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Originally Posted by TruthWalker

I am not suggesting that the moderators become a bunch of dictators.

There can be absolutely no backlash whatsoever, for if moderators start insisting that posts which have been especially been designed to turn a serious thread into a joke fest.

I do not condone giving infractions or banning people or anything like that. I am not saying that moderators should dress as the gestapo and start lining people up. I think its petty to come to a forum and see that you've got an infraction. It just annoys people.

I am simply trying to point out that I have a LOT to say and that I cannot even begin as long as people are allowed to pop into a thread and start posting what ever they feel like saying (from the top of their head), just because they feel like having a laugh. without ANY regard for the topic. Even more so, people should not be allowed to "directly" make jokes about the poster, antagonizing them and finishing ever smart alec response with:

It's absolutely ridiculous and the mods SHOULD stop that kind of thing. The people responsible are doing it "ON PURPOSE".

I also notice that many members are literally being nasty. Using terms like pathetic, moron, stupid, etc (this is just "today" in the last hour). I NEVER respond to people with such posts, yet when I see it come from other people -- there's nothing. Not a mod in sight. No one cares.

The forum need to set a new tone of seriousness. Again, members can not possibly complain to mods or accuse mods of censorship if people are clearly distracting a thread. It's not "one or two posts" it's EVERY thread. They do it because they KNOW they can get away with it. It's not innocent either. They "know" they're doing it. They're not "really" upset. They're having a laugh.

This problem CAN be fixed. It will not require copious amounts of moderation. Yes, some people will test the moderators, but at this moment in time, people are free to say what ever they like, no matter how off topic it is, and no matter how insulting they are to the OP, and the response form the moderators is: "It's ok to have a laugh sometimes". Yeah ok, maybe, but not for SEVEN pages (just for the sake of it) - come on!

This problem CAN be fixed.

It can be fixed EASILY.

An assertion needs to be made:

Be sincere, keep serious topics serious, stay on topic.

NO harm (or complaint) can come out of that.

It's baby simple.

But its not.

The level of control you are asking for will require diligent, "professional" moderators. We don't have those we have volunteers with varying levels of experience at dealing with highly confrontational situations.

As I explained before - deleting and editing threads/posts is a really big deal here. There is a culture of not doing it because we don't want to give credence to the notion that we are censors with an agenda. (We are not)

There is a culture on this forum. Those of us who have been here for a long time know it. The culture does not support the mode in which you are proposing to engage in it.

It is your right to explore potential changes to that, but you cannot "insist" on them - you cannot blackmail people into accepting them with implied threats - of what you know we have characterized as disruptive behavior (see your "spotlight" para in the OP, you even admit you are doing it on purpose to make a point).

If you cannot find fertile ground for your endeavors here, then it will be time to go somewhere else. If you insist on trying to stay and change things then you are, in my opinion, not living the ideals that you claimed for yourself in the original post.

In short, it is not your forum.

This situation has a finite lifetime. Our jobs as moderators require us to maintain the status quo established by the forum guidelines and the constituent members of the forum. Some more vocal than others.

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