When Moderators Lie

The BBQ Pit
41

**

Yup. I do. The only way to stop a spoiled kid from having tantrums is negative reinforcment.

If this was the first time, sure, I’d ignore it. Everyone blows up once in a while. Everyone has an occasional regretted post. But this happens, what? once a month or so? Once every six weeks?

It seems to me that Opal thinks that she deserves some sort of special exemption from the rules (it’s ok for HER to post personal commercial links, it’s ok for HER to encourage file sharing, it’s ok for HER to attack mods outside the Pit) and has a fucking meltdown every goddamned time she gets called on it.

It’s obnoxious and irritating and if it was anyone else, it’d be considered trolling.

If you meant the last prediction (“everyone yawns”), it was supposed to relate to the one imediatly above it: the last time a so-called Fathomite showed up, trying to provoke a board war, it was unanimously met with yawns. I realized after I posted it that I didn’t make it clear.

If you meant the whole post, sorry, laughing at trollishness is a time-honored tradition, and referring to the pattern/history of trollish behavior is a requirement. This ongoing “I’m special, mods suk” type behavior is trollish.

Francesca: yer a pal, but honestly. If this was [b}AM/PM** or MuMu or that Parrot one…any of the “Mods suk” trolls who constantly posted anti-Mod crap, would you be saying the same thing? Or are you trying to say that Opal should be able to get away with the same sort of behavior that MuMu, etc were banned for simply because she’s made valueable contributions to the SDMB (which I don’t for a minute deny) and that she’s your friend (if, in fact, she is)?

Fenris

PS: Now that Coldie has actually posted in this thread, the odds that we’ll get a COLDIE SUX! spin-off thread? 2:1

42

I agree. This isn’t a pile-on, this is a wake-up call to Opal from her contemporaries.

43

We do it rather well though, you must agree.

44

That’s like asking a flasher why he didn’t just keep his fly zipped.

45

Opal, you know I think the world of you, but the folks here are absolutely right.

Whether or not you stepped over the line in the closed thread, you could have responded in a whole googolplex of less inflammatory ways than to open a thread for the purpose of calling the mods a bunch of liars.

You’ve been down this road enough for people to find it predictable, which - even without Ed’s warning - says it’s time to stop. So please stop, OK?

46

Well, I see your point about negative re-inforcement. But I don’t think it works - how many times has this happened before? How many times have people accused Opal of over-reacting before? And she still does it. We know how regularly she does it because several people (me included) saw this pit thread coming a mile away the minute her thread was closed. It’s the way she is. I think it’s a stupid thing to do, but I don’t think continually pointing and laughing is the way to go. I think that’s ugly behaviour and it’s likely re-inforcing Opal’s view that she can’t complain without being vilified.

As for whether I’d make the same objections if it was MuMu or Ma Parrot, I don’t know. It so happens that I don’t particularly like the way people behave towards them either, the mocking and jeering. It makes me feel as though people I like are behaving like an (albeit witty) baying mob. It may be a tradition but it certainly doesn’t make me proud to be part of this community when it happens.

47

When it happens time and time again, it strikes this semi-newbie as Opal blatantly breaking stated rules and then lashing out when she’s held to account for it. Why she does this, only Opal can say. Does she know the rules, but try to skate around them? Does she not really understand the rules? Are the rules unclear or loopholey? That’s NOT for us to determine.

The bottom line is this: Frankly, I doubt we’ll ever see a “BANNED” under her name. If most other posters, including other oldtimers repeatedly broke the stated rules, then pitted whomever called them on it, that person would be banned. I don’t think it’s my business to worry about it. As long as I keep my nose clean and don’t break the rules, what someone else does or doesn’t do shouldn’t matter.

On the other hand, I agree with Francesca that piling on, even if Opal started the thread, only encourages her persecution complex. It does nothing to help the admittedly annoying and predictable routine of “Break a Rule, Get Called on It, Freak at the Mods–Repeat every few months.”

It also divides our community into pro-Opal and not-pro-Opal. That is the worst part of it all.

48

Sure she can complain without being vilified, just as any board member can.

Of course, she would need a valid reason first, but that’s a mere detail, apparently.

49

I see your point, Coldie. I guess what I was objecting to was Fenris’ “lets all join in on taking bets as to how stupid and ridiculous Opal is!”. It struck me as going beyond the simply expressing a viewpoint and into meanness.

50

Well there’s another couple of t-shirts for you right there!

51

I only just noticed what Scylla did, way up there at the top; very funny.

52

Which, knowing only the text, I’d agree with. Now, to my mind, this indicates that the pattern will happen over and over and over and…you get the idea. It’ll do that regardless of a pile-on/exasperated-TM’s, or lack of one. More of a cometary orbit than a habit at this point.

Not my property or guests to manage, praise “Bob”. Entirely up to the admins of how tolerable the pattern is–and historically, it looks like it’s pretty tolerable. (Pretty generous for a pack of Nazi liars, really.)

53

Okay, enough.

your humble TubaDiva
Administrator

54

well, almost.

55

John 3:14

56

No offense, but that’s attaching way too much weight to it.

This board is a gathering of highy intelligent people from all walks of life, and from all corners of the globe. Barring a few discrepancies, board members tend to respecfully disagree on a wide array of topics, ranging from the latest Britney Spears record to the Middle East conflict.

To suggest a “pro-Opal” vs. “not-pro-Opal” divide comes into existence because of threads like this is not giving the membership the credit they’ve earned (they’ll disagree on anything, after all), and it also means that the perceived status of one single board member apparently has gotten completely out of hand.

In short: she’s not that important. Trust me.

57

It was intended to be “Let’s all take bets to see which of her standard melt-down methods she uses.”

I mean, hell, she could surprise me by showing up, giving a legit apology and then not doing this again in six weeks, in which case, my post would be meaningless.

I understand your POV Francesca, and all I can say in response is if she didn’t keep having her every couple-of-month “I got called on breaking the rules” meltdown, I wouldn’t be able to list the methods she’s used.

Fenris

58

Perhaps. Having been here for much less time, it appears to be more of an attempt to solicit attention, much like the behavior of my old year old niece, who may bite the perceived offender. Can’t type yet, and all that. Same childish behavior, expressed slightly differently.
All I know is that whatever the reason, it ain’t pretty.
Opal needs a brand new bag, methinks…

59

After almost 6000 posts she should know better.

60

So does this mean I can’t link to Mirsk-T ?