# The Psychics Thread, re James Randi **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [November 5, 2012, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-psychics-thread-re-james-randi/639910 "2012-11-05T01:37:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-psychics-thread-re-james-randi/639910/1 "2012-11-05T01:37:59Z")
**Tomndebb** told me not to ask a particular question. I didn’t ask; I stated that I didn’t see any point in a particular rule. I didn’t ask why the rule was in force, I just said that I couldn’t understand it. Okay, fine. I’ve been moderated. Two questions: 1. Was this a “warning?” Is it written in my permanent records? 2. Well, okay, fine: WHY? Why the … would you make a rule that Peter Morris can’t talk about James Randi? Why such an incredibly narrow filter? Why not make a general rule, like you would with anyone else: “Don’t be a jerk.” Give him warnings in general form. This makes you appear arbitrary; it makes it look like you’re the one who is obsessed, not him. It really seems like a damn silly rule. (The one where you told GIGObuster he couldn’t use the word “denier” seemed equally foolish. Rules should be broad, not narrow. This kind of thing starts to feel like a “Bill of Attainder.”) ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-psychics-thread-re-james-randi/639910/2 "2012-11-05T01:53:50Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > 1. Was this a “warning?” Is it written in my permanent records? No, it wasn’t. If it had been a warning, you would have received a private message informing you that you’d received a formal warning and why. > [@](#): > > 1. Well, okay, fine: WHY? Why the … would you make a rule that Peter Morris can’t talk about James Randi? Because we were tired of his obsessive and repetitive postings about Randi, which had the effect of hijacking threads and killing discussions. [You can read this thread for an example and some context.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=13528739#post13528739) > [@](#): > > Why not make a general rule, like you would with anyone else: “Don’t be a jerk.” Give him warnings in general form. We did. When that didn’t produce the desired result, we tried something else and told him to stop discussing the subject entirely. > [@Trinopus](#): > > The one where you told GIGObuster he couldn’t use the word “denier” seemed equally foolish. He was instructed to stop calling someone a denier in one thread because the argument about whether or not that person was a “denier” was becoming a hijack. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-psychics-thread-re-james-randi/639910/3 "2012-11-05T02:34:04Z")
Well…thank you for the explanations… I can’t say I agree, but I understand a bit better. One very important thing I have learned from this and other cases and situations: I, myself, am absolutely not competent to be a moderator! So…thank you to those of you who are. I actually do have a very strong admiration for **Tomndebb** , both as a moderator and as a poster. I disagree with him now and then, but that doesn’t diminish my respect. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-psychics-thread-re-james-randi/639910/4 "2012-11-05T03:12:12Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Because we were tired of his obsessive and repetitive postings about Randi, which had the effect of hijacking threads and killing discussions. [You can read this thread for an example and some context.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=13528739#post13528739) On the contrary. It is this board’s Randi fans that obsessively and repetitively post about Randi, and it’s impossible to discuss the paranormal sensibly with them just going randi, randi, randi, randi, randi, all the time. I would not have spoken about Randi at all, except in response to these people. And I only ever responded to about half of them. If you actually look at any of those threads, you will see that it was the Randi fans causing the trouble. But sadly some moderators turn a blind eye to them. Now, it’s my intention to start my own thread on the subject, and state my case. But I won’t have time for at least a week. I request that you close this thread and wait for me to start my own. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-psychics-thread-re-james-randi/639910/5 "2012-11-05T03:18:53Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > On the contrary. It is this board’s Randi fans that obsessively and repetitively post about Randi Nonsense. Randi frequently gets mentioned as part of discussions of psychic phenomena. There’s nothing obsessive or unusual about that and most people wouldn’t take that as a provocation, but whenever his name came up you felt compelled to go on tirades about his dishonesty and all his other failings. It sounds to me like you have a personal problem with him. That’s your business, but since it frequently lead to thread hijacks, we told you to stop. It’s been a year and a half, and discussion of Randi and purportedly paranomal stuff has not suffered one whit as a result of these restrictiion. > [@](#): > > I would not have spoken about Randi at all, except in response to these people. Doesn’t matter. > [@](#): > > And I only ever responded to about half of them. That’s quite a lot, actually. > [@](#): > > I request that you close this thread and wait for me to start my own. Start your own thread at your leisure. Asking me to close someone else’s is kind of rude. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-psychics-thread-re-james-randi/639910/6 "2012-11-05T03:36:53Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > , but whenever his name came up you felt compelled to go on tirades about his dishonesty and all his other failings. It sounds to me like you have a personal problem with him. Gee, Randi stealing money from the mor5e gullible members of the skeptical community, and I have a personal problem with him doing that. What a surprise. The question is, why you don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-psychics-thread-re-james-randi/639910/7 "2012-11-05T03:56:44Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > . . . Start your own thread at your leisure. Asking me to close someone else’s is kind of rude. 'Sokay; go ahead and close. I got my answers and said my say. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-psychics-thread-re-james-randi/639910/8 "2012-11-05T04:55:13Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > 'Sokay; go ahead and close. I got my answers and said my say. Thank you. Closed at request of the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-psychics-thread-re-james-randi/639910/9 "2012-11-05T15:11:28Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Gee, Randi stealing money from the mor5e gullible members of the skeptical community, and I have a personal problem with him doing that. What a surprise. The question is, why you don’t. I’m skeptical of your interpretation. But as a reminder - added after this thread has been closed - you are free to open a thread to argue about our decision that you may not post about James Randi. You may not open a thread to explain (again) the reasons you think Randi is a fraud and all of those related issues. ATMB is not the place for that discussion and I’m not interested in giving you an avenue to circumvent the mods’ decision.