Journal of Other Forum Analysis

[Water Enjoyer]

I'm a big fan of Chief Malik being a protected poster, he adds a lot of diversity value to the group. They have too many Kyuujis and Crossing Edens that try to appear sophisticated and intelligent as they lure people into bans, they really needed a stupid caveman whose chief priorities are stockpiling arms for the much needed upcoming race war and defending video game emulation.

[Polident]

Race wars 

Spoiler:  (click to show)(click to hide)

[Nintex]

The ancestral homeland thing would not be a good outcome for the Muslim tribe pre violent Jihad and the United States.

It would restore European dominance though

[Gameboy Nostalgia]

ancestral homeland? Like the promised land? 

[Gameboy Nostalgia]

We're all waiting with held breath for Pwnz response to the thread.

[benji]

I'm a true anti-colonialist, I demand all of humanity return to the Horn of Africa.

[Gameboy Nostalgia]

It certainly seems like if you are a mod, or admin, you can basically say whatever you want, claim nuance, and it's OK. Like late last year, we had the site administrator say, and I quote "Nothing you've said gives either the current state of Israel, or the collective nation of Jewish people, the right to be commiting genocide."

Like how is that STILL OK?
Reporting that? To WHO?

[benji]

I'm such a true anti-colonialist that I start games in Civilization and delete the starting settler unit.

[Gameboy Nostalgia]

Look at those Elon Musk derails. SIGH.

[benji]

I know I'm a broken record about this being the case with so many views on ResetERA.com but there's something very religious to this viewpoint. That the "races" were divinely placed apart from each other on the individual continents. So it was the comingling of them that led to humanity falling out of Eden.

Rejects all of recorded history, paleontology, geology, etc.

Even more so that Nepenthe distills it down to the Palestinian Arabs specifically and EVEN MORE SO that she points to the borders DRAWN BY THE BRITISH as what should be their "lands" despite how this also includes Jordan. Why does their self-determination override the self-determination of Israelis and Jordanian Arabs? Or anyone else? She can't explain any of this, she just thinks it's self-evident. She's never actually thought about the topic, let alone questioned any premises regarding it.

I don't understand how people can be such incoherent ad hoc reasoners. Well, okay, I can, they're starting from the conclusion they've decided to adopt and working backwards only as much as they need to, but I'm not understanding how other people accept this and never push back against it.

[kaleidoscopium]

It certainly seems like if you are a mod, or admin, you can basically say whatever you want, claim nuance, and it's OK. Like late last year, we had the site administrator say, and I quote "Nothing you've said gives either the current state of Israel, or the collective nation of Jewish people, the right to be commiting genocide."

Like how is that STILL OK?
Reporting that? To WHO?

If only there were stated standards

https://www.resetera.com/threads/us-poliera-2024-ot-1-doom-eternal.800787/page-145?post=120243798#post-120243798

[Gameboy Nostalgia]

It certainly seems like if you are a mod, or admin, you can basically say whatever you want, claim nuance, and it's OK. Like late last year, we had the site administrator say, and I quote "Nothing you've said gives either the current state of Israel, or the collective nation of Jewish people, the right to be commiting genocide."

Like how is that STILL OK?
Reporting that? To WHO?

If only there were stated standards

https://www.resetera.com/threads/us-poliera-2024-ot-1-doom-eternal.800787/page-145?post=120243798#post-120243798

[benji]

RetroRunner is putting staff in danger in the middle of a genocide that's already targeting them.

[benji]

I'm a long time lurker both here and the old OT, who occasionally dips their toes into posting. I'll echo BringBackSonic's comments about the Ukraine War thread. Modding was very effective there, and that thread has turned into one of the very best news aggregate and discussion areas I've found.

The biggest problem is the sheer amount of posts that are simply lacking in any sort of content, other than to just shit up a thread. Posts that are simply "Fuck Genocide Joe" should ABSOLUTELY be actionable, especially in threads that have nothing to do with the war in Gaza. Sure, blast Biden and his response, but do it with some nuance. Add to the conversation.

I also think that mods shouldn't be so fast with bans. If this is to be a discussion forum, and someone says something that other posters find controversial, let the discussion happen. Maybe there was context missing. Maybe the person with the offensive post learns something. And maybe the discussion draws out their real intent which makes a ban more obvious (aka, give them enough rope to hang themselves).

I don't know if that would truly help. Going back to the Ukraine thread for a moment, that also is probably the most "clear cut" conflict I've seen in my lifetime. Anyone shilling for Russia is clearly problematic. The Gaza War isn't that, but it also requires more nuance. However, if the standard is that it's ok to want the destruction of Israel (which would also be a genocide, unless I'm missing something), believe that the Houthis are noble freedom fighters, or drop "fuck genocide Joe" into threads about student loan debt forgiveness…we aren't on a healthy trajectory. At all.

Also a long-time poster from the GAF days. Hardly post any more because, quite frankly, I cannot figure out what catches you a ban and what does not. I just avoid any topic that is remotely controversial because it seems really easy to post something that contradicts the "consensus", you get dogpiled, and maybe catch a ban on top of it. This is poison for what is meant to be a discussion forum.

And when you are told to just report posts that you think are actionable? What is the point, when you see what is actioned and what is not. I hate to belabor the point because others have referenced it already, but when someone can get away with posting that they think the state of Israel "should not exist" and "needs to go" and gets away with nothing more than a threadban in a closed thread that was never reopened? Barely a slap on the wrist. Yet if you were to post the same exact sentiment about Palestine you would no doubt catch a ban, and it would be deserved. Double standards seem to abound.

Anyway, that is my two cents. Back to lurking.

Regarding the current topic...

...I just miss where a forum used to be where you could have a spirited discussion and actually have a bit of breathing room to put various ideas and perspectives to the test. Thordinson and I had a spirited discussion the other day in a different topic and I'm glad we were able to go through it without either of us catching a ban. That discussion allowed for my own views to go through the grinder and see if it held up or not. Over the years I've had my own perspectives broaden by having discussions like that or reading other discussions where two different views were debated. Sometimes I held a view and when I saw someone have a spirited debate / discussion with the same view as me, and I saw how it didn't really hold up to scrutiny, and I actually changed my opinion just by lurking on a topic. I feel we're losing out a lot on that.

I do think the discussions should be respectful and not have personal insults and such, and circular arguments that go on for more than 18-24 hours need to get shut down. But we should be able to have discussions on the margins so we can actually see a wide spectrum of perspectives and experiences put to the test and have discussions that challenge our own view points from time to time. This is a discussion board right? It's not a support group just for certain people.

I really wish things like warnings and thread bans were used a lot more, instead of bans being used for "invalid" perspectives. If something incidentally crosses the line but the poster is having a discussion in good faith, then just give a warning on the specific phrase or point, which was out of pocket. When we see a month long ban for "inflammatory rhetoric" the community doesn't learn anything from that except that maybe the poster expressed a forbidden opinion listed on the secret mod parchment, which regular posters aren't privy too.

It's clear my decision to leave here years ago was the right one. Find a community elsewhere, be it smaller, that is not partial to tankies and move on. It's not worth the stress.

Basically what I have learned today is that the mods will accept antisemitism going on for weeks in this forum but draw the line over semantics of saying a terrorist group is using hostages as sex slaves

Jfc how many times will this community have to deal with this shit? Will certain folks not be content until this thread completely decays into nothing?

Brady can come across as brash sometimes but he's a good poster and almost always backs up what he's saying. This seems like a snipe and it wouldn't be the first time. Won't be the last time. A completely unwarranted ban, as made clear and evident by the many posts arguing with moderation about it.

Moderation needs to take a closer look at the antisemitism and extreme positions running rampant on this site, not someone stating UN backed facts (and don't try and argue the semantics on this because that was already embarrassing enough). I mean shit, someone in the SOTU thread said they would "love it" if we pointed missiles at Israel. Seriously?

Disappointing.



PoliERA is going to be a graveyard in 8 months time, as will much of Etc.

There are certain mods that would be thrilled with that and it shows.

This place--not just PoliERA but the entire site--has a really toxic culture that's slowly and steadily strangling the life out of this place. There was a thread a few weeks back with a poll about old timers and new timers joining ResetERA. The poll was taken down (wonder why), but before it did, like 95% of the votes were from old-timers. Barely anyone new comes to join this place in the years since it opened. And incidents like this is explains why. Why join this toxic community? So may other options to consider other that post here to either...

...get a ban baited
...accused of something because someone misconstrued your post (sometimes purposely)
...dogpiled
...get banned because you dare talked back to a mod protected user

It's just not worth it bother investing in this community outside your favorite OTs. And even the it can still be a roll of the dice sometimes.

While the prominent members just post about how they hate Elon.

[benji]

It's pretty clear there are people with a target on their back here and specific mods are just waiting for something they can interpret negatively to justify their punishments. There's very little assuming the best about people, asking for clarification, allowing for disagreement.

Especially when some of the posts that need to be reported are admins and mods themselves.

This is a culture that's been getting worse and worse on this forum. And a lot of it has to do with the discourse the leadership cultivates and allows from their own.

This, 1000000%.

But it's still not the same thing at all as accusing an organization of using people as sex slaves, and given historical negative stereotypes aimed at Muslims, completely uncalled for.

What in the actual fuck am I reading here?

Brady didn't call 'all muslims' that?!

and trying to pedantically 'well achshually' the definition of sex slavery for inmates versus hostages, and then USE THAT AS A 'Brady MUST be stereotyping all Muslims/Arab Americans' as a basis for a month ban is fucking WILD.

Hey, can you actually report that sort of thing please? We'd very much like to ban people who say that.

So.....any update on those new/updated political 'guidelines' for threads going forward?

I'd really like clarification on what's considered inflammatory, and relatedly, whether or not that gets selectively enforced or not, and figured I'd ask it here, since the community thread has basically been crickets on that aspect.

...And on that note, clarification on what constitutes 'abusing' the report system would also be appreciated? Because if the threat is in place of you being banned for reporting something, and the onus on whether you 'abused' the system or not is entirely subjectively at a mod/admin's whim, why would I even bother in the first place?

Or clarification on how someone saying 'so you support Genocide Joe' is not(?) inflammatory/ban-baiting compared to someone saying 'anyone supporting Biden doesn't care about Gaza', which apparently is bannable? (despite me having never seen that happen at all, for the latter group)

 

[benji]

Gotta celebrate when they find their balls for once even if it's over this nonsense.

[benji]

Gotta celebrate when they find their balls for once even if it's over this nonsense.

[Polident]

I know I'm a broken record about this being the case with so many views on ResetERA.com but there's something very religious to this viewpoint. That the "races" were divinely placed apart from each other on the individual continents. So it was the comingling of them that led to humanity falling out of Eden.

Rejects all of recorded history, paleontology, geology, etc.

Even more so that Nepenthe distills it down to the Palestinian Arabs specifically and EVEN MORE SO that she points to the borders DRAWN BY THE BRITISH as what should be their "lands" despite how this also includes Jordan. Why does their self-determination override the self-determination of Israelis and Jordanian Arabs? Or anyone else? She can't explain any of this, she just thinks it's self-evident. She's never actually thought about the topic, let alone questioned any premises regarding it.

I don't understand how people can be such incoherent ad hoc reasoners. Well, okay, I can, they're starting from the conclusion they've decided to adopt and working backwards only as much as they need to, but I'm not understanding how other people accept this and never push back against it.

There’s an ongoing discourse around Biden using “illegal” when referring to a guy who murdered a woman. Side stepping how they’re more upset about terminology than a woman getting murdered… their whole thing is that borders aren't real and laws don’t matter. While at the same time going on about America existing on stolen land, etc.

I don’t think it’s a contradiction or anything. You have people deliberately exploiting this stuff and marks simple enough to drink the kool aid.

Self fact check: they didn’t actually drink kool aid. Being a communist, Jim Jones wouldn’t spring for kool aid. He used some cheap sugar drink. Yet in the end, capitalism won by associating mass suicide with a big brand. Wait

[Averon]

https://www.resetera.com/threads/us-poliera-2024-ot-1-doom-eternal.800787/page-145?post=120245244#post-120245244

I believe in what this community can be and what it can do. You wanted answers about the ban, I volunteered to be the one to answer the questions in here about what the team saw as wrong with Brady's post. I felt you deserved an explanation even as I knew most wouldn't like it and that the anger over it would come my way. To be clear, no one on the mod or admin side forced me to do anything, nor dictated what I said. I stand by my posts and if you take issue with them, don't let them make you take issue with everyone with a mod or admin badge.

I believe this community is what it is at least in part because of moderation, not inspite of it.

I will be doing what I think helps spread the word to as many people as I can exactly what the stakes are for this coming election and how stark the differences between Biden and Trump are. Whether any of this has any value to anyone that's all I can offer right now, so that's where I leave it for tonight.

[benji]

Self fact check: they didn’t actually drink kool aid. Being a communist, Jim Jones wouldn’t spring for kool aid. He used some cheap sugar drink. Yet in the end, capitalism won by associating mass suicide with a big brand. Wait

Was Flavor-Aid. This kind of stuff is important to remember.

[benji]

I don't get it, I wish the staff would actually talk to community members

Do you plan to work with the mods to moderate anti-semitism? Can you do something about every thread related to Joe Biden being disrupted with "genocide Joe" posts?

Talk is cheap. Admit you're (and I'm including the rest of the mod/admin team) wrong, reverse the ban, and do better. Y'all been playing fast and loose.

But you were proven wrong. The post that was banned was accurate. Are mods really going to keep the ban just because they're unwilling to admit they were wrong?

Sigh...It is what it is. It's disappointing but there's apparently nothing we can do about it and it will be swept under the rug until the next controversial ban takes place.

We've all seen this episode. It's a re-run. Mods won't post in this thread for another week, until we all "cool down".

I stand by my posts and if you take issue with them, don't let them make you take issue with everyone with a mod or admin badge.

So to be clear, someone(s) on the mod team took a specific....facet, of Brady's otherwise factual post, drew a comparison to somehow equating it to perpetuating a harmful muslim stereotype, subjectively decided 'well what the UN report isn't ACTUALLY sex slavery', then banned him for a month for 'inflaming' the discourse around the Israel/Gaza situation.

....Basically, similar to what happened with Brady's 'Houthi' comment, and someone(s) on the mod team deciding that he was DEFINITELY talking about all of Yemen.

To be fair, if Brady's statement was wrong (which I'm not sure it is, or why your specific definition of what is considered 'sex slavery' constitutes, but you or the mod team refuse to engage with that aspect), that's worth slapping him down some, but the....'selective enforcement' of what gets banned versus threadbanned, as well as for 'how long' that ban is issued for, is absolutely evident in being lopsided/one-sided.

You have a guy straight up saying 'Israel should not exist' getting threadbanned, for fucks' sake.....but he gets the 'benefit of the doubt' and gets threadbanned only, despite how inflammatory that comment could be seen as being?


We NEED clear clarification on what is considered inflammatory speech, as well as those 'supposed' new political guidelines - Can I report people for being inflammatory about the use of Genocide Joe as a way to disincentivize people from voting for him, thus placing LGBTQ people directly closer to harm? Or will I be banned for 'abuse of the report system'?


Right now as things stand, your words, along with previous mod-related posts to this thread, and US politics in general, don't mean jack, compared to your actions and doubling down on them.

[benji]

Metroidvania just dragging these losers.

[TylenolJones]

Plagiarize also recently came out as a trans woman. So this is the type of rape erasure that JK Rowling talks about happening live in 4K

Lies. 



Mansplaining sex slaves on international women’s day. What a guy!

[benji]

The staff have always done this but since Cerium started taking his nap they basically always run the same script no matter what after they've fucked up:
1. Assert the primacy and solidarity of the staff.
2. Make some comments about your personal emotions.
3. Assert all decisions were correct while ignoring all criticism.
4. State that you will never back down in continuing to work hard for the community or some shit like this.
5. Declare that the end of the topic and that you will no longer be responding even though you haven't responded at all and you were the one who started the issue in the first place.

[Boredfrom]

AMAB

[Straight Edge]

Morrigan

Idealized version of myself

[benji]

The staff have always done this but since Cerium started taking his nap they basically always run the same script no matter what after they've fucked up:
1. Assert the primacy and solidarity of the staff.
2. Make some comments about your personal emotions.
3. Assert all decisions were correct while ignoring all criticism.
4. State that you will never back down in continuing to work hard for the community or some shit like this.
5. Declare that the end of the topic and that you will no longer be responding even though you haven't responded at all and you were the one who started the issue in the first place.

[Boredfrom]

I believe this community is what it is at least in part because of moderation, not inspite of it.

You are not wrong in that.

[Hap Shaughnessy]

https://www.resetera.com/threads/us-poliera-2024-ot-1-doom-eternal.800787/page-146?post=120245733#post-120245733

Yah. Unless there is a ban reverse I'm out. I don't want sentimental posts, I want better moderation, self reflection, and more transparency. Y'all have been power tripping and the last few posts have been abhorrent.

Mods who abuse their power and treat people like shit, bait ban, and literally call for genoicde need to be removed and y'all need to take a real look at how you handle moderation in this forum. Because its killing the discourse in this place.

https://www.resetera.com/threads/us-poliera-2024-ot-1-doom-eternal.800787/page-146?post=120245883#post-120245883

Yeah, I'm done. After this post I'm putting the thread on ignore. Thanks to SSF1991 for doing what they could to keep the community going. I appreciate all the members here who I've had great conversations with over the years.

There's so much more I'd like to say, but what's the point? I'm tired of watching another community I've invested my time in getting picked apart by bad bans and bad stances.

[JoeBoy101]

https://www.resetera.com/threads/us-poliera-2024-ot-1-doom-eternal.800787/page-145?post=120245244#post-120245244

I believe this community is what it is at least in part because of moderation, not inspite of it.

That is NOT the praise you think it is, Scooter.