# The moderation here is getting ridiculously heavy handed **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [July 23, 2014, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moderation-here-is-getting-ridiculously-heavy-handed/693869 "2014-07-23T19:46:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moderation-here-is-getting-ridiculously-heavy-handed/693869/1 "2014-07-23T19:46:32Z")
> [@](#): > > Warning > If you liked that, you’ll love this. I’m giving you another warning for this frivolous complaint. [Link](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=17574200&postcount=3) I can’t tell what is satire and what is real anymore. What does that say about this whole thing? I assume this was a joke, but I didn’t see the smiley face. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moderation-here-is-getting-ridiculously-heavy-handed/693869/2 "2014-07-23T19:48:30Z")
Marley, your account’s been hacked or you really need to go outside and get some fresh air. And give me a warning. I would’ve posted in that thread if I’d seen it before it was closed. As you say, your warnings are random anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moderation-here-is-getting-ridiculously-heavy-handed/693869/3 "2014-07-23T19:49:50Z")
^^^^ Seconded. Complete bullshit! ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moderation-here-is-getting-ridiculously-heavy-handed/693869/4 "2014-07-23T19:51:01Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > [Link](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=17574200&postcount=3) > > I can’t tell what is satire and what is real anymore. What does that say about this whole thing? > > I assume this was a joke, but I didn’t see the smiley face. Nope. I got an official warning for complaining about moderation here in the proper forum. Actually, for “being a jerk” because apparently it’s jerkish to not just bend over and accept a warning without whimper. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moderation-here-is-getting-ridiculously-heavy-handed/693869/5 "2014-07-23T19:52:10Z")
I’m a little dense – I didn’t get the roman a clef nature of the thread until the warning and closure messages. I was reading it as a straight workplace story. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moderation-here-is-getting-ridiculously-heavy-handed/693869/6 "2014-07-23T19:54:09Z")
Eh, I’ll take my warning with my big girl panties on, but I must say that I was mostly riffing on the joke. I’ve never had a problem with **Dex** , but couldn’t pass up an opportunity to be silly. Which is what I thought that thread was. Anyway, I’m not trying to break anymore rules here or anything, but aren’t we supposed to have thick enough skins around here to handle parodies? I mean, when I was having my meltdown over Jesus Holly 🙂 🙂 :), that’s basically the response I got from TPTB. So, any clarification? ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moderation-here-is-getting-ridiculously-heavy-handed/693869/7 "2014-07-23T19:55:34Z")
> [@Astroboy14](#): > > ^^^^ > > Seconded. Complete bullshit! Thirded, I’m afraid. The giving out of multiple warnings in that closed thread in the first place was a little over the top IMO. Giving out one for “frivolous complaints” in this particular case is ridiculous. It was a perfectly legitimate complaint and in the proper forum for complaints, whether management agrees with it or not. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moderation-here-is-getting-ridiculously-heavy-handed/693869/8 "2014-07-23T19:55:41Z")
As I said in my note, normally a thread in the wrong forum would just get closed. In this case there was a prolonged attempt to break the rules by complaining about moderating and moderators. It wasn’t a simple mistake or a post by a newbie. A bunch of posters took the time to put their complaints in “code,” so it was secret, I guess, except everybody knew what they were talking about, so… not the most well-thought-out plan I’ve ever heard. > [@bup](#): > > And give me a warning. For what? You’re posting in the appropriate forum. > [@](#): > > I would’ve posted in that thread if I’d seen it before it was closed. As you say, your warnings are random anyway. I actually said that if this happened again, the lengths of the suspensions would be random. This hasn’t happened before and I trust it won’t happen again, but sometimes you have to make yourself clear. ---
**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:** [July 23, 2014, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moderation-here-is-getting-ridiculously-heavy-handed/693869/9 "2014-07-23T19:58:07Z")
So why was the ATMB thread considered “frivolous”? Seemed perfectly legit to me. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moderation-here-is-getting-ridiculously-heavy-handed/693869/10 "2014-07-23T19:59:57Z")
I really hope **Marley** will reconsider these warnings once he has cooled off. \*\*Blank Slate \*\* wrote a satirical Pit thread about the recent ATMB flap about **Czarcasm**. Although the subject was **Czarcasm** , there was enough commentary about the mods that it’s no surprise it was closed. Not much of a surprise that the OP would get a warning, either. What is surprising is giving warnings to someone for commenting approvingly on the satire itself. And then giving a follow up warning to that poster when he opened a thread in the correct forum to question the warning. I’m hoping this was just an emotional overreaction and these warnings will be rescinded once enough time has passed replace emotion with logic. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moderation-here-is-getting-ridiculously-heavy-handed/693869/11 "2014-07-23T20:01:57Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > > [@bup](#): > > > > And give me a warning. > > For what? You’re posting in the appropriate forum. At least one of us is losing it. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moderation-here-is-getting-ridiculously-heavy-handed/693869/12 "2014-07-23T20:04:30Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > As I said in my note, normally a thread in the wrong forum would just get closed. In this case there was a prolonged attempt to break the rules by complaining about moderating and moderators. It wasn’t a simple mistake or a post by a newbie. A bunch of posters took the time to put their complaints in “code,” so it was secret, I guess, except everybody knew what they were talking about, so… not the most well-thought-out plan I’ve ever heard. If the OP had been something like: [QUOTE=Fake OP] I have a coworker, let’s call him **Parley24** , he’s a real jerk who is bad at his job he should totally quit. [/QUOTE] and **GrandWino** had come along with: [QUOTE=Fake response] Yeah, I know what you mean, I think my coworker **D J Hexter Maven** is bad at his job too! [/QUOTE] you’d have a point about the follow on responses being as bad as the OP in terms of making veiled criticisms. This is not that situation. The satire was pretty clever, honestly, and the subject was another poster. Simply saying “fucking brilliant!” is not taking a shot at the mods. It’s not taking a shot at anyone. It’s saying “hey, I like that post that you wrote”. Heck, we’ve had trolls posting completely against the rules flame-out OPs where people commented on them or participated in the threads, with nary a warning given. Because that’s what a message board is: people commenting on threads. Blaming the commentors for rule violations in the OP is a pretty terrible idea. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moderation-here-is-getting-ridiculously-heavy-handed/693869/13 "2014-07-23T20:05:09Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > I’m a little dense – I didn’t get the roman a clef nature of the thread until the warning and closure messages. I was reading it as a straight workplace story. Don’t feel too bad. I really thought selling Irish kids as food was a fuckin’ great idea. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moderation-here-is-getting-ridiculously-heavy-handed/693869/14 "2014-07-23T20:05:37Z")
I am honestly confused as to why I was warned. I posted Czarcasm’s comments which were mod-approved for GQ. I posted them nearly verbatim in the pit. I did not comment on moderation (or Czarcasm did, and I don’t think he did). Yeah, I was mocking Czarcasm’s posts in that thread, but that was the Pit–where it’s totally appropriate. I realize the mods here are none too fond of me, but this warning just doesn’t make sense. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moderation-here-is-getting-ridiculously-heavy-handed/693869/15 "2014-07-23T20:06:36Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > So why was the ATMB thread considered “frivolous”? Seemed perfectly legit to me. **GrandWino** was asking me to slowly argue with him about the meaning of most of the jokes in the original Pit thread. I’m going to go ahead and assume he understood what was being said the first time since he called one of those jokes “fucking brilliant” and most of the other posters also understood what was being said. ATMB is for discussing the rules and moderation, not nitpicking for the sake of entertainment. ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moderation-here-is-getting-ridiculously-heavy-handed/693869/16 "2014-07-23T20:06:40Z")
> [@](#): > > Blaming the commentors for rule violations in the OP is a pretty terrible idea. unless you want to look like you’ve lost all sense of perspective - because that’s what’s happening. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moderation-here-is-getting-ridiculously-heavy-handed/693869/17 "2014-07-23T20:08:25Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > Blaming the commentors for rule violations in the OP is a pretty terrible idea. I warned people who committed the same violation the OP did: complaining about moderation (of **Czarcasm** , of ATMB, or general swipes at the mods) in the Pit. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moderation-here-is-getting-ridiculously-heavy-handed/693869/18 "2014-07-23T20:08:50Z")
Here’s the note I got from Marley: > [@](#): > > Dear Fenris, > > You have received a warning at Straight Dope Message Board. > > ## Reason: > > Being a jerk > > ## Warning for complaining about moderation in the Pit. > > Original Post: > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=17573415](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=17573415) > > > [@](#): > > > > Originally Posted by Blank Slate View Post > > There’s Sam giving you the hairy eyeball. > > > [@Fenris](#): > > > > Please cite “that he gets away with it” if that’s you wish to discuss. For example, it has been said by who that we have "hairy eyeballs? My eyeballs aren’t hairy. > > Can you provide 23 cites showing people have hair on their eyeballs? > > Warnings serve as a reminder to you of the forum’s rules, which you are expected to understand and follow. > > All the best, > Straight Dope Message Board There was no complaining about moderation, there was mocking of Czarcasm. And mocking Czarcasm is perfectly appropriate in the Pit. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moderation-here-is-getting-ridiculously-heavy-handed/693869/19 "2014-07-23T20:09:44Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I warned people who committed the same violation the OP did: complaining about moderation (of **Czarcasm** , of ATMB, or general swipes at the mods) in the Pit. Ah, then you’ll want to reverse all those warnings because no one except the OP did that. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moderation-here-is-getting-ridiculously-heavy-handed/693869/20 "2014-07-23T20:16:49Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > **GrandWino** was asking me to slowly argue with him about the meaning of most of the jokes in the original Pit thread. I’m going to go ahead and assume he understood what was being said the first time since he called one of those jokes “fucking brilliant” and most of the other posters also understood what was being said. I’d say it was pretty obvious he understood the joke. Not to speak for him, but I suspect he was more likely to argue that calling a joke brilliant doesn’t deserve a warning. And IMHO it does not. Closing the thread is perfectly appropriate. Maybe warning the OP, though a simple “don’t do this again” would have been my preference. But a warning for cheering a joke is over the top. > [@](#): > > ATMB is for discussing the rules and moderation, not nitpicking for the sake of entertainment. But even if you disagree on the merits of **GrandWino** ’s warning ( and I’m guessing you do since you made it ), his complaint about being warned is perfectly within reason. I don’t think he deserved his warning, so I don’t find it unreasonable that he wouldn’t agree either. And this is the forum to discuss your choice of moderation. There is nothing frivolous in that thread. I’m sure you’re pissed about this and no argument it is a shitty job to have to read people bitching about your decisions ad nauseam. But I’m afraid you did sign up for it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moderation-here-is-getting-ridiculously-heavy-handed/693869.md?page=2)