# WARNING - stop whining **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [September 10, 2008, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-stop-whining/462937 "2008-09-10T14:12:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ed\_Zotti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/fbc32d/32.png) [@Ed\_Zotti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ed_Zotti)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-stop-whining/462937/1 "2008-09-10T14:12:35Z")
All SDMB users are warned: We’ve heard quite enough complaining about administration of this board. Jerry is doing his best. Although we welcome constructive comments, anyone making rude remarks about the staff from here on out will be banned without further notice. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-stop-whining/462937/2 "2008-09-10T14:18:17Z")
Not that I am intending to make any rude remarks, and this is NOT, repeat NOT, intended as a complaint, repeat, NOT A COMPLAINT, but I am wondering if this applies to threads in the Pit or is it just an ATMB thing or what? I AM NOT COMPLAINING, I SWEAR TO GOD. Just asking a question. ---
**Author:** ![Ed\_Zotti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/fbc32d/32.png) [@Ed\_Zotti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ed_Zotti)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-stop-whining/462937/3 "2008-09-10T14:27:24Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > Not that I am intending to make any rude remarks, and this is NOT, repeat NOT, intended as a complaint, repeat, NOT A COMPLAINT, but I am wondering if this applies to threads in the Pit or is it just an ATMB thing or what? > > I AM NOT COMPLAINING, I SWEAR TO GOD. Just asking a question. For now it applies to all forums other than the Pit. I’ll post another notice if that changes. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-stop-whining/462937/4 "2008-09-10T14:29:32Z")
> [@Ed\_Zotti](#): > > …anyone making rude remarks about the staff from here on out will be banned without further notice. Sounds good to me, Ed. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-stop-whining/462937/5 "2008-09-10T14:30:09Z")
Amen. Besides, it’s getting old. Thanks Ed. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-stop-whining/462937/6 "2008-09-10T14:34:37Z")
If only we could work out if they are **thinking** about whining - pre-emptive banning! ---
**Author:** ![Hawkeyeop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/958977/32.png) [@Hawkeyeop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hawkeyeop)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-stop-whining/462937/7 "2008-09-10T14:37:49Z")
So are we still allowed to whine about people whining? ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-stop-whining/462937/8 "2008-09-10T14:41:28Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > Not that I am intending to make any rude remarks, and this is NOT, repeat NOT, intended as a complaint, repeat, NOT A COMPLAINT, but I am wondering if this applies to threads in the Pit or is it just an ATMB thing or what? It does not apply in the Pit. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-stop-whining/462937/9 "2008-09-10T14:45:04Z")
About damn time. I’m sick of people complaining about Jerry. Er… that’s not a criticism of any of the staff for failing to have this policy in place in a timely fashion. No sir. However, would like a clarification: does this apply only to _staff_, or to management as a whole (ie. CL, the Reader, other faceless entities)? ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-stop-whining/462937/10 "2008-09-10T14:46:36Z")
Thanks for the clarification, **Ed**! (And **fluiddruid**.) ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-stop-whining/462937/11 "2008-09-10T14:56:02Z")
Does this apply to rudeness directed at staff in the context of mod actions, or does it apply to any kind of rudeness towards mods? As an example, if I say that one of **Giraffe’s** arguments in GD is stupid, will I recieve a banning instead of a swatting/warning? If I am snarky in a disagreement with a mod outside of the Pit, when the issue is not mod actions, will I still be banned? ---
**Author:** ![nd\_n8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/439d5e/32.png) [@nd\_n8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nd_n8)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-stop-whining/462937/12 "2008-09-10T15:13:13Z")
> [@Hawkeyeop](#): > > So are we still allowed to whine about people whining? During the recent whine tasting event concerning the Barn House forum I happened across a reference to a term called [Green Ink](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_ink). > [@](#): > > In journalism, Green Ink is (humorously) supposedly the major identifying characteristic of written correspondence from self-aggrandising pedants, cranks, charlatans and eccentrics. > Although no psychiatric equivalence with the preceding terms should be inferred, it is also used to refer to unusable correspondence originating with readers who are mentally ill. As a result I proceeded to “Green” a fellow doper’s post and as well as accusing them of being a “Green Inker”. In the course of this exchange I was accused of trolling (I was not trolling, I was insulting) and trying to force a Board Meme. I was also given a warning (my first mod warning, I feel so like a bad boy right now, where’s my leather jacket and Zippo) for altering the text of a post and attributing it to the poster. Yeah, that was a dumb thing and I really should have known better. However nothing was said about my “Greening” of the poster. This could have been indifference to my immaturity, silent concent or simply a deferred reaction until my motives were a little clearer. Anyway, there it is, my motive and inspiration, juvenile as it may be. My point being, if we’re going to whine about the whiners, we might as well do it in Green Ink (pixels). Not only will it send the message about our opinion of the whiners but will add a splash of color to an otherwise ugly exchange of posts. Unless, of course, Admin and Mods say not to, I’m bad to the bone but one mod warning is plenty for me. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-stop-whining/462937/13 "2008-09-10T15:13:45Z")
Thank you. If only you’d had this rule in place before **danceswithcats** hit the haikus thread … ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-stop-whining/462937/14 "2008-09-10T15:39:23Z")
If this applies to the other forums (besides the pit) as well, shouldn’t the sticky be in them as well? ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-stop-whining/462937/15 "2008-09-10T16:08:12Z")
And if a member of the board staff is rude to a guest outside the Pit? Will they be summarily fired and banned? ---
**Author:** ![Ed\_Zotti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/fbc32d/32.png) [@Ed\_Zotti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ed_Zotti)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-stop-whining/462937/16 "2008-09-10T17:51:49Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > And if a member of the board staff is rude to a guest outside the Pit? Will they be summarily fired and banned? The above constitutes snark in my book, Otto. Goodbye. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-stop-whining/462937/17 "2008-09-10T18:06:49Z")
> [@Revenant\_Threshold](#): > > Does this apply to rudeness directed at staff in the context of mod actions, or does it apply to any kind of rudeness towards mods? > > As an example, if I say that one of **Giraffe’s** arguments in GD is stupid, will I recieve a banning instead of a swatting/warning? If I am snarky in a disagreement with a mod outside of the Pit, when the issue is not mod actions, will I still be banned? When we are not speaking specifically as moderators, we’re just regular members. Disagreeing with our posts in any forum _when we’re not acting with our mod hats on_ is no different from disagreeing with anyone else’s posts. If you say **Giraffe** ’s argument in GD is stupid, you will be told to keep it civil. If you say in GD that **Giraffe** is stupid, you will receive a warning. If you state in GD that **Giraffe** ’s moderating is stupid, you’ll be banned. However, you can do any of the above in a Pit thread. ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-stop-whining/462937/18 "2008-09-10T18:17:20Z")
Thanks for the response. ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-stop-whining/462937/19 "2008-09-10T18:23:31Z")
I forgot that I had another question; I was under the impression that the decision to ban someone had to be made by more than one mod alone. Is that true, and if it is will it still be the case with this new rule? ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-stop-whining/462937/20 "2008-09-10T18:59:37Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > And if a member of the board staff is rude to a guest outside the Pit? Will they be summarily fired and banned? > [@Ed\_Zotti](#): > > The above constitutes snark in my book, Otto. Goodbye. I don’t know what kind of history you might have with Otto that would precipitate such an action. Since we have none, I presume you won’t mind me repeating Otto’s question, which sounds like a reasonable one to me. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-stop-whining/462937.md?page=2)