# You are not a moderator **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 14, 2001, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-not-a-moderator/93214 "2001-11-14T00:12:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pldennison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@pldennison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pldennison)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-not-a-moderator/93214/1 "2001-11-14T00:12:19Z")
You aren’t. Really. 4,000 posts do not result in you gaining the authority to ban people. Nor, for that matter, do 5,000. Or 8,000. Or any other number. A registration date of June 1999 does not grant you greater control over SDMB content than a registration date of October 2001. Being in a lot of flirt threads or Most Popular Whatever polls does not confer upon you the ability to request and require modifications to other posters’ behavior. The title under your username – “Member” – is not some odd synonym for “Moderator” or “Administrator.” And absent some action on the part of the people who _do_ carry those titles, it isn’t going to morph, either. While your personal investment in this board may indeed be great, your authority over it and its members is not. Starting a countdown does not guarantee that someone with authority is going to continue it. You are not a moderator. The sooner you face that fact, the better you will feel. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-not-a-moderator/93214/2 "2001-11-14T00:14:41Z")
Yes I am! Well, not HERE. 😛 Link, please? ---
**Author:** ![CnoteChris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/278dde/32.png) [@CnoteChris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CnoteChris)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-not-a-moderator/93214/3 "2001-11-14T00:15:57Z")
Wow. Two things I didn’t think I’d be doing today… First, actually agreeing with you without having a shred or a clue about what it is you’re talking about. And second, resorting to old stand-by, ‘Link please’? ---
**Author:** ![Xploder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/a183cd/32.png) [@Xploder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xploder)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-not-a-moderator/93214/4 "2001-11-14T00:17:07Z")
I just have to third the link please. ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-not-a-moderator/93214/5 "2001-11-14T00:21:32Z")
He’s talking about me. I just _know_ he’s talking about me … ---
**Author:** ![pldennison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@pldennison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pldennison)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-not-a-moderator/93214/6 "2001-11-14T00:21:52Z")
No particular link–multiple people observed over multiple months, really. Just today, [Esprix](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=98808) and [Rysdad](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=98802), but I don’t want them to feel I’m singling them out or have any particular problem with them. It’s a lot of people. Oh, one more thing: There are a lot of us cows here at the Straight Dope, and none of us are sacred. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-not-a-moderator/93214/7 "2001-11-14T00:25:05Z")
moo. ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-not-a-moderator/93214/8 "2001-11-14T00:26:31Z")
holy moo. ---
**Author:** ![Sterra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Sterra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sterra)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-not-a-moderator/93214/9 "2001-11-14T00:28:50Z")
This thread is now closed. Oh allright I will open it again at the OP’s request 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BooBoo316](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e0b2c6/32.png) [@BooBoo316](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BooBoo316)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-not-a-moderator/93214/10 "2001-11-14T00:29:11Z")
I’m NOT??? Oh, my God! You mean I have no power here whatsoever?! I…I’m just a normal member? _world shatters_ Oh, wait, you’re not even talking about me are you? Whew. You really had me going for a second there. _delusions of grandeur restored_ All BS aside, I agree with you **pld**. ---
**Author:** ![saepiroth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@saepiroth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saepiroth)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-not-a-moderator/93214/11 "2001-11-14T00:30:49Z")
Cow patties! [sub]holy shit![/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-not-a-moderator/93214/12 "2001-11-14T00:37:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pldennison \* > \*\*Oh, one more thing: There are a lot of us cows here at the Straight Dope, and none of us are sacred. \*\* Not even [him](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?action=getinfo&userid=655)? ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-not-a-moderator/93214/13 "2001-11-14T00:52:38Z")
I’ve noticed that in the last few days Phil(if I may call him Phil,) has transformed from a fairly intelligent, funny, and ascerbic poster into **THE RIGHT HAND OF JUSTICE**. Like an avenging angel he’s been smiting sinners, laying low the self-righteous, and setting wrongs right with a cold and infinitely correct and humane fury. He’s done this across multiple threads, forums and targets, with a speed and force that suggests there’s more than one of him, and that amoeba-like he has self-replicated. I was briefly touched by this force when he turned his basilisk gaze upon me to issue a mild rebuke, and I am still recovering. I am both awed and scared. ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-not-a-moderator/93214/14 "2001-11-14T00:59:27Z")
Protest too much, doth we? :rolleyes: “Expressing an opinion” does not mean “I’m telling you what to do.” You should learn that yourself. Esprix ---
**Author:** ![Atreyu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@Atreyu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atreyu)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-not-a-moderator/93214/15 "2001-11-14T00:59:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pldennison \* > \*\*There are a lot of us cows here at the Straight Dope, and none of us are sacred. \*\* Got milk? ---
**Author:** ![pldennison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@pldennison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pldennison)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-not-a-moderator/93214/16 "2001-11-14T01:04:12Z")
Yeah, Esprix, it’s all about you. Just like I said in the OP and my response to link requests. :rolleyes: yourself. Are you, like, determined to get into some shit with me or something? Because if so, it’s going to have to wait until I get back from Australia. So sorry to disappoint you, but if it makes you feel better, you can flame me with impunity for **three whole weeks**. **Scylla** : Fear me, for I am Legion! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-not-a-moderator/93214/17 "2001-11-14T01:06:33Z")
PLD, there’s a difference between “thinking one is a moderator” and “knowing the fucking rules”. The example of Esprix… hell, it’s just common courtesy to say “I think you owe someone an apology.” The example of Rysdad… dammit, people get called out in the Pit all the time. It’s part of the reason why the place exists. Also, take note of the irony of someone taking a false position of authority to point out instances of people taking a false position of authority. ---
**Author:** ![pldennison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@pldennison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pldennison)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-not-a-moderator/93214/18 "2001-11-14T01:22:14Z")
SPOOFE, that isn’t the only instance of a post by Esprix in which I got the impression that he felt his position at the SD was more priveleged than that of other posters, but I don’t make an issue of it, because I **like** Esprix. People asked me for links, and I gave them links. What’s more, if Tuba felt offended by my OP, she had the opportunity to say so; given that she did not, Esprix’s opinion on the matter was fairly irrelevant. As far as Rysdad, there’s a qualitative difference between “calling someone out in the Pit” and: “Since you won’t be here much longer, would you mind answering something, please?” Yeah? Says who? “Yep, he violated the “don’t be a jerk” rule, and he posted in a trollish manner, e.g., posting something inflammatory just in order to garner a response.” Yeah? Says who? {Furthermore, show me any posters who have never – **never** – violated the “Don’t be a jerk” rule. I’ve done it, you’ve done it, we’ve all done it.} Finally, I have not taken a false position of authority; I have pointed out a set of facts. If you can find anything in my OP that is counterfactual, you let me know. ---
**Author:** ![Myrr21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Myrr21](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myrr21)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-not-a-moderator/93214/19 "2001-11-14T01:22:59Z")
> [@](#): > > The example of Rysdad… dammit, people get called out in the Pit all the time. It’s part of the reason why the place exists FWIW, later in the thread Rysdad adds in: > [@](#): > > Yep, he violated the “don’t be a jerk” rule, and he posted in a trollish manner, e.g., posting something inflammatory just in order to garner a response. which does seem to be overstepping a bit (granted, the “troll” label was taken back later anyway). I’m pretty confused about where Esprix played Mod Jr in that thread, though. He didn’t say “apologize or be banished from these halls”; it was prefaced with “IMHO”, and used the conditional “I’d say”. Sounds like the offering of an opinion to me. Which is not to say that nobody does it, just that a better example could probably be found. ---
**Author:** ![Hamadryad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6de8d8/32.png) [@Hamadryad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamadryad)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-not-a-moderator/93214/20 "2001-11-14T01:24:40Z")
I dunno, I’d like to please throw right the hell in with pldennison on this, for the same reason: months of observation. How can you NOT notice the number of times people with the shockingly not-extra-special “member” status have said, “This is a troll. Leave it alone.” Or “Doesn’t this thread belong in IMHO?” Or “You’re not following the rules, yaddeh yaddeh blah blah empty threat whine.” I mean, I’ll throw my worthless opinions around like mad, but I’m always very careful to say “…\in my opinion\…” I understand that it’s a GIVEN that anything anyone says is, necessarily, \their opinion\, I also know that it is frequently enough NOT taken for granted that people often feel the need to spell it out. There’s a certain spine-grating superiority in the tone some of the folks around here take. I’m not talking about an, “I’m more intelligent than you” vibe - I know most of the folks around here are brighter than I am. I’m talking about an, “I’m \superior\ to you” vibe, which comes across in the types of comments about which pldennison is griping, and which are far more annoying than mere intellectual bullying. I don’t know precisely what his take is on it, but me…I guess I find it stunning that folks don’t even seem to realize that they’re DOING it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-not-a-moderator/93214.md?page=2)