Loss of Civility on the Forums

[Junkman]

Civility goes hand in hand with courtesy. It is unfortunate that some don't think that courtesy is a requirement of being a moderator. I had a post deleted this morning for some unknown reason, that was not a flame or any other violation of the terms of service, but who ever was the moderator that removed it, didn't have the courtesy to notify me. All that I did was to edit a previous post that was just below AndyM's post. I would love to know how any of this text could be offensive????? This is example of the crux of the discussion!

Here is the text that I had written:

Re: Am I wrong for being pissed? [Re: polecat]
#437742 - 06/03/04 08:59 AM Edit Reply Quote



I'd nominate Polecat for the Nobel Peace Prize, if I though for one moment that he had a chance, but I think that he deserves an Emmy for the performance instead.....

( To quote AndyM..... ................"I'm going to let them respond to my comments now"... )

Can't happen now that one of the moderators closed this post. I don't know why it was closed, but for some reason that shall go unknown to anyone other than the moderator that closed it...

Junkman

It always amazes me that some people never let their ignorance get in the way of what they are trying to say!

Edited by Junkman (06/03/04 10:02 AM)

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Junkman . . . to my knowledge, I have had one post edited by a moderator and in that case the moderator contacted me and told me in a very polite way how I might have been offensive. I think he did the wrong thing by editing my post, but I think he did it the right way and gave me the courtesy of giving me an explination, so I don't hold the edit against him in any way. The fact that I disagree with the moderator does not make me right, he is the moderator and I am a member. What I might not have seen as offensive he obviously did, so while I think he was wrong, I have no legitimate right to over ride his edit. I am glad he sent me a PM and explained his edit, because of that, I have no problem with the fact that I was edited.

But for the record, the remarks that were edited were aired on a "G" rated Disney TV series and I simply restated them here. That does, however, not give the remark legitimacy, it still could have been offensive.

So, I guess I agree with you that courtesy is NEEDED. It was extended to me when I was edited. I premumed -incorrectly- that it would have been extended to others who have been edited. I think you are correct in stating that courtesy should be a requirement of being a moderator. But I would also say that moderator have a right to edit, even if I disagree with what they edit.

Personally I can't understand why they didn't edit the subject "AM I WRONG TO BE PISSED" and change it to "AM I WRONG TO BE UPSET" but hey, I guess that one slipped by?

 

[RobS]

When a post is moderated all the responses go with it. That is what happened in this case. A PM is normally sent to the author of the offending post but not necessarily to the responders. We try to moderate before responses are generated, but cannot always do that.

Post titles cannot be edited (at least by the moderators). This has been brought up with Muhammad. Yes, the post title mentioned should have been changed and that has been discussed as well.

Hope this answers some of your questions /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[MikePA]

<font color="blue"> Personally I can't understand why they didn't edit the subject "AM I WRONG TO BE PISSED" and change it to "AM I WRONG TO BE UPSET" but hey, I guess that one slipped by? </font>
Did you send a PM to a moderator and ask that the subject line be changed?
Did you send a PM to a moderator and ask why the subject wasn't changed or to point this subject line out?
No, you assumed that it 'slipped by the moderators'. You assumed incorrectly.
Moderators can not change the subject line. However, we could have notified Muhammad or Ibrahim and they probably could have changed the subject line before there were too many responses.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( <font color="blue"> Personally I can't understand why they didn't edit the subject "AM I WRONG TO BE PISSED" and change it to "AM I WRONG TO BE UPSET" but hey, I guess that one slipped by? </font>
Did you send a PM to a moderator and ask that the subject line be changed?
Did you send a PM to a moderator and ask why the subject wasn't changed or to point this subject line out?
No, you assumed that it 'slipped by the moderators'. You assumed incorrectly. Moderators can not change the subject line. )</font>


Mike, I didn't mean my statement in any antagonistic way, I just simply didn't understand it. And the reason I didn't understand it was based on the fact that what I had edited was far less controversial (at least in my mind) but I also figured that I am grown up enough to read the word "pissed" and understand the meaning as "upset" and not as a urinary fluid. To be honest, I just felt that the title line just slipped by the moderator or that a different moderator was monitoring that thread and felt it was reasonable. I didn't find it personally offensive, so I didn't bother to send a PM to anyone.

Now I did find a thread about wheelchair bound people offensive and I did send a PM about that. It was done in humor, but as much as I might joke about my Mother In Law, she is bound in a wheel chair and has been for years and it is pretty much a miserable thing to be confined to. So, when I do feel the issue is worth sending a PM, I have done that.

 

[MikePA]

Thanks for the explanation, Bob. I understand. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Bird]

Bob, you're right that some things that are offensive to one person are not to another. While you found the wheelchair thing offensive, that never even occurred to me, even though both my mother and my mother-in-law are in wheelchairs, and will be the rest of their lives. A miserable thing? You bet it is, but they're just glad to not be confined to bed.

 

[OkeeDon]

A day or so ago I took the rare (for me) step of notifying a moderator about a thread, but first, I took the time to post that I was the one who did the notifying, and to say why. I didn't want to hide behind the "notify" button. Of course, my message disappeared with the rest when the thread was promptly deleted -- for which I thank the moderator.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

<font color="blue">A day or so ago I took the rare (for me) step of notifying a moderator about a thread, but first, I took the time to post that I was the one who did the notifying, and to say why. I didn't want to hide behind the "notify" button. Of course, my message disappeared with the rest when the thread was promptly deleted -- for which I thank the moderator.</font>

Don, on the one time when I took offence to a thread, I did the same thing you did before I notified a moderator by PM. I posted my objection. In fact I revisited the thread and posted a second objection. Then I notified the moderator. But I admit to not knowing what happened to the thread because I was so offended by it that I stopped looking at it. Sort of the way I edit TV shows I don't like, I just don't watch them.

I took my Pampers off years ago and now I wear big boy shorts, I find that if things offend me I will speak my mind and then move on.

 

[Junkman]

That is a noble way of doing things. I have been tempted to hit the notify the moderator button often about a small, but disturbing trend. I find it offensive when people refer to Japanese people as "jap" or "japs". I am not the first person to lodge this complaint, however it seems that the general populous doesn't find it as offensive as I and one other person. I find ethnic and religious intolerance, intolerable.
I also find it offensive when someone makes a post where the insert the fact that the person that they are talking about it a "black" person. It doesn't add anything to the thread to know if he is black, blue, or red. A person is a person, no matter what the color of his skin or the Nationality. It appears that they are trying to validate the association or something else that I, nor anyone else is aware of.
Both of these complaints of mine are additional forms of "Loss of Civility on the Forums".