roaminblue
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 27 Apr 2008
- Messages
- 2,991
I'm calm as anything, maybe that is part of the issue, maybe my perception of people's mood is wrong, its sometimes hard to evaluate via text.
For example, your post came across as sarcastic and patronising, but I'm sure you didn't mean it like that.
Here you are accusing me of being needlessly aggressive and confrontational with needless aggression and confrontation. I won't point out the irony here.
Out of the numerous times you have explained to posters this isn't a democracy, what was the context, then? Were they ever questioning the code of conduct? Perhaps discussing the ability to have free speech on this board? I'm not about to run a search on this, but when you see the words "this is not a democracy", I'd imagine that the context is probably something to do with questioning how the board is run.
His first point is apt, and I have, to my best ability, tried very hard not to be needlessly aggressive here. Partly because I don't really get overly involved, but partly because its just not in my personality. But Damocles, you used to be one of the most interesting posters on this board, I could read your science threads page to page completely enthralled. Now you've become a snarling, aggressive moderator who is routinely abusive. I've seen you banding the word **** around, the manner in which you jump upon posters is quick and aggressive. As though you act with complete impunity.
This is reductio ad absurdum, but I'm going to give an example. Police officers are there to keep peace, if I see my police officers acting violently, aggressively, or criminally, I lose faith in the force. As a moderator, you are there to make sure the CoC is adhered to, which means you all, to a person, should be held to much higher account than the rest of us. This is not what happens. I think you should take some time out of this, because your posting style has gone from something genuinely interesting, to arguing for arguing's sake with anything with a shadow. I'm willing to bet you don't enjoy this site a great deal anymore, either.
No, read it Damocles, as a scientist your level of analysis is better than that, and your powers of comprehension are better than that. Stop picking holes where there are none.
You're talking about reflecting society, and the views of society to be aired as though we are a mouthpiece for the british public. As you have pointedly said many times, this is not a democracy. This is also not a societal mouth piece. This board doesn't have to represent the british public, it reflects what the site owners and its moderating team want it to reflect. Don't try and perniciously turn this into an argument about semantics, its an embarrassment to your intellect.
Societies views have no right to airing simply because they are societies views. You ban "rags" from here with great fervor, the example I was making was that you can't pick and choose. You can't say because islamophobia is on the rise in society, that it should be reflected here without letting rags go on the wum in the other forums, because that happens in society to. Either we have a completely open forum where anything goes, or restrictions are in place, but consistent restrictions. Thats fair, no?
No, this is not my problem. I didn't bring Islamophobia into it, that was previously mentioned and I ran with it.
Questioning the relegion should be fine, I've no problem with that, as an ardent atheist I'm happy for relegions of all kind to be questioned, they should be.
But the issue I have is that the questioning of relegion doesn't remain as such. There are reams of threads where Islam is treated as a one-size-fits-all antagonist, lumped all together in a completely acceptible target for people to wish death upon. I even saw someone hoping rape upon 3 people in a thread on here once. Granted that comment may have been removed, I'm not about to look. But to suggest only "islamophobic" comments exist on here is nonsense. They very quickly move into racism and xenophobia, which, I assume, is against the CoC? The issue here is that Islamophobia is a subjective issue, and I don't envy you who have to enforce it. My perception is that there is a real culture, right now, where people believe they can say some pretty nasty things, and that that culture has been allowed to fester where people believe they can talk with impunity.
Now I'm not saying its an easy job, I'd hate it. You will never be right because someone will always argue counter. But thats just my perception, and the perception of many, I am sure.
Its a thankless position you and the board owners are in, I will admit that. But I think you need to find a way to change the culture of the off-topic section. Its not a good representation of our supporter base, sometimes, and thats sad.
Take from this what you will, I don't mean any aggression or anger too you or anyone, in the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter a great deal, and I'm trying to enjoy my holiday.
But I would suggest as a course of action, for the moderating team, anyway, that you try and get back the enjoyment. Do that, and sure as function follows form, the board will become lighter as well.