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Mike1984

Moderation, the new mods and the total lack of consistency

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by
Mike1984
, May 21st, 2012 at 10:55 PM (2637 Views)
OK, so, we've got some new mods, and I've just received my first warning from them, for calling Trevelyan an asshole, after he had repeatedly attacked me over the last few weeks.

The post is here, if anyone wants to see it.

Now, I'm rather unhappy about this, because it seems to me that the new mods are rather more interested in sticking to the letter of the rules than dealing with trolls or actually using basic common sense, and it seems to me like it's going exactly how I feared it would.

But, normally, this would just be chalked down to me being anti-authoritarian, and I'd complan for a while but ultimately be ignore. However, in looking back through Trevelyan's post history for evidence of how he's acted, I found this, said in reply to me.

Quote Originally Posted by Trevelyan View Post
Pro-tip: when you're an asshole
Further, note that both Elf and DP post in that thread, and so must have seen it, and did nothing, which suggests they thought it was OK.

However, when I reported it to Altima today, he defended this, and said he would not give Trevelyan a warning (I don't know if the mods will, however, as of yet). His reasoning? That he was technically not calling me an asshole, but rather the hypothetical person who would make the comment I made.

Yeah, right....

And, even if that is true, I could make the same defense of my own statements. I was calling the hypothetical person who made Trevelyan's posts an asshole, not Trevelyan himself. It's a totally ludicrous excuse, of course, but it is just as valid as the one Altima made to me. Not to mention that, unlike Trevelyan, I have not been going out repeatedly insulting him and putting him down over and over again for the last two weeks.

It seems to me like I'm essentially being punished for being less eloquant with my insults than other people, which just seems wrong to me. Trolls are thoughtful about their insults, angry people are not. But, trolls are a far bigger problem, ultimately, because they are trying to cause trouble. Yet, the mods do not seem to appreciate this.

And, by the way, before you ask why I didn't report Trevelyan's post earlier, I simply didn't consider it worthy of reporting, for the same reason as I don't consider my post worthy of a warning. I may be liberal to the point of anarchy, but I am at least consistent about it.

Unlike the admins, apparently....

Updated May 21st, 2012 at 10:57 PM by Mike1984

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  1. Aiden's Avatar
    I admit, I don't see anything specific to the new mods involved here, if only because Altima, Elf and Darples aren't exactly 'new'.
  2. Trevelyan's Avatar
    I got a warning too. Eh, it's a fair cop.
  3. Mike1984's Avatar
    Aiden: The new mods gave me a warning, the admins clearly didn't see it as worthy of one (although Altima trotted out the usual "close ranks around the mod" crap at me).

    Trevelyan: Fair enough, but Altima certainly didn't seem to think you deserved one when I talked to him....
  4. Trevelyan's Avatar
    Altima probably wanted to get a consensus on the post. Or maybe he wanted someone who's not your friend to warn me about something I said to you. It looks better coming from a party that's not involved.
  5. Mike1984's Avatar
    Yeah, sure, but Altima actually said he didn't think it was worthy of a warning, and I can't see how Elf and DP could have missed the post when you originally made it either.

    It just seems to me that the new mods are far more authoritarian than the admins, and I think they're going to ruin the forum with their stupid warnings and total inability to actually resolve a dispute in a remotely sensible manner.
  6. Kotonoha's Avatar
    Shouldn't this be in a thread instead of a blog?
  7. Aiden's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Mike1984
    Aiden: The new mods gave me a warning, the admins clearly didn't see it as worthy of one (although Altima trotted out the usual "close ranks around the mod" crap at me).

    Trevelyan: Fair enough, but Altima certainly didn't seem to think you deserved one when I talked to him....
    Okay, misread. My bad.
  8. Mike1984's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Kotonoha
    Shouldn't this be in a thread instead of a blog?
    I thought a blog was probably safer, given the way the mods are acting now. I've made a thread as well now, however....
  9. Dark Pulse's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Mike1984
    Yeah, sure, but Altima actually said he didn't think it was worthy of a warning, and I can't see how Elf and DP could have missed the post when you originally made it either.
    Laziness. I didn't catch it, but when I did, I fully supported a warning. Remember, I didn't exactly have tons of free time to read all the posts in a thread. (Well, until this week anyway, but even then it's somewhat limited because I'm still going in for the next week and a half.) Granted, at this point, I expect to not have to read every little post, looking for infractions. That's what the mods do, and generally do a pretty good job of it, but well, they're only human. If the post had been reported, they do get those, and they may well have taken action a lot sooner than they did.

    Mind you, just because you don't see action taken doesn't always mean "it's being ignored" and it DEFINITELY does not mean "We're fine with it." The first warnings are private ones, and unless they are publicized - like this one - they remain known only to the mods, the admins, and the warned. If you see us making a public warning, then it's already an escalating matter.

    Altima's decision was to not warn Trev, but he is one person, and furthermore, most warns are now discussed amongst the mods by themselves, with basic oversight from the admins - i.e; it's not supposed to be his job anymore. Please remember that.
  10. Mike1984's Avatar
    I know warnings are private, but if he had been warned already, surely I'd have been told as much when I complained about it (otherwise, you're going to get duplicate reports). It is true that Altima is only one person, but he was the one I was talking to about my warning at the time, and quite frankly his reasoning just smacked of him desperately grasping for an excuse. Given the mood I was (and still am...) in, there's no way I was going to stand for that.

    As for you not noticing it, I would have assumed that were it not your thread. But, given that you asked the original question I would expect you to read the posts just out of interest. And, Elf posted immediately after him, too, without seeing it. Plus, he was hardly subtle about it. It just seemed rather odd to me.

    Still, if you didn't notice it, I guess I can't really complain that much, because if I'd really cared, I could have just reported it in the first place....