# That wasn't "theadshitting" Marely23 **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [September 22, 2013, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-wasnt-theadshitting-marely23/669476 "2013-09-22T22:57:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [September 23, 2013, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-wasnt-theadshitting-marely23/669476/21 "2013-09-23T13:41:43Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > Yes, as a matter of fact after posting I searched back six months and while I found 46 posts where the term “subhuman” was used, the mention that most stood out in relation to the Zimmerman/Martin case was by **Der Trihs** himself, again apparently putting the word in other posters’ mouths. Maybe I didn’t go back far enough. > > In any event, probably doesn’t matter. What on earth would Zimmerman/Martin have to do with a discussion on press reporting of the type of weapon used by the PHL Navy Yard Shooter, anyway? Here’s the post by **LP** : [Link.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=16471025&postcount=113) ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2013, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-wasnt-theadshitting-marely23/669476/22 "2013-09-23T14:36:19Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Hardly, considering that the American right loves seeing them dead. Including the gun nuts. We saw that just recently with the whole Zimmerman/Martin debacle, when even on this board posters could barely restrain themselves from admitting they wanted guns so they could kill off the “subhuman” blacks. And some _failed_ to restrain themselves; **Lonesome Polecat** got banned over that as I recall. So you’re under the impression that Bricker would like to see all “homosexuals, blacks, and other undesirables” murdered? I ask because he started the thread you took a giant shit in and he’s the only one you felt the need to single out on this thread. I’d suggest that you tend to make lots of really irrational assumptions about your fellow posters. For example, just a few days ago you specifically accused a poster of wanting to murder you. > [@](#): > > I’m well aware that the gun fetishists are thugs and wannabee Brownshirts. I’m sure you’d love to kick down my door and kill me. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=16679981&postcount=227](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=16679981&postcount=227) Now, obviously this was in the Pit so it wasn’t against the rules, but in all seriousness if you think ANGWAO wants to kick down your door and shoot you to death then that strikes me as ludicrously paranoid. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2013, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-wasnt-theadshitting-marely23/669476/23 "2013-09-23T14:49:33Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Hardly, considering that the American right loves seeing them dead. Including the gun nuts. We saw that just recently with the whole Zimmerman/Martin debacle, when even on this board posters could barely restrain themselves from admitting they wanted guns so they could kill off the “subhuman” blacks. And some _failed_ to restrain themselves; **Lonesome Polecat** got banned over that as I recall. I have many friends who are members of the American right. I’m quite certain none of them wish harm on anyone. It’s time to step over all this and return to normal posting mode **DT**. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2013, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-wasnt-theadshitting-marely23/669476/24 "2013-09-23T14:51:40Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Hardly, considering that the American right loves seeing them dead. I’m skeptical that it’s ever going to happen, but here is a lesson you should absorb: this is not a fact. This is your interpretation of facts. You’re entitled to your opinion and blah blah blah, but that doesn’t mean you can proclaim it as a fact whenever and wherever you want. > [@Shodan](#): > > I thought **Der Trihs** got to post inflammatory hijacks as long as he only did so once per thread. No you didn’t. :rolleyes: ---
**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:** [September 23, 2013, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-wasnt-theadshitting-marely23/669476/25 "2013-09-23T15:09:32Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > Now, obviously this was in the Pit so it wasn’t against the rules, but in all seriousness if you think ANGWAO wants to kick down your door and shoot you to death then that strikes me as ludicrously paranoid. That’s not particularly out of line with [other postings:](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=16208105&postcount=19) > [@DT](#): > > … The pro-gun people don’t care of course because they are tools of the gun industry and fanatic borderline psychopaths with no concern for human life. If it comes down to a choice between guns and their friends and family, they’ll cheerfully sacrifice the lives of their children for the only thing that matters in the entire universe: guns. Emphasis added. “Cheerfully”, mind you! ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2013, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-wasnt-theadshitting-marely23/669476/26 "2013-09-23T15:40:35Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > No you didn’t. :rolleyes: Yes, I did think so, so you can save your rolleyes. It is based on [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=691074), in which the mods stated variously that **Der Trihs** ’ posts were often extreme nonsense, obnoxious, unsubstantiated, often leading to hijacks, and not adding to the discussion. It was also stated that he would only be mod noted for this behavior, and, as long as he did not repeat the behavior in that thread, the mod notes would not escalate to Warnings. Now we see an instance where a post of his is extreme nonsense, a hijack, unsubstantiated, and obnoxious, but not aimed at any specific poster. It was also stated in the linked thread that he would only be warned when he insulted specific Dopers, and not groups. This is a change in the standards of moderation. Please don’t insult our intelligence by pretending it is not. What I would like to know is, why the change has come about without any notifications to **Der Trihs** or the board in general. This was no different from hundreds of his previous announcements that Republicans want to starve most poor people to death and then shoot the rest, or that anti-abortionists want women to suffer, or any of the rest of his nonsense. If the standards are different, say so. If they are not, then withdraw the Warning. As I and others have mentioned in previous threads, consistency is a good thing to strive for. Inconsistent moderation, like this, is bad for the boards. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2013, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-wasnt-theadshitting-marely23/669476/27 "2013-09-23T15:53:09Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > This is a change in the standards of moderation. Please don’t insult our intelligence by pretending it is not. What I would like to know is, why the change has come about without any notifications to **Der Trihs** or the board in general. This was no different from hundreds of his previous announcements that Republicans want to starve most poor people to death and then shoot the rest, or that anti-abortionists want women to suffer, or any of the rest of his nonsense. As far as I know, you are the only poster who believes that’s what we said. Thus, I’m not insulting the intelligence of the group. I’m pointing out that you have drawn the wrong conclusion and repeated it over and over. I have already tried to explain to you what’s actually going on. That hasn’t worked, but it’s worth pointing out again that you’re wrong so nobody else gets confused. To that end this quote might be useful: > [@Curious when enough is enough? \[Der Trihs\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-when-enough-is-enough-der-trihs/658461/144): > > The point I was trying to make is that he has received warnings from the mods (I think at least one poster said otherwise) and that we don’t overlook this behavior when we feel it clearly breaks the rules. **When it’s borderline or poses more of an attractive nuisance as a thread hijack, we’ve opted for mod notes because we’ve felt that’s the appropriate response to a post that’s potentially inflammatory or could cause a hijack or provoke people but which is not on by itself a personal insult or completely off-topic or completely jerk-ish.** The post was completely off-topic and jerkish even compared to some of **Der Trihs** ’s other posts, so I gave him a warning. And I didn’t contradict any earlier “rules” that gave him a free hijack once per thread. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2013, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-wasnt-theadshitting-marely23/669476/28 "2013-09-23T16:46:50Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > As far as I know, you and some of the other mods are the only ones who believe that’s what we said. [It](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=16315053&postcount=301) [isn’t](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=691074&page=2). AFAIK, you are the only person who believes it _isn’t_ what we said. > [@](#): > > I’m pointing out that you have drawn the wrong conclusion and repeated it over and over. No, I have not. > [@](#): > > …the mods stated variously that Der Trihs’ posts were often extreme nonsense, [obnoxious](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=16314917&postcount=300), unsubstantiated, [often leading to hijacks](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=16297997#post16297997), and [not adding to the discussion](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=16300991#post16300991). It was also stated that [he would only be mod noted](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=16297602&postcount=127)for this behavior, and, as long as he did not repeat the behavior in that thread, the [mod notes would not escalate to Warnings](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=16308703&postcount=252). Every word of the above is the exact truth, and can be substantiated from the linked thread. And yet you sit there and stonewall. I will never understand the moderation if I am here a hundred years. Even when you do something reasonable, you seem to do so in a way that makes you look as bad as possible. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2013, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-wasnt-theadshitting-marely23/669476/29 "2013-09-23T17:02:57Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I will never understand the moderation if I am here a hundred years. I agree. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2013, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-wasnt-theadshitting-marely23/669476/30 "2013-09-23T17:59:43Z")
I edited the wrong part of my post. My apologies, here is the corrected quote - [QUOTE=Marley23] As far as I know, you are the only poster who believes that’s what we said. [/QUOTE] The two cites were to demonstrate that, far from being the only poster who believes that’s what you said, everyone (except, perhaps, you) knows perfectly well that is what you said. Regards, Shodan ---
**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:** [September 23, 2013, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-wasnt-theadshitting-marely23/669476/31 "2013-09-23T18:12:30Z")
**Shodan** : The mods don’t like to be pinned down to unofficial “rules”. It doesn’t really matter what anyone may or may not have said-- the fact is, the mods reserve the right to interpret the rules as they see them. Oftentimes that looks inconsistent, but it’s pretty clear that they’d rather be charged with inconsistency than to have hard and fast rules for everything. I didn’t find this particular post by the OP to be unusual for him. Why this got mod’ed while other, similar posts did not is still a mystery. But I think they got it right on this one, so I guess that’s about as much as we can expect. It’s not like they get paid for doing this or anything. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2013, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-wasnt-theadshitting-marely23/669476/32 "2013-09-23T19:36:51Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > **Shodan** : > > The mods don’t like to be pinned down to unofficial “rules”. It doesn’t really matter what anyone may or may not have said-- the fact is, the mods reserve the right to interpret the rules as they see them. Oftentimes that looks inconsistent, but it’s pretty clear that they’d rather be charged with inconsistency than to have hard and fast rules for everything. I understand, but it is not so much official or unofficial rules. It is the mods saying one thing, and then turning around and doing exactly the opposite. And **then telling me with a blank face that they didn’t say it.** It’s one thing to change your mind, or change your policy, or even to say “we were persuaded by the rest of the Dope that **Der Trihs** ’ obnoxious hijacks really are a detriment to civilized discussions on the SDMB”. But to spend seven pages in a thread telling us that no, Mod Notes don’t add up, and some Dopers aren’t going to be Warned no matter how many different threads they spit hate speech into, and this policy is working as well as can be expected. And then turn around and do a 180[sup]o[/sup] a few weeks later. And then claim ‘oh no, we never said any of those things’. Like I said in one or another of the threads about **Euthanasist** being suspended - it’s not so much the fact that they contradict themselves- it’s the mindfuck they try to lay on me in denying what they’re doing. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2013, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-wasnt-theadshitting-marely23/669476/33 "2013-09-23T19:47:55Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I understand, but it is not so much official or unofficial rules. It is the mods saying one thing, and then turning around and doing exactly the opposite. And **then telling me with a blank face that they didn’t say it.** Because we didn’t say it. In the post I quoted, I said that we usually mod-note **Der Trihs** when he makes posts that can lead to hijacks _but which are not insults or totally off-topic and jerkish_. I thought the post in the AR-15 thread was totally off-topic and jerkish and warned him accordingly. In several different threads you’ve said this means we gave **Der Trihs** permission to act up once per thread, which is a ridiculous reading of that statement. It almost makes me wonder if you started reading that sentence and then quit in the middle. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2013, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-wasnt-theadshitting-marely23/669476/34 "2013-09-23T20:02:28Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > But I think they got it right on this one, so I guess that’s about as much as we can expect. It’s not like they get paid for doing this or anything. It’s true that they don’t get paid, but i can’t buy this as any sort of excuse because, basically, when it comes to a task like moderating, it takes no more effort to get it right than it does to get it wrong. The “don’t get paid” argument works to the extent that it excuses the moderators from spending lots and lots of time on the site. They can’t catch everything, because in order to do so they would have to make moderating a full-time job. And even then they probably couldn’t catch everything. No-one expects that the mods will see every infraction. The main question, though, is how they moderate the infractions that they do see. I agree with you that they got this one right, but too often similar stuff is allowed to slide even when we know they’ve seen the post because they’re posting in the same damn thread, or because they give minor admonitions when proper warnings are warranted, or give warnings when mere mod notes would be more appropriate. There have been a significant number of cases where moderation appears based not on “Were the rules broken,” but on the moderator asking him- or herself, “Which side do i agree with here?” or “Has one of my own sacred oxen been gored?” Sometimes the moderator will excuse a flagrant breach of the rules on the grounds that the breach is somehow understandable because the offender was especially angry or upset. But if that’s the standard for the rules, we might as well not have any rules at all. The few times i’ve been warned on this board, it’s for behavior that was the result of anger or annoyance. Why are some such instances moderated, and others not. Check out this admonition, for example: > [@Falstaff beer](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falstaff-beer/632615/8): > > > [@Falstaff beer](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falstaff-beer/632615/5): > > > > Dude, don’t be an asshole. Say something useful or shut the fuck up. > > I understand that you did not find this comment what you’d hoped for, but this reaction is way over the line for Cafe Society. Don’t do this again. > > No warning issued. > > **twickster** , Cafe Society moderator Calling someone an asshole and telling them to “Say something useful or shut the fuck up” is clearly a violation of the rules outside the Pit. I don’t think there’s a single person on this message board who would argue otherwise. It’s not a grey area, it’s not a borderline case, and the mod in question can’t use the excuse of not seeing it, or being too busy, because she did see it, and did respond. Hell, it would have taken less effort to write “This is completely out of line for Cafe Society. Warning issued” than it did to write that poor excuse for moderation. Yet, because the mod in question “understands” that the poster was upset, it gets no warning. Here’s an even more egregious example: > [@So... I'm really homeless now.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-really-homeless-now/640336/29): > > > [@So... I'm really homeless now.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-really-homeless-now/640336/28): > > > > You’re not a cynic, you’re simply a collossal, mouth-breathing douche trolling a message board. Your cell-phone comment belies your utter inability and unwillingness to think on your own as it refers to a long-debunked myth. It’s a pity Irene didn’t claim you. The world would be a better place. > > **Inigo Montoya** , a moderator has already admonished **bot3**. I understand that you don’t care for what s/he said, but this reaction is really out of line for this forum. Dial it way back. > > No warning issued. > > **twickster** , MPSIMS moderator “Dial it way back”? Whoa, don’t be too harsh in your moderating there, Ms Jackboots! **Inigo Montoya** ’s post calls another Doper, in MPSIMS, a “collossal, mouth-breathing douche” (forbidden outside of the Pit), accuses him of trolling and stupidity (forbidden outside of the Pit), and essentially wishes death on him (forbidden everywhere on the Dope), and yet, because the moderator “understands” how upset the offender is, he doesn’t even get a warning. Again, this is not a grey area; there’s not even the slightest question here that multiple rules were clearly broken in a single post. In fact, each of the three infractions could separately, on another day and with another Doper, be grounds for a formal warning. And here we have multiple insults and other offenses in a single vitriolic post. But again, we get the “no warning issued” cop-out because a moderator “understands,” well, something or other. One might argue that a poster like **Inigo Montoya** , who had been around for a long time and had a long history of trouble-free posting, deserved a break for this one incident, but that sort of thing is, in itself, far too open to capriciousness or simple inconsistency. We all know the rules, and those of us who have been here longer actually know them better than most. Before i was suspended last year, one of the warnings i received came with the admonition that "“been around long enough to know better.” In fact, the moderator in question explicitly stated that i was just going to get a “knock it off,” except that my long tenure on the board meant that i had no excuse: > [@Why is Diamonds02 limited to starting one new thread per week?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-diamonds02-limited-to-starting-one-new-thread-per-week/635934/67): > > I was just going to tell you to knock it off, but you’ve been around long enough to know better, **mhendo**. > > Warning issued for personal insults. > > **twickster** , for the SDMB And yet, a few weeks later, another long-term poster on the boards was **not** issued a warning precisely because of his long tenure: > [@Gukumatz, a word, please.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gukumatz-a-word-please/642901/9): > > **Airman Doors, USAF** got a note instead of a Warning because he’s been here for a decade, has a great record and your font was pointlessly shoved into the face of everyone who read the thread. So, depending on the mod and the offender and the position of Venus and the shape of the tea leaves, being a long-term poster can either result in being moderated **more** harshly than would otherwise be the case, or for getting let off with a slap on the wrist. As **Shodan** suggests, there are times when this all seems about as clear as mud. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2013, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-wasnt-theadshitting-marely23/669476/35 "2013-09-23T21:44:52Z")
Good moderating, Marley. That comment did not serve any purpose but to inflame. The moderators should crack down harder and faster on that shit. The only other thing to do now is ban both **Der Trihs** and **Shodan**. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2013, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-wasnt-theadshitting-marely23/669476/36 "2013-09-23T21:56:32Z")
I demand the moderators take a pay cut! ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2013, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-wasnt-theadshitting-marely23/669476/37 "2013-09-23T22:58:14Z")
[Quote=Crotalus] Der Trihs is more or less accurately representing LonesomePolecat’s posts in the Zimmerman thread, and Polecat was banned. Attributing those sentiments to anyone else doesn’t seem supportable to me. [/Quote] > [@John\_Mace](#): > > Here’s the post by **LP** : [Link.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=16471025&postcount=113) Ah, got it, thanks. Should have searched for “feral proto-humans”. ---
**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:** [September 23, 2013, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-wasnt-theadshitting-marely23/669476/38 "2013-09-23T23:53:20Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > Ah, got it, thanks. Should have searched for “feral proto-humans”. But it’s apparently perfectly OK here to call groups of people “troglodytes”, which is exactly the same thing, so better to use “troglodyte” than “proto-human”. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-wasnt-theadshitting-marely23/669476/39 "2013-09-24T00:03:18Z")
I’ve been pulled over for speeding three times in my life. The first time, I was doing 80 in 55 zone. When the cop wore the ticket, he noted that he was going to mark 75 on the ticket, so my license wasn’t suspended. Second time, I was doing 80 in a 65 zone. The cop let me off with a warning. Third time, again I was doing 80 in a 65 zone, and I wasn’t so lucky. The cop gave me a ticket. Despite this, I’ve never had any trouble understanding exactly what the speeding laws were in California, or how they are enforced. I’m grateful that the first two cops gave me a break. I don’t hold it against the third cop for not giving me a break, and it would never even occur to me to argue that I somehow deserved a break because the first two cops let me off. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-wasnt-theadshitting-marely23/669476/40 "2013-09-24T00:04:14Z")
I don’t agree with **Shodan** on much, but he’s right here. We begged for you to crack down on **Der Trihs** for saying exactly this type of crap, and you guys said you wouldn’t. While it is possible that, somehow, this is worse than the other crap he’s said in the past, I find it hard to justify that. It may be worse than what he’s said lately, but he’s said a lot of pretty bad stuff. And, as much as I support this decision, he was not adequately warned that he would get a Warning for this behavior in the future. Still, as I said, I support the actual moderator action, as I feel it is more in line with how every other poster on this board is treated. I do think that **Der Trihs** has gotten enough mod notes in the past that his behavior should have escalated to a Warning. So, all in all, the only place where I disagree with **Shodan** is about how important a mistake this was. As long as you don’t treat this Warning as the first of three strikes on the way to a suspension, and just keep it as a wake-up call, I’m okay with it. Since **DT** has gotten so many mod notes, maybe a Warning was needed to get his attention. Still, a strongly worded PM along with a pronouncement that future similar comments would get a Warning would be better. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-wasnt-theadshitting-marely23/669476.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-wasnt-theadshitting-marely23/669476.md?page=3)