123: Durp baby, Durp baby, give me your snark, give me something that I can remember....

[Someone]

even I could tell he was kidding.

[Someone]

Originally Posted by Someone

Thats not true, actually; saying bad things about other races is fine and dandy as long as you keep it polite.

this is very sad because it's true.

[Someone]

Originally Posted by Someone

Racism = bad, but misogyny = funny over at the Dope.

I didn't quite get why insulting margin was misogyny in the first place.

[Someone]

Originally Posted by Someone

Thanks. This gave me a laugh. I think if I applied, they'd ask "Who are you again? Fifteen years and 6K posts ZZZZZZZ...". I did get a warning once for insulting samclem and Czarcasm. That might disqualify me.

I doubt that would disqualify you and seriously, think it over. The Dope could really use some help right now and I really do think you would be good.

[Someone]

acey. Cunningly disguised as a Yankees fan, because Arkansas hasn't got a major league baseball team and it was the only one he could think of

[Someone]

Originally Posted by Someone

I didn't quite get why insulting margin was misogyny in the first place.

Well, there's been a bunch of posts detailing why, but apparently you didn't read them, so I don't see much use answering this question.

[Someone]

Originally Posted by Someone

Wow, Colibri is probably very happy to announce that one. I didn't dislike Scumpup and I know he use to be a better poster in the past, but he was pretty much asking for it lately.

Oh, queue Octowhiner to bitch about this again. Except this time it wasn't mob rule but mod rule.

No doubt, he was. Coliibri had a way of being the one to send me warnings whether the alleged offense occurred in an area he actually moderated or not. I never had any respect for him because he is the only mod who regularly goes to the Pit to participate as a poster. His mod hat gives him courage. My money is still on him doing something tragic (from certain points of view) when the SDMB eventually goes dark.

[Someone]

The misogyny was because he was insulting her an other female liberals online in lots of different places since the 90's.

[Someone]

Originally Posted by Someone

No doubt, he was. Coliibri had a way of being the one to send me warnings whether the alleged offense occurred in an area he actually moderated or not. I never had any respect for him because he is the only mod who regularly goes to the Pit to participate as a poster. His mod hat gives him courage. My money is still on him doing something tragic (from certain points of view) when the SDMB eventually goes dark.

He was in the pit often enough long before he was a Mod. I think your mod hat observation won't hold up. I was in several GDs moved to the pit trying to debunk a certain astroturfer's bullshit posts on Climate change. Colibri was almost always in those and I know he was in others. In fact he was in more Pit threads than me.

[Someone]

Originally Posted by Someone

No doubt, he was. Coliibri had a way of being the one to send me warnings whether the alleged offense occurred in an area he actually moderated or not. I never had any respect for him because he is the only mod who regularly goes to the Pit to participate as a poster. His mod hat gives him courage. My money is still on him doing something tragic (from certain points of view) when the SDMB eventually goes dark.

Well, he's allowed. The only thing he can't do as a mod is to start a thread pitting another poster, but he can certainly jump in.

And even though mods have their assigned forums, they can moderate other forums when a violation has been reported.

[Someone]

Originally Posted by Someone

Miller's initial response to my thread about Shodan was to dig through my history and find a joke I once made about psych wards. Neener, neener! There just wasn't enough evidence to conclude that Shodan was being, per usual, a flaming asshole.

For the record, I didn't "dig through your history," I searched "psych ward" in the Pit and posted the first two examples of it being used as an insult I found. It was a coincidence that yours was one of them.

[Someone]

Originally Posted by Someone

Well, he's allowed. The only thing he can't do as a mod is to start a thread pitting another poster, but he can certainly jump in.

And even though mods have their assigned forums, they can moderate other forums when a violation has been reported.

They generally won't though unless it's something that is really going off the rails and needs to be addressed immediately.

[Someone]

Originally Posted by Someone

I doubt that would disqualify you and seriously, think it over. The Dope could really use some help right now and I really do think you would be good.

You've always come across as reasonable and level-headed. Why don't you apply as well?

[Someone]

Originally Posted by Someone

Well, there's been a bunch of posts detailing why, but apparently you didn't read them, so I don't see much use answering this question.

All I saw was that margin and Shodan had a long standing multi board fued, stemming from Shodan trolling feminism boards. If that's the whole justification, then Shodan can never insult margin for anything in the Pit. If there was more justification then yes, I missed it.

To be clear, I was fine with the warning as I think using someone's PTSD to flame them is over the line.

[Someone]

Originally Posted by Someone

You've always come across as reasonable and level-headed. Why don't you apply as well?

Maybe we can put up a bunch of names and have a Mode election.

[Someone]

Originally Posted by Someone

Maybe we can put up a bunch of names and have a Mode election.

That always works out well and has never caused far more problems than it cured.

[Someone]

Lol, I see Mellophant is still clinging to life.

[Someone]

Colibri tells Jinx to stop acting...well, like Jinx.

[Moderator Note]

Jinx, you are one of the very few posters I have warned for repeatedly asking questions that were exceeding easy to research instead of finding the answer yourself. While you haven't done it recently, I am instructing you once again to do some basic research before asking questions in GQ. The first hits for either "Presidential Press Secretary" or "White House Press Secretary" are Stephanie Grisham.

If you ask another such question here you will be subject to a warning. Do not do this again.

Colibri
General Questions Moderator

https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb...47&postcount=6

[Someone]

Originally Posted by Someone

Now that you mention that, I had to check. No one's posted there in over 7 years. Here's the last post, Oct 6 2012 11:04am:

I wonder if he still checks every day for a reply?

I know I'm late, but what the hell is that forum? Victorious Unity sounds like what I would name my Fascist party, if I decided to found one.

I opened a random thread and who would be posting there but Shodan? Maybe it IS a Fascist board.

[Someone]

I don't know if you remember Qin Shi Huangdi from the durp. It was him.

[Someone]

Originally Posted by Someone

I don't know if you remember Qin Shi Huangdi from the durp. It was him.

Isn't he the conservative kid who used to go by the name of a mass murderer, but changed it to Qin Shi Huangdi at some point?

...or was that the guy who changed his name to Anonymus?

Eta -- no, wasnt that Red Something who became Anonymus User?

[Someone]

Originally Posted by Someone

Colibri tells Jinx to stop acting...well, like Jinx.

https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb...47&postcount=6

Great news. That fucking waste of skin should have been banned long ago.

[Someone]

Yep, Qin was formerly Curtis Le May, and probably Trump's most bestest #1 fan on the Dope. I see he's still posting in political threads, which makes me happy that I avoid those like the plague.

I know who you mean with the Red Something Anonymous but I can't think of who he is offhand.

[Someone]

Originally Posted by Someone

Great news. That fucking waste of skin should have been banned long ago.

Yeah! Slice his bangers into wedges already!

[Someone]

Calling him a "mass murderer" would be a matter of your own interpretation, but he was Curtis LeMay

Edit, should have previewed

[Someone]

Originally Posted by Someone

All the junkies I've known have been really mellow. Not a rage-monkey among them. He could be the first, though. I'm always prepared to be surprised.

I'd introduce you to my ex-husband, but we'd have to dig him up first.

[Someone]

Nope, that's on me. Ages ago, when I first started reading the Dope, and was something of a kid myself, I didn't know who Curtis LeMay was yet, and someone said something about that user having gone "from one mass murderer to another" in the name change thread where LeMay became hung. I mean, Huang. Anyways, it was a passing comment that didn't stick in my head.

A couple of years later on, I read one of the alternate history Turtledove books - I think the one where aliens invade Earth during WW2 - and LeMay is a minor character in that book, and I recognized the name, and remembered that someone called him a "mass murderer" (and while he was a ruthless dick in the novel, I think he was portrayed as the ruthless dick we needed at the time) so I looked up LeMay and read all about him, because I'm a history fan.

But since I forgot what Qin Shi Huang's original name was, all that stuck was the "mass murderer" allegation.

[Someone]

I meant "mass murderer" in the "crazy guy who has a shootout with the cops" sense, not "controversial military leader" sense which is clearly wrong either way.

[Someone]

Originally Posted by Someone

Great news. That fucking waste of skin should have been banned long ago.

Dumb as Dougie Monty, but not nearly as entertaining.

[Someone]

Originally Posted by Someone

The misogyny was because he was insulting her an other female liberals online in lots of different places since the 90's.

A belated WELCOME, Trico. It's great to have your voice here and at the SDMB.

[Someone]

Originally Posted by Someone

Isn't he the conservative kid who used to go by the name of a mass murderer, but changed it to Qin Shi Huangdi at some point?

...or was that the guy who changed his name to Anonymus?

Eta -- no, wasnt that Red Something who became Anonymus User?

Qin was previously Curtis Lemay, a famous Army Air Corps (predecessor of USAF) General. Anonymous User became R3D Anonymous (or something similar).

ETA: And I see I was ninja'd on the Curtis one, but not the R3D one... Half a ninja is better than a whole ninja!

[Someone]

Originally Posted by Someone

A belated WELCOME, Trico. It's great to have your voice here and at the SDMB.

For some unknown reason, she's spending evenings in the box. You'll have to go to her box thread to talk to her probably. (no, really)

[Someone]

Originally Posted by Someone

Colibri tells Jinx to stop acting...well, like Jinx.

https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb...47&postcount=6

That is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. But I don't get out much.

[Someone]

Originally Posted by Someone

Qin was previously Curtis Lemay, a famous Army Air Corps (predecessor of USAF) General. Anonymous User became R3D Anonymous (or something similar).

ETA: And I see I was ninja'd on the Curtis one, but not the R3D one... Half a ninja is better than a whole ninja!

I don't know -- I'd rather bite into an apple and find a whole ninja than bite into an apple and find a half of a ninja...

And yes -- Anonymus User who evolved into R3D Anonymous! What was his story?

[Someone]

Originally Posted by Someone

I don't know if you remember Qin Shi Huangdi from the durp. It was him.

What was him?

[Someone]

So the mods want to change the way the Pit is moderated.

Originally Posted by Someone

As some of you are no doubt aware, we had a bit of drama related to the Pit recently, which has led to me reconsidering my approach to how I moderate the Pit.

Previously, I'd held to a position where pretty much any sort of insult was allowed, short of racial slurs. I used this standard because I felt it was about as objective as possible, but it's led to a number of situations in the last couple years where I was defending behavior that made me nauseous, and I don't want to do that anymore. We're also having this discussion in the mod loop right now, but I thought I'd take a page from Jonathan Chance and solicit some input from you terrifying degenerates valued board members.

Before I continue, I want to make an important point in red text.

I placed this thread in the Pit, because I want people who post regularly in this forum to see and respond to it. However, I don't want to see fighting or insults in here. I intend to moderate this discussion as if it were in ATMB. Please keep this in mind. If you absolutely have to call someone a name, start a new Pit thread to do it. Also, please don't illustrate your arguments by linking to posts that demonstrate what you feel to be unacceptable behavior, as I don't want to use this thread to re-litigate old issues.

My goal here is to reign the Pit in, not neuter it. I want to still allow posters a lot of latitude in how they express themselves, without turning the Pit into a refuge for toxic assholes. I'm hesitant about any more "bright line" policies. The previous "(almost) Anything Goes" policy was a result of me trying to find a bright line that didn't rely on my personal opinion about what was "too far," and that hasn't worked out great. I don't want any policies that allow abominable behavior because it falls on the right side of a poorly-worded bright line, but I also don't want to draw a rule so broadly that it penalizes common idioms or mainstream opinions. I think we need to move to something a little more subjective. There have been a few ideas that come up a lot as behavior that shouldn't be allowed, so I'll start with those. Note that, while I'm going to share my opinions about each of these as I introduce them, I'm not set in stone about any of this.

Making personal attacks against posters
This is both the area where I intend the most immediate change, but also the most subjective. I want to make attacking someone over deep personal trauma out-of-bounds, but that's going to necessarily be a lot of subjective decisions on my part. I've certainly seen a lot of people report posts because they were "traumatized" by the most picayune insults, or even simply criticism and disagreement. On the other hand, as an able-bodied white guy, there are entire oceans of trauma out there of which I have only the vaguest understanding.

Insulting other poster's minor children
This is maybe a part of that whole "oceans I don't understand" thing, but I honestly don't see why this is a big deal. If you were insulting the kid to their face, yeah, that's awful, but presumably they're never going to see it, so who cares? Well, a lot of people, apparently. This is actually a pretty easy bright line to draw, because while I'm not personally bothered by it, I don't really see any scenarios where it feels necessary.

I've often seen variations of this suggestion that include insulting other posters performance as parents, which I feel is over-broad. While this area is certainly ripe for "too far" posts, I think there are some areas where criticism is legitimate and even necessary. Someone posting about how they're not vaccinating their kids deserve to be roasted at least a little, for example. I think there's also some value in the idea that, if you introduce your kids into a debate, you're inviting commentary on your relationship with them.

Calling other posters "pedophiles"
This is something else that gets brought up a lot, that I'm not personally bothered by. (For the record, yes, actual pedophiles bother me, but I don't see saying "You're a pedophile" as necessarily worse than, "You're a motherfucker.") And this is an area where I think there is some room for legitimate attacks. We've had posters (again, I'm not naming anyone in particular, and please don't offer your own examples of what I'm talking about here) who have posted things about children that, while not something that you could take to the cops, still comes across as deeply skeevy, and I'd like to retain the ability to call that sort of thing out when it happens.

Anyway, this is where I'm at on this subject right now. I'm open to ideas or suggestions for other changes, or arguments that I'm not taking the right approach on these specific issues.

https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb...8#post21997998

[Someone]

Originally Posted by Someone

So the mods want to change the way the Pit is moderated.

They are rearranging the deck furniture on the Titanic.

[Someone]

Originally Posted by Someone

Anonymous User became R3D Anonymous (or something similar).

I was just thinking of that guy. He said he was going to apply for moderator as soon as he turned 21, and I believe he's old enough by now. I wonder if he (along with BigT) is obsessively hitting the refresh button on his email inbox right now.

[Someone]

Originally Posted by Someone

Insulting other poster's minor children
This is maybe a part of that whole "oceans I don't understand" thing, but I honestly don't see why this is a big deal. If you were insulting the kid to their face, yeah, that's awful, but presumably they're never going to see it, so who cares? Well, a lot of people, apparently. This is actually a pretty easy bright line to draw, because while I'm not personally bothered by it, I don't really see any scenarios where it feels necessary.

I've often seen variations of this suggestion that include insulting other posters performance as parents, which I feel is over-broad. While this area is certainly ripe for "too far" posts, I think there are some areas where criticism is legitimate and even necessary. Someone posting about how they're not vaccinating their kids deserve to be roasted at least a little, for example. I think there's also some value in the idea that, if you introduce your kids into a debate, you're inviting commentary on your relationship with them.

https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb...8#post21997998[/QUOTE]

As far as parenting skills, I DO think that should be okay -- as long as you leave the kids out of it. Or anything else, that matter, if people try to use it as a shield. (Like when BigT pulls his, "you can't make fun of me, I'm SICK!!!" bullshit)

But seriously Miller can't understand WHY people are upset when their kids themselves are brought into it? That's what bothered ME about the whole Huey Freeman thing -- how he felt he could just insult everyone's family's, and that was totes okay, as long as he was doing so in the name of fighting racisim. Or something.

[Someone]

Originally Posted by Someone

Yeah! Slice his bangers into wedges already!

I thought Jinx was a woman.

Doesn't matter. They get up my nose in a non-gender-specific fashion, with their attention-seeking idiocy. I almost said lazy, but doing a web search (Google, Bing, Yahoo!, DuckDuckGo... doesn't matter) would have been easier than opening that useless GQ thread. However, they don't get the satisfaction of knowing other people did their bidding by using a search engine. They took more time to make others take more time. That's just special.

Originally Posted by Someone

That's what bothered ME about the whole Huey Freeman thing -- how he felt he could just insult everyone's family's, and that was totes okay, as long as he was doing so in the name of fighting racisim. Or something.

Huey Freeman was such an obvious freestanding asshole of a troll that nothing it did should have saved it from being banned. Race had nothing to do with what it was; Hell, that aspect alone bothered me so much I was inspired to write a longish post detailing how Huey Freeman can't be black because only humans can have a race and it is a damn fictional character created by some asshole to post on a message board. It isn't even the same fictional character as the cartoon, unless Aaron McGruder has some really sad hobbies. It's just a character created for a message board, using race as a convenient stick to stir shit up.

But they gave it a free pass to spew outright hate speech. Legal, but precisely the kind of thing moderation is meant to keep out of fora.

[Someone]

Originally Posted by Someone

Colibri tells Jinx to stop acting...well, like Jinx.

I know Jinx has been warned before about asking simple questions without Googling first, but in this case he tried Google and failed. I'm trying to figure out how he did that, and it's making my head hurt.

That guy would get his ass handed to him at an Easter egg hunt.

[Someone]

My favorite was when he asked a question that he had already asked a year earlier. And also the multiple times that he advocated for a like button on posts ATMB. Each time it was explained that vB didn't have such a function.

[Someone]

Originally Posted by Someone

Great news. That fucking waste of skin should have been banned long ago.

Not really great news though, is it? All they did was close the thread; he didn't even get a warning.

I went and did a search and found five other occasions in the past when Colibri has told Jinx not to post such dumb and easily-searchable questions, and there are other mods like samclem who have also cautioned him about it on multiple occasions. And yet Jinx still has periods where he bombards the Dope with questions, at least some of which are fucking idiotic. They seem to think that, because his idiocy is generally harmless, there's no point in taking it any further, but the moron is a net drain on the boards and he's been doing the same shit for literally two decades now.

And Colbri also cautioned me in that thread for "junior modding," but I was junior modding; I was literally informing Exapno Mapcase about why the moron posted a question about such an easily-searched question.

[Someone]

Originally Posted by Someone

What was him?

The nimrod who started the Victorious Unity board.

[Someone]

Originally Posted by Someone

The nimrod who started the Victorious Unity board.

Fire Bomber Lemay?

[Someone]

Over Macho Grande

[Someone]

No, Lemay's on first.

[Someone]

Looks like Budget Player Cadet is suspended, if you look under his name, although it hasn't been announced, for some reason.

Originally Posted by Someone

Not really great news though, is it? All they did was close the thread; he didn't even get a warning.

I went and did a search and found five other occasions in the past when Colibri has told Jinx not to post such dumb and easily-searchable questions, and there are other mods like samclem who have also cautioned him about it on multiple occasions. And yet Jinx still has periods where he bombards the Dope with questions, at least some of which are fucking idiotic. They seem to think that, because his idiocy is generally harmless, there's no point in taking it any further, but the moron is a net drain on the boards and he's been doing the same shit for literally two decades now.

And Colbri also cautioned me in that thread for "junior modding," but I was junior modding; I was literally informing Exapno Mapcase about why the moron posted a question about such an easily-searched question.

IIRC, didn't he once try to weasel out of it, by claiming he doesn't trust Wikipedia, so that's why he always comes to the Dope? (I swear I also remember him starting a thread asking how old someone was)

[Someone]

Originally Posted by Someone

Looks like Budget Player Cadet is suspended, if you look under his name, although it hasn't been announced, for some reason.

This thread has a post that mentions that an announcement will be forthcoming.

[Someone]

Originally Posted by Someone

Looks like Budget Player Cadet is suspended, if you look under his name, although it hasn't been announced, for some reason.