanation.

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**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rescind-this-warning-please/946668/43 "2021-07-18T06:37:00Z")

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> [@mordecaiB](#):
>
> And is that against the rules? This is the place to complain about mods and I did, and all of it was factual, all of it about his modding. If that’s against the rules show me where it says you can only complain about one thing at a time about a mod.

I’m guessing that there is a line between complaining about how a moderator is doing and going into Pit territory about them. Maybe it was the sarcasm at the beginning of the post. I won’t speculate anymore though because I wasn’t the one who wrote the modnote.

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**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rescind-this-warning-please/946668/44 "2021-07-18T06:44:54Z")

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What sarcasm? And that was nowhere near Pit territory. Every single thing I said about him was about his job as a mod.

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**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rescind-this-warning-please/946668/45 "2021-07-18T06:46:33Z")

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> [@mordecaiB](#):
>
> What sarcasm?

This.

> [@mordecaiB](#):
>
> Great way to reach out to new posters too. That’ll really draw them in.

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**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rescind-this-warning-please/946668/46 "2021-07-18T06:53:23Z")

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That’s not sarcasm, that’s the truth. Warning posters on their first post, especially when there is no reason to warn them, is a good way to be certain that they won’t stick around.

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**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rescind-this-warning-please/946668/47 "2021-07-18T06:54:49Z")

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> [@mordecaiB](#):
>
> That’s not sarcasm, that’s the truth.

So you sincerely meant that the warning was a great way to reach out to new posters and that it will really draw them in? That wasn’t sarcasm?

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**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rescind-this-warning-please/946668/48 "2021-07-18T06:59:35Z")

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Maybe a little sarcasm. But it was on point, and not personal.

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**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rescind-this-warning-please/946668/49 "2021-07-18T07:30:41Z")

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Fair enough, that’s all I meant. And again I’m just guessing, I don’t know.

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**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rescind-this-warning-please/946668/50 "2021-07-18T17:50:06Z")

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There is a list of official warnings and this one deleted a day or two ago. That’s what “done” meant.

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**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rescind-this-warning-please/946668/51 "2021-07-18T18:08:28Z")

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Has the person concerned been notified that the warning has been withdrawn? Has any apology been made?

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**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rescind-this-warning-please/946668/52 "2021-07-18T18:24:25Z")

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Is the mod note going to be removed from the thread in question, or better yet another one added next to it that says it’s been rescinded?

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**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rescind-this-warning-please/946668/53 "2021-07-18T19:17:28Z")

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This is just perplexing. Last I looked that person who was warned never posted again so we have lost a potentially good new member. It would probably be futile but it would be nice to reach out to them and apologize via email. Furthermore, the text of the Mod Note needs to be amended with an explanation that it was given in error.

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**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rescind-this-warning-please/946668/54 "2021-07-18T19:19:10Z")

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> [@Atamasama](#):
>
> nobody else was calling for Hari to be stripped of being a mod

That should be remedied.

@Hari_Seldon, I don’t think you should be a moderator on this message board any more. There’s no reason to make this a Pit-like sentiment - I don’t that’s necessary at all. You are passionate about topics that I care about, and you’re very good at expressing them. You’re a true asset on these boards as a poster. But your passions have come at true contretemps to your moderation on several occasions. In this particular instance, it happened towards a brand new poster, during a time when the board is seeing great difficulty in attracting a retaining new posters. Please step down, and dedicate your time on these boards doing what you enjoy.

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**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:** [July 18, 2021, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rescind-this-warning-please/946668/55 "2021-07-18T19:19:51Z")

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> [@Hari\_Seldon](#):
>
> There is a list of official warnings and this one deleted a day or two ago. That’s what “done” meant

Doesn’t sound “done” to me…or is keeping such things secret a new policy?

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**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rescind-this-warning-please/946668/56 "2021-07-18T19:20:39Z")

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I haven’t followed enough of Hari’s moderating to call for his dismissal (or to defend him), I will say that I think some deference should be given for what is volunteer work and fairly thankless. That being said this particular warning is egregiously poor, and likely drove away a first time poster. I think it warrants at the very least a full explanation as to why it occurred. That explanation along with previous moderating history should inform any potential steps after that.

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**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rescind-this-warning-please/946668/57 "2021-07-18T20:47:40Z")

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> [@Martin\_Hyde](#):
>
> I will say that I think some deference should be given for what is volunteer work and fairly thankless

I don’t really like using this as an reason for poor modding decisions. He doesn’t have to do this job, he wants to do this job. And unless mods put in a lot of hours behind the scenes it doesn’t seem like to odious of a gig. I believe they said that they get 10 flagged posts a day. Split that over however many mods there are and that’s probably less than a flag a day per mod. Hell, I bet **Miller** goes weeks without moderating a post in the pit.

> [@Martin\_Hyde](#):
>
> That being said this particular warning is egregiously poor, and likely drove away a first time poster.

This should be a big deal to everyone here, even the mods and Ed. At a time we are being told we need new posters and a significant money increase to keep the board running, modding first time posters so that they leave is totally at odds with that.

> [@Martin\_Hyde](#):
>
> I think it warrants at the very least a full explanation as to why it occurred

Yes, please. **Hari’s** blasé attitude about fixing the warning is bizarre. How has a simple “Done” declaration explained or fixed anything?

> [@Czarcasm](#):
>
> Doesn’t sound “done” to me…or is keeping such things secret a new policy?

This too. This is such a simple thing to end. There is no way this thread  
needed to last this long. I swear to god, getting someone on this message board, user or mod, to say they erred and to apologize is like pulling teeth.

While I agree with **Munch** , another option may be to have **Hari** mod something like the games forums where political stuff won’t show up. Best of both worlds, he stays on as a mod and can post here in political threads as he has always done.

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**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:** [July 18, 2021, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rescind-this-warning-please/946668/58 "2021-07-18T21:16:35Z")

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> [@Hari\_Seldon](#):
>
> There is a list of official warnings and this one deleted a day or two ago. That’s what “done” meant.

Just went and checked and the warning is STILL THERE. I’m kinda thinking, since you’re a mod and all, that you need to go amend that post, remove the “this is an official warning” bit and fucking APOLOGIZE. You screwed up and now you need to clean up your mess, that’s how things work and I’d think you were old enough to know this by now. It should NOT take three days and counting to fix a simple thing like this–if you don’t know how, I’m sure a more experienced mod can explain it to you.

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**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:** [July 18, 2021, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rescind-this-warning-please/946668/59 "2021-07-18T23:33:20Z")

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To be fair to Hari, the procedure for reversing a warning (which I wrote) handled everything that needs to happen behind the scenes but was missing the step about updating the public post that contained the warning.

I have updated the procedure. Apologies for any issues that this created.

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**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rescind-this-warning-please/946668/60 "2021-07-19T06:57:13Z")

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So I get noted for being “close to pitting a mod”, which I wasn’t. But **SmartAleq** ’s post is just fine and dandy? Explain that one to me, since you still haven’t explained why you noted me in the first place.

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