# This warning is nonsense. **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [August 3, 2019, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-warning-is-nonsense/838144 "2019-08-03T23:15:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2019, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-warning-is-nonsense/838144/1 "2019-08-03T23:15:59Z")
> [@Active shooter at El Paso Walmart; at least 18 shot](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/active-shooter-at-el-paso-walmart-at-least-18-shot/838124/22): > > I sure wish I knew how many are dead and how many are only injured so I can calibrate my Thoughts and Prayers to the appropriate level. > [@Active shooter at El Paso Walmart; at least 18 shot](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/active-shooter-at-el-paso-walmart-at-least-18-shot/838124/30): > > **Moderator Warning** > > Callous sarcasm has no place in a breaking news thread. Do not do this again. The post is expressing disgust. It seems perfectly appropriate in a thread about yet another goddamn mass shooting in America. I don’t think it even merits a note. If MPSIMS is too dainty for such expression, then breaking news threads belong elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2019, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-warning-is-nonsense/838144/2 "2019-08-03T23:17:37Z")
What ever happened to mod notes instead of warnings? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2019, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-warning-is-nonsense/838144/3 "2019-08-03T23:23:03Z")
That post absolutely deserved the warning; “thoughts & prayers” is and has been recognized as a partisan jab in breaking news stories in MPSIMS for months if not longer. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2019, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-warning-is-nonsense/838144/4 "2019-08-03T23:31:04Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > That post absolutely deserved the warning; “thoughts & prayers” is and has been recognized as a partisan jab in breaking news stories in MPSIMS for months if not longer. It is? I thought ‘thoughts & prayers’ was attributed to mindless idiots of any persuasion. And who got a warning for partisan jabs? ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2019, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-warning-is-nonsense/838144/5 "2019-08-03T23:38:42Z")
“Thoughts and prayers” has become a [meme](https://twitter.com/WilliamIngramm/status/1157758808153841664), related to how Republican politicians offer “thoughts and prayers” following mass shootings instead of being moved to tackle the issue of gun control. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2019, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-warning-is-nonsense/838144/6 "2019-08-03T23:49:08Z")
What about teddy bears and flowers; are those verboten, also? ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2019, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-warning-is-nonsense/838144/7 "2019-08-04T00:00:05Z")
Do partisan jabs necessarily have to be warnings? I’m sure they’re annoying, but sometimes, depending on the thread, it’s easy to get worked up about a news topic, particularly given that some “news” and “current events” topics are, in fact, very political. It’s also easy to forget when responding to a political topic that you’re not in the thread that permits such jabs. A simple reminder would do the trick. Now if someone has an established history of flouting the rules or if someone’s been on the Mods’ bad side in the recent days and weeks leading up to the warning, then maybe that’s different. But I’ve gotten warnings for jabs simply unaware that they weren’t permitted in particular forums. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2019, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-warning-is-nonsense/838144/8 "2019-08-04T00:08:09Z")
That particular jab has been modded in the recent past in breaking news threads about shootings, tho. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2019, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-warning-is-nonsense/838144/9 "2019-08-04T00:29:50Z")
Ffs, the warning was, specifically, for ‘callous sarcasm’ and not partisan jabs. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2019, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-warning-is-nonsense/838144/10 "2019-08-04T00:41:37Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Ffs, the warning was, specifically, for ‘callous sarcasm’ and not partisan jabs. Fine, it’s a sarcastic partisan jab. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2019, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-warning-is-nonsense/838144/11 "2019-08-04T00:55:30Z")
Fine, if we must belabor the the jab tangent then it’s bullshit to say that ‘thoughts and prayers’ is exclusively partisan. Just because something is a ‘meme’ for the social media simpletons doesn’t imply ownership. Clinton and Obama both used the term, as did countless other democrats. If anything, its sarcastic use targets weaselly politicians and anyone else who shrugs and does nothing. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2019, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-warning-is-nonsense/838144/12 "2019-08-04T01:47:27Z")
Thoughts and prayers wasn’t the full quote. Calibration was partly responsible for the sarcastic tone. Wouldn’t you agree? ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2019, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-warning-is-nonsense/838144/13 "2019-08-04T01:59:40Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > What ever happened to mod notes instead of warnings? After further consideration, this probably should have been a mod note. I made it a warning because the sarcasm, partisan or otherwise, was likely to anger others (and based on post reports it did just that), but any time we have a shooting, the gun control issue and partisan politics always end up threatening to take over the breaking news thread. It’s still fairly severe misbehavior, but it’s par for the course with these types of threads. Hot button topics do tend to make people misbehave. It would have been more consistent for me to issue a mod note instead of a warning, so after due consideration, I have reduced the warning to a mod note. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2019, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-warning-is-nonsense/838144/14 "2019-08-04T02:27:37Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Fine, if we must belabor the the jab tangent then it’s bullshit to say that ‘thoughts and prayers’ is exclusively partisan. Just because something is a ‘meme’ for the social media simpletons doesn’t imply ownership. Clinton and Obama both used the term, as did countless other democrats. If anything, its sarcastic use targets weaselly politicians and anyone else who shrugs and does nothing. To me the whole “thoughts and prayers” thing is about more than partisan sniping. I’ve always been bugged by the phrase because it’s boilerplate commiseration. It’s the form-letter of condolences. It wants to be pithy but only manages only to be trite. I am aware that for some years it’s morphed into a political criticism of people who do not support gun control and that criticism was part of my comment. I guess it’s only GOPers who don’t like gun control? Probably true, in the main. I was rather surprised that I was warned for this but when dealing with the Law one must be aware of who the Deciders are and of their precedents. It’s true that comments similar to mine (in _some_ ways) have received mod notes or warnings before and I’m aware of that but it was not on my radar when I posted. Also, I don’t really agree with the way the wind’s blowing these days with our newish Ultra-Woke Moderation Zephyr. I suppose I feel that my post would not have been moderated on a less-reactionary board, but on this board you gotta play by the SDMB’s rules and that’s understood. But damn, guys… how about if we move the board from the Circus of Wounded Indignance back into the Marketplace of Ideas. I know the Circus feels like sweet, sweet, easy childhood innocence but I kinda prefer the rough-and-tumble of the grown-ups in the Marketplace. ETA: I missed a bunch of posts before my response. I’ll try more in a bit. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2019, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-warning-is-nonsense/838144/15 "2019-08-04T02:53:59Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > After further consideration, this probably should have been a mod note. > > I made it a warning because the sarcasm, partisan or otherwise, was likely to anger others (and based on post reports it did just that), but any time we have a shooting, the gun control issue and partisan politics always end up threatening to take over the breaking news thread. It’s still fairly severe misbehavior, but it’s par for the course with these types of threads. Hot button topics do tend to make people misbehave. > > It would have been more consistent for me to issue a mod note instead of a warning, so after due consideration, I have reduced the warning to a mod note. That’s cool engineer\_comp. That seems about right. Because I DO understand the intent here, I think. A note is more sensible because it tells everyone: “Hey, hey, hey… we’re getting a little beyond the subject here. Let’s not de-rail.” A mod note doesn’t so much implicate me (as a warning would) as it uses my post as “a learning experience :o for all”. I think there are still issues about the direction the moderation has been heading in general but this is not the place to discuss that. And while I have noticed a change it doesn’t stick in my craw the way it does with some folks largely because I believe this board should choose it’s own moderation intensity and depth. It shouldn’t go only by my whims and desires. That said, I think you guys are alienating some folks here. It can be comforting in a tribal sort of way to believe: “Well anyone we lose is obviously just a no-good poop-head, so good! It just makes the board better!!” Yeah… but don’t forget about babies & bathwater. And this comes to mind: **“First they came for the Right-Wingers, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Right-Winger. Etc., etc…”** ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2019, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-warning-is-nonsense/838144/16 "2019-08-04T03:07:36Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > Yeah… but don’t forget about babies & bathwater. > > And this comes to mind: **“First they came for the Right-Wingers, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Right-Winger. Etc., etc…”** The right wingers would be the first ones to ban everyone who didn’t follow their party line if they had the power to do so. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2019, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-warning-is-nonsense/838144/17 "2019-08-04T03:15:29Z")
Keep in mind that breaking news threads are more restrictive than other threads in MPSIMS. This is especially true in shooting threads since they can easily be completely swamped by gun control debate. Try to keep the politics, hijacks, and emotional hot-button responses out of breaking news threads. We’re not trying to silence people. We just want to let breaking news threads actually be breaking news threads. You can still discuss the hot button topics, debates, emotional issues, etc., just do so in a different thread, in the appropriate forum. See the sticky here: > **[No political/religious jabs in breaking news threads in MPSIMS](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=778315)** > > This is not a new rule but rather codifies the existing informal guidelines. MPSIMS threads are often started to call attention to breaking news stories. Many posters value these threads because they offer new information and multiple cites about... ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2019, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-warning-is-nonsense/838144/18 "2019-08-04T03:29:44Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > Keep in mind that breaking news threads are more restrictive than other threads in MPSIMS. This is especially true in shooting threads since they can easily be completely swamped by gun control debate. > > Try to keep the politics, hijacks, and emotional hot-button responses out of breaking news threads. > > We’re not trying to silence people. We just want to let breaking news threads actually be breaking news threads. You can still discuss the hot button topics, debates, emotional issues, etc., just do so in a different thread, in the appropriate forum. > > See the sticky here: > [No political/religious jabs in breaking news threads in MPSIMS - Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share - Straight Dope Message Board](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=778315) Without being in the heat-of-the-moment it would seem obvious if one’s in a thread about breaking news. But I for one don’t think about that. I just see someone talking about something in MPSIMS and I respond accordingly. Haven’t there been a lot of notes and warnings about “inappropriate” posts in breaking news thread? If only there were some way to address this…\* **Probably about time to create a Breaking News sub-forum, don’t you think?** \*Yes I am aware of the Sticky and have read it. It’s still weird for a sub-section of a sub-forum to have it’s own “rules”. Better to make a new sub-forum, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2019, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-warning-is-nonsense/838144/19 "2019-08-04T03:51:56Z")
It helps if people actually put “Breaking news” in the thread title, but at the moment it’s not a requirement. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2019, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-warning-is-nonsense/838144/20 "2019-08-04T04:14:23Z")
If lynchings were still routine in America, it would be verboten in MPSIMS to mention that the perpetrators might possibly be racists. And pointing out that they committed their foul crimes at gunpoint? Heavens to Betsy, no! Golly gee, someone might get their feelings hurt. Not all mass-murdering motherfuckers are bad. Sometimes they’re white. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-warning-is-nonsense/838144.md?page=2)