# Why is "hot chick" moderated? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [September 4, 2018, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-hot-chick-moderated/820766 "2018-09-04T21:43:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-hot-chick-moderated/820766/1 "2018-09-04T21:43:05Z")
This moderation: [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=21186882&postcount=79](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=21186882&postcount=79) I commented that the Kavanaugh people moved the “hot chick” out of the way to have Condi Rice behind him. What did I do wrong? Is “attractive woman” better? ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-hot-chick-moderated/820766/2 "2018-09-04T21:48:45Z")
Here’s your quote in full: > [@](#): > > Also, did anyone notice how the hot chick in the blue dress has been put aside so that Condi Rice is in full view during Kav’s opening statement? 🙂 I hate politics. My guess is because it’s off-topic (and objectification). Thanks,\*\* JC\*\*. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-hot-chick-moderated/820766/3 "2018-09-04T21:55:06Z")
I’m not the moderator in question, but I would have moderated it, too. There are at least two problems with that comment. First, I’m not sure who the lady in question is, but if she’s at confirmation hearings for a Supreme Court justice, she’s bound to be in a position of some sort of importance, and she didn’t get that position just because of her looks. Making her appearance out to be the most important thing about her is thus highly insulting. There’s been a lot of discussion lately about how the SDMB can be an unwelcoming place for women, and comments like that one are a large part of the reason why. Second, regardless of who she is or why she’s there, she’s certainly not the topic of the thread, which makes the question an irrelevant hijack. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-hot-chick-moderated/820766/4 "2018-09-04T22:00:13Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’m not the moderator in question, but I would have moderated it, too. There are at least two problems with that comment. First, I’m not sure who the lady in question is, but if she’s at confirmation hearings for a Supreme Court justice, she’s bound to be in a position of some sort of importance, and she didn’t get that position just because of her looks. Making her appearance out to be the most important thing about her is thus highly insulting. There’s been a lot of discussion lately about how the SDMB can be an unwelcoming place for women, and comments like that one are a large part of the reason why. > > Second, regardless of who she is or why she’s there, she’s certainly not the topic of the thread, which makes the question an irrelevant hijack. I agree with the second one, but as to the first, are comments about the physical appearance of public officials now out of bounds? Is that rule always, or only if they’re women? Could someone post something like “I think Kamala Harris is a no-skill hack who only got her office because of her looks (which I think are horrid anyways) or sexual favors she likely exchanged with political power brokers” or would that post get modded too? For comparison, there are a shitload of posts denigrating President Trump’s physical appearance and I seem to remember some speculating on obscene acts he may have performed on Putin. ETA: We’re allowed to be “highly insulting” of public figures still, right? ---
**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:** [September 4, 2018, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-hot-chick-moderated/820766/5 "2018-09-04T22:23:59Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > I agree with the second one, but as to the first, are comments about the physical appearance of public officials now out of bounds? Is that rule always, or only if they’re women? > > Could someone post something like “I think Kamala Harris is a no-skill hack who only got her office because of her looks (which I think are horrid anyways) or sexual favors she likely exchanged with political power brokers” or would that post get modded too? > > For comparison, there are a shitload of posts denigrating President Trump’s physical appearance and I seem to remember some speculating on obscene acts he may have performed on Putin. > > ETA: We’re allowed to be “highly insulting” of public figures still, right? You are expecting no double standard? Lol. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-hot-chick-moderated/820766/6 "2018-09-04T22:26:24Z")
So, if I would have said, “Why did they put Condi Rice front and center and remove the attractive woman from the TV camera?” would/should it have been modded? I didn’t think it was a hijack. I thought it was commentary about how a SCOTUS nominee and his handlers want it to look in the media. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-hot-chick-moderated/820766/7 "2018-09-04T22:26:52Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > You are expecting no double standard? Lol. No, I am, but I’d like them to admit to it at least. If the rule is “you can’t insult anyone unless they’re a white male”, that’s fine I guess, at least in a “your house, your rules” sort of way, but let’s at least be clear about it. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-hot-chick-moderated/820766/8 "2018-09-04T22:28:18Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > I agree with the second one, but as to the first, are comments about the physical appearance of public officials now out of bounds? Is that rule always, or only if they’re women? LOL. Oh, you agree with the moderation. That’s why you immediately asked me about her in the thread. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-hot-chick-moderated/820766/9 "2018-09-04T22:32:12Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > No, I am, but I’d like them to admit to it at least. If the rule is “you can’t insult anyone unless they’re a white male”, that’s fine I guess, at least in a “your house, your rules” sort of way, but let’s at least be clear about it. And, again, I didn’t think that “hot chick” was insulting. Maybe she is a District Court Judge who supports Kavanaugh. I don’t know. They sure didn’t put up a supporter who looks like Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I think it is fair commentary on how attractive women are placed for media consumption. If someone wants to say that she won a Nobel Award and her placement had nothing to do with her looks, then that is a fair rebuttal to my comments. Sex sells. I don’t think that pointing out that clear truth should be modded in the (presumably?) name of political correctness. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-hot-chick-moderated/820766/10 "2018-09-04T22:33:38Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > LOL. Oh, you agree with the moderation. That’s why you immediately asked me about her in the thread. 🙂 When it was pointed out by a mod, I realized we were getting a bit off-topic from the subject at hand. If Jonathan Chance’s reasons were solely that it was off-topic, I wouldn’t really mind or object. I’m more concerned by **Chronos** ’ post here, particularly the first paragraph, where he says he " would have moderated it, too’ and as near as I can distinguish the reason offered was that “Making her appearance out to be the most important thing about her is thus highly insulting.” I think there’s ample room for debate about whether that particular comment was actually “making her appearance out to be the most important thing about her” or whether calling her “hot” is actually insulting, but granting for a moment that a poster may choose, at some future date, to both make someone’s appearance out to be the most important thing about them and be insulting about it … is that not allowed now? That’s the way **Chronos** ’ post reads. That would seem to be a big shift in policy around here. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-hot-chick-moderated/820766/11 "2018-09-04T22:45:09Z")
How is it off topic to say that the Kav people have put Condi Rice front and center for his statement? Is it only because of the term “hot chick”? What if the Kav people had loaded up the front row with black supporters? Can I point that out? Only if I use the right words? ---
**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:** [September 4, 2018, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-hot-chick-moderated/820766/12 "2018-09-04T23:01:34Z")
I think “hot chick” is the kind of thing we’re trying to get rid of around here. Why not just say “woman” or “person”. Make this place less like a frat boys’ club. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-hot-chick-moderated/820766/13 "2018-09-04T23:10:28Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > ETA: We’re allowed to be “highly insulting” of public figures still, right? Public figures by definition put themselves out into the public realm and should be fair game for anything less than outright threats of violence and hate speech. Punching up has always been fair. Demeaning insults of people who happen to be caught on camera aren’t in the same league. People who post here should get used to being told off when they punch down. I’m betting that it’ll happen every single time. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-hot-chick-moderated/820766/14 "2018-09-04T23:12:21Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I think “hot chick” is the kind of thing we’re trying to get rid of around here. Why not just say “woman” or “person”. Make this place less like a frat boys’ club. Is that the board’s position? I’ve asked that a couple of times. If I had said “attractive woman” would there have been no moderation? ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-hot-chick-moderated/820766/15 "2018-09-04T23:28:34Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Public figures by definition put themselves out into the public realm and should be fair game for anything less than outright threats of violence and hate speech. Punching up has always been fair. > > Demeaning insults of people who happen to be caught on camera aren’t in the same league. > > People who post here should get used to being told off when they punch down. I’m betting that it’ll happen every single time. **Chronos** ’ post seemed to suggest that she was likely an important public figure. He wrote “if she’s at confirmation hearings for a Supreme Court justice, she’s bound to be in a position of some sort of importance”. I think he’s probably right about that, although I’m still not entirely sure who the … ummmm … attractive woman in a blue dress was, so I can’t confirm it. And is “hot” a demeaning insult in your view? Or just “chick”? ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-hot-chick-moderated/820766/16 "2018-09-04T23:39:21Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > Is that the board’s position? I’ve asked that a couple of times. If I had said “attractive woman” would there have been no moderation? The point is that you and others find it necessary to comment on her appearance at all. It’s degrading. “Who is the woman in the blue dress who was pushed aside to put Condi Rice front and center?” is fine. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-hot-chick-moderated/820766/17 "2018-09-04T23:40:59Z")
> [@Helena330](#): > > The point is that you and others find it necessary to comment on her appearance at all. It’s degrading. “Who is the woman in the blue dress who was pushed aside to put Condi Rice front and center?” is fine. Serious question: Do you consider it degrading when posters find it necessary to comment on President Trump’s appearance? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-hot-chick-moderated/820766/18 "2018-09-04T23:45:34Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > People who post here should get used to being told off when they punch down. I’m betting that it’ll happen every single time. And will accelerate the death of the board. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-hot-chick-moderated/820766/19 "2018-09-04T23:48:22Z")
OctocaineVires, how hard is it to just not be pervy and creepy? Why is it so hard to wrap your brain around that? Comment on appearances if you feel it necessary to the point you are trying to make , but don’t sexualize it as an aside. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-hot-chick-moderated/820766/20 "2018-09-04T23:48:26Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’m not the moderator in question, but I would have moderated it, too. There are at least two problems with that comment. First, I’m not sure who the lady in question is, but if she’s at confirmation hearings for a Supreme Court justice, she’s bound to be in a position of some sort of importance, and she didn’t get that position just because of her looks. Making her appearance out to be the most important thing about her is thus highly insulting. There’s been a lot of discussion lately about how the SDMB can be an unwelcoming place for women, and comments like that one are a large part of the reason why. > > Second, regardless of who she is or why she’s there, she’s certainly not the topic of the thread, which makes the question an irrelevant hijack. But not for this thread! ## The woman in question is Zina Bash. “In July 2017, Bash was put on The Hill’s 50 Most Beautiful list.” [Sports](https://heavy.com/news/2018/09/zina-bash/) Back on topic, I have no problem with moderating the hot chick comment, but then again I haven’t clicked through to actual post. Generally speaking though, I tend to support curbs on the off-topic drool-slobber. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-hot-chick-moderated/820766.md?page=2)