# Terr and BrainGlutton **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [October 3, 2015, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406 "2015-10-03T20:59:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/141 "2015-10-05T18:32:35Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > You’re not accusing me of being deceptive here, are you? > How many points can I afford to accumulate in the process of proving my point? > > Now, in an exaggerated effort to avoid another warning, I triple-censor myself. I avoid posting things that might conceivably be misinterpreted. > > Meanwhile, the liberals posters here labor under no such barrier. I am probably the polar opposite of you in my opinions, but I agree with your point there. I have no doubt a Mod will always be biased (not intentionally) based on their view of the world. To say otherwise goes against everything known about human natu It’s not just political issues either, but this is of course, veering off topic. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/142 "2015-10-05T18:33:18Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Now, in an exaggerated effort to avoid another warning, I triple-censor myself. I avoid posting things that might conceivably be misinterpreted. You mean we’re only seeing the good stuff? :eek: ---
**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:** [October 5, 2015, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/143 "2015-10-05T18:36:52Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > You’re not accusing me of being deceptive here, are you? > How many points can I afford to accumulate in the process of proving my point? > > Now, in an exaggerated effort to avoid another warning, I triple-censor myself. I avoid posting things that might conceivably be misinterpreted. > > Meanwhile, the liberals posters here labor under no such barrier. Nonsense. I got a warning for a clearly joking post that as near as I could tell was completely within the rules, and now I triple-censor myself to be sure I don’t fall afoul of the New Improved GD rules. The hair trigger applies to us all. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/144 "2015-10-05T18:41:42Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > In my opinion, that’s how it works. The conservative posters get a bit less leeway, and thus functionally identical behavior means that conservative posters accumulate mod notes where liberals would get general admonitions; conservative posters get warnings where liberals doing the same type of thing get mod notes; conservative posters get suspended for a month while liberal posters get two weeks; and then when banning is discussed, what a surprise! It’s justified based on number of warnings, and length of previous suspensions. I think bias plays out in tricky and pernicious ways, and **Bricker’s** account here is utterly plausible. Systems featuring a broad range of discretion tend to produce systematically biased results along factors that are salient to the decision-makers in that system. All that can be done is to try to include diverse decision-makers in that system (in this case, more conservative mods), reduce discretion where practical, and to train the decision-makers to be conscious of the implicit bias they are likely exercising when they make decisions. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/145 "2015-10-05T19:02:32Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > So we’ve gone from you are being overmodded because you are a conservative to, you _would_ be overmodded if you posted the way you wanted to as a conservative? > Is that about right? No. I have been overmodded, and it has had a chilling effect on my subsequent conduct. That was my point initially, and it remains my point now. ---
**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:** [October 5, 2015, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/146 "2015-10-05T19:07:41Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > No. I have been overmodded, and it has had a chilling effect on my subsequent conduct. > > That was my point initially, and it remains my point now. That modding happened as of April of _this year_. What stopped you from being overmodded all those previous years, if this particular modding was your warning sign to tone it down? ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/147 "2015-10-05T19:08:04Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > I looked at the follow ups. The moderation was on the next page, I do remember that I was once put on notice (not a warning) for saying that a poster was making a whopper of a tale out of a small item. But like Burger King I was wrong, it turns out that another definition for that word is that made it look like if I saying that the poster was making a big lie. And those burgers are actually puny. 🙂 Yeah, I finally figured out that the word you were looking for was howler. I was a little stunned when I looked up whopper in the dictionary. Bricker - Jon Chance has raised the civility bar in GD over the past couple of years. Four years ago, I think your post and Gigo’s post would have past muster. It no longer does in GD. My take is that I can adapt to the new regime. I can see getting caught in the transition though. I think that’s what happened to you and Gigo, who said in passing that Sam Stone would on occasion tell wild whoppers, when he should have said hootin’ howlers. (English isn’t Gigo’s first language, but I have no excuse.) LHoD: you should link to your warning. It would provide a third example which might placate Bricker somewhat. In Jon Chance’s defense, _the civility bar was raised by popular demand._ The idea was to lift it to the point where it cleared Der Trihs, who generally followed the rules here as they were construed at the time. I’m not surprised that unintended consequences followed. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/148 "2015-10-05T19:48:24Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > That modding happened as of April of _this year_. What stopped you from being overmodded all those previous years, if this particular modding was your warning sign to tone it down? Your question makes an assumption I haven’t argued, and therefore is a strawman argument. I have not claimed that I have been overmodded “all these years.” Nor do I claim some sharp historical dividing line between reasonable and overzealous moderation of conservatives. ---
**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:** [October 5, 2015, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/149 "2015-10-05T19:51:24Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Your question makes an assumption I haven’t argued, and therefore is a strawman argument. > > I have not claimed that I have been overmodded “all these years.” Nor do I claim some sharp historical dividing line between reasonable and overzealous moderation of conservatives. This is the part where you post, “…but what I _am_ saying is…”, and clarify matters as to what overmodding you’re talking about. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/150 "2015-10-05T19:55:59Z")
n/m ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/151 "2015-10-05T19:56:00Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Now, in an exaggerated effort to avoid another warning, I triple-censor myself. I avoid posting things that might conceivably be misinterpreted. > > Meanwhile, the liberals posters here labor under no such barrier. > [@Bricker](#): > > No. I have been overmodded, and it has had a chilling effect on my subsequent conduct. > > That was my point initially, and it remains my point now. > [@Czarcasm](#): > > This is the part where you post, “…but what I _am_ saying is…”, and clarify matters as to what overmodding you’re talking about. No, his point is perfectly clear as he stated it. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/152 "2015-10-05T19:56:03Z")
So _one_ warning that you feel was underserved _in over 15 years_ of posting leads you to believe that you are overmodded secondary to your conservative POV. Now I could see opening an ATMB thread at the time to protest that moderation based on your explanation that your intent was not to call the poster a liar but to question the veracity of the proffered source. Maybe it would have won on appeal maybe not. I don’t know. Mods make mistakes and sometimes they impressively own up to making them when more information is given and discussion is had. Not sure that I buy it myself but don’t care enough to think about too hard because _even assuming_ the moderation was a complete miscarriage of justice, completely off the mark, making a claim of a pattern of discrimination based on one perceived as unjust moderation action is extremely laughable. One point is not enough even draw a line, let alone a pattern. One perceived as unjust warning over 15 years seems to me to very likely _below_ the median those who frequently get into contentious discussions about subjects in which feelings often run high. The data you have presented seems more likely to support a contention that you have been _cut extra slack_\* more than moderated harder than others. Not trying to be too snarky here but you are coming off like Trump complaining about Fox treating him “unfairly.” 🙂 \*Which is something I could understand if it occurred: well articulated expressions of perspectives less commonly represented here are valuable items that we do not want to lose. ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/153 "2015-10-05T19:58:54Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > So _one_ warning that you feel was underserved _in over 15 years_ of posting leads you to believe that you are overmodded secondary to your conservative POV. It’s not the warning alone, it’s seeing the same behavior by others, that doesn’t even get a mention. It’s about bias, not about the one warning. ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/154 "2015-10-05T19:59:57Z")
I can’t believe I am now arguing to explain Bricker. :smack: It’s like I entered the Twilight Zone ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/155 "2015-10-05T20:02:27Z")
Heh, people with passionately held POVs tend to claim that their POV is over-moderated … though in reality, it tends to be the “passionately held” part that is the problem. 😉 The stereotypical example of this in action is the Arab/Israeli debates - people who were passionate on both sides tended to raise accusations of over-moderation. ---
**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:** [October 5, 2015, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/156 "2015-10-05T20:11:09Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > LHoD: you should link to your warning. It would provide a third example which might placate Bricker somewhat. [here you go](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=18249531#post18249531). We were talking about a special needs student who engaged in controversial behavior. I said that special accommodations for behavior should be given to special needs students. **Shodan** responded to me by implying he should be able to engage in that controversial behavior. I wanted to say that his analogy was inapt, because he wasn’t special needs–but I turned it into a joke by saying, > [@](#): > > You, as well, have been fairly successful at hiding your struggles with severe intellectual and social disabilities. Of course your analogy would be ridiculous if you were not so afflicted. I’m learning so much about my fellow posters today! Now, true, there was the word “fairly” in there, which was a tiny dig–but I thought it was clear that it was not intended to be an actual question of **Shodan’s** intellect, and we’ve had mods say that playful comments like that generally don’t get modded. Overall, the sarcasm was, I thought, unmissable: clearly I was saying that **Shodan** was NOT inflicted with severe intellectual disabilities, and that I thought his analogy was therefore ridiculous. Instead, I received a warning for insulting him. I don’t know whether it was a hair-trigger warning for using the word “fairly,” or whether it was a misreading of what I was saying, or something else. But I think it was as unfair a warning as the one you received. ---
**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:** [October 5, 2015, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/157 "2015-10-05T20:17:48Z")
I suppose it’s possible that, since liberal posters outnumber conservatives one by a large margin here, that it’s more likely a liberal will report a potentially rule-breaking post than a conservative. And since the mods can’t see all the potential rule-breaking posts, that might skew things a bit. Still, I’m just not seeing bias play out in any obvious way. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/158 "2015-10-05T20:40:32Z")
Are we rehashing old warnings? I can post about my one and only 🙂 ---
**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:** [October 5, 2015, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/159 "2015-10-05T20:45:37Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > No. I have been overmodded, and it has had a chilling effect on my subsequent conduct. Can you describe how this chilling effect on your subsequent conduct played out? ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/160 "2015-10-05T20:49:15Z")
I tend to stay out of the debates about whether someone should have been banned. But this one really bothers me. I don’t see politically with Terr, and I think he and I have had maybe 2-3 exchanges the entire time we’ve both been here. But him getting banned for this is petty, in my opinion. IS there a way to start a grassroots movement to get Terr unbanned, like when _Family Guy_ or _Futurama_ were brought back due to popular demand? I really think the mods screwed the pooch on this one. I think Terr should be allowed back. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406.md?page=9)