# Resolved: Moderators shouldn't moderate threads they are actively participating in **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [February 8, 2023, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-moderators-shouldnt-moderate-threads-they-are-actively-participating-in/979466 "2023-02-08T04:04:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-moderators-shouldnt-moderate-threads-they-are-actively-participating-in/979466/1 "2023-02-08T04:04:36Z")
From the SOTU thread 2/7/23: [State of the Union address Feb. 7, 2023 - Politics & Elections - Straight Dope Message Board](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-the-union-address-feb-7-2023/979458) Aspenglow is actively participating from the beginning as a poster. Suggesting that “MAGA Republicans” are likely to pull shenanigans during the speech. Later, I wondered why Bono was chosen as one of the invited guests. IMHO, celebrities don’t really belong in the same group as Congress, current and former Supreme Court Justices, Senior Military officers, etc. Celebrities are a distraction. First, Aspenglow gets snarky: “Does everyone the First Lady invites to the SOTU have to pass your eligibility test?” And then as a moderator: “To all, let’s please drop the Bono discussion. He was a guest. The end.” Of course, let’s drop it, after she got her point across. Followed by snark about the sound of Governor Sanders’ voice. Not objecting to the snark. Just that a moderator shouldn’t be determining what constitutes a hijack or other inappropriate behavior in threads they are actively posting in. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-moderators-shouldnt-moderate-threads-they-are-actively-participating-in/979466/2 "2023-02-08T04:07:00Z")
Were you as upset about Rush Limbaugh being in attendance a few years back as you clearly are about Bono? Just curious. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-moderators-shouldnt-moderate-threads-they-are-actively-participating-in/979466/3 "2023-02-08T04:09:31Z")
This is a perennial complaint by you. I’m clear on my comparative roles in P&E threads. I checked to see if another P&E moderator was available to moderate that thread before I handled your growing hijack. They weren’t. So it goes sometimes. Your hijacking is a continuing issue and problem. Were I in your shoes, I’d devote more effort to avoiding doing that than complaining about moderation. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-moderators-shouldnt-moderate-threads-they-are-actively-participating-in/979466/4 "2023-02-08T04:13:43Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > I wondered why Bono was chosen as one of the invited guests. Yes, you wondered. And then you couldn’t stop going on about it. That was the problem. The moderation was appropriate. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-moderators-shouldnt-moderate-threads-they-are-actively-participating-in/979466/5 "2023-02-08T04:19:36Z")
What does Rush Limbaugh’s attendance have to do with this? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-moderators-shouldnt-moderate-threads-they-are-actively-participating-in/979466/6 "2023-02-08T04:29:42Z")
Resolve, No. Sorry hit submit too soon. In all seriousness, the moderator actively involved in the thread is the best informed to moderate the thread. I hate when I need to try and wade into a thread I don’t care about with hundreds of posts. I often miss that someone got egged on to what they did against the rules. It is a lot of work to minimize this. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-moderators-shouldnt-moderate-threads-they-are-actively-participating-in/979466/7 "2023-02-08T04:33:55Z")
An active poster declaring “He was a guest. The end” as a moderator is inappropriate, IMHO. It shuts down a discussion that she, personally, doesn’t like. Personally, I think that “her [Governor Sanders’] voice makes my teeth grind” is not appropriate, but I wouldn’t ask that it be ruled a hijack. Such commentary is part and parcel of P&E. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-moderators-shouldnt-moderate-threads-they-are-actively-participating-in/979466/8 "2023-02-08T04:41:06Z")
What you ask is untenable and short sighted. Do you really think I should stop moderating the Ukraine invasion thread as an example. I’m immersed in that thread and occasionally comment as a poster but have managed to keep the thread on topic for a year at this point. ---
**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:** [February 8, 2023, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-moderators-shouldnt-moderate-threads-they-are-actively-participating-in/979466/9 "2023-02-08T04:41:14Z")
It might look like a hijack if someone kept saying it over and over again, instead of getting back on-topic. I think what was inappropriate, _as has already been pointed out to you_, was you harping on it. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-moderators-shouldnt-moderate-threads-they-are-actively-participating-in/979466/10 "2023-02-08T04:46:32Z")
I try not to moderate threads I’m involved in, if I’m emotionally caught up in it. But What\_Exit has a point about a it being easier to moderate if you’ve already read the thread. There’s a balance. This sounds like a fairly clear cut case, though. In general, one or two comments that are adjacent to the discussion are okay, but a lot of comments from one person are not. (And a lot of comments from a lot of people may be worth breaking into a new thread.) ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-moderators-shouldnt-moderate-threads-they-are-actively-participating-in/979466/11 "2023-02-08T04:51:46Z")
And now I wasted my time reading your posts in that thread and realize **Aspenglow** let you off easy. I probably would have warned you for trying yet again to derail a thread with a minor side issue. You’ve been warned about this specific act more than once. She probably let you off easy as she was an active participant and just wanted you to stop trying to derail the thread. So probably best for you if you don’t get your unreasonable request. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-moderators-shouldnt-moderate-threads-they-are-actively-participating-in/979466/12 "2023-02-08T04:53:41Z")
This is my take on it, YMMV. Question: Does anyone know why Bono was invited? Answer: His humanitarian efforts and philanthropy. (an actual answer) Answer: Because he was invited. (not an actual answer) Me: I don’t think that being a celebrity is reason enough to be included in the SOTU. Moderator/Poster: Hijack. End of discussion. What have I missed? ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-moderators-shouldnt-moderate-threads-they-are-actively-participating-in/979466/13 "2023-02-08T04:54:15Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > It shuts down a discussion that she, personally, doesn’t like. That’s utterly ridiculous. It shuts down something that was clearly and objectively a hijack in a thread about the State of the Union speech. If you can’t see that I don’t know what to say. Also @Aspenglow works hard to keep P&E threads on track, with a good balance of fairness and leniency. You should at least be able to recognize what the topic of a thread is and what is or isn’t relevant. And going on for four posts about Bono in a SOTU thread is clearly NOT relevant. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-moderators-shouldnt-moderate-threads-they-are-actively-participating-in/979466/14 "2023-02-08T04:54:53Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Me: I don’t think that being a celebrity is reason enough to be included in the SOTU. Really pushing it with your track record. You were hammering a minor and off-topic minutia. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-moderators-shouldnt-moderate-threads-they-are-actively-participating-in/979466/15 "2023-02-08T04:58:30Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > She probably let you off easy as she was an active participant and just wanted you to stop trying to derail the thread. I will confirm this was exactly my thinking. I wish you or **raventhief** had been around, but I certainly understand why you, in particular, were not. We all of us have regular lives that need looking after. ETA: I had a discussion with a very senior moderator recently on this very point. I asked if I should refrain from moderating threads in which I am a participant in P&E. His response was that I couldn’t do my job as a moderator in P&E if I did that. I agree. So this is not something that’s going to change. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-moderators-shouldnt-moderate-threads-they-are-actively-participating-in/979466/16 "2023-02-08T05:06:45Z")
That’s the thing. I wasn’t trying to derail the thread. I asked a legitimate question, got one answer and one non-answer, and then gave my opinion. For the life of me, I can’t see how that’s a hijack. And if it is, so is commenting about the sound of Governor Sanders’ voice in the original thread or bringing up Rush Limbaugh in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-moderators-shouldnt-moderate-threads-they-are-actively-participating-in/979466/17 "2023-02-08T05:13:28Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > And if it is, so is commenting about the sound of Governor Sanders’ voice Now I think you being deliberately obtuse. It wasn’t the original question that was the problem. It was your inability to let it go after you got a couple of answers. That becomes a hijack. You seemed to just want to whine about Bono and I can well believe that if you hadn’t been stopped, you’d _ **still** _ be going on and on about it. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-moderators-shouldnt-moderate-threads-they-are-actively-participating-in/979466/18 "2023-02-08T05:16:36Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > It was your inability to let it go after you got a couple of answers. There was only one legit answer given. I guess I could have dropped it at that point, but I happened to disagree that a celebrity, regardless of humanitarian efforts, merits inclusion. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-moderators-shouldnt-moderate-threads-they-are-actively-participating-in/979466/19 "2023-02-08T05:32:51Z")
Which is off-topic. But somehow you don’t see that? ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-moderators-shouldnt-moderate-threads-they-are-actively-participating-in/979466/20 "2023-02-08T05:53:45Z")
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