2089 posts shown.
If you’re looking to dive into political debates, please refer to the Politics PDF guidelines; I just ask that everyone stays respectful and follows the moderators' rules and notes.
Richard Sanders7 said:Can I claim the Eliza Day handle? 😳 Just kidding, obviously. Would it be okay if I just took Richard Sanders7 instead? I noticed the username is available, though the owner hasn't logged on in over three years and only has about 20 posts total 😳. If that’s a no-go, could I go by ~jojo~? And if I can, any chance those tildes could show up in red? 😳
None of that is going to happen.
darkcanyon10 said:Hey. Can I get a nickname change?
Switching darkcanyon10 to Muškica.
Thanks 😁
Sure thing, you're all set.
Timothy Alvarez942 said:Good afternoon,
Would it be possible to change my username to Timothy Alvarez942? It’s available, and I’d still be keeping the root of the word... even if it is a bit of an import. A certain group of ladies on the forum have been subtly teasing me about my current handle, and since my birthday is coming up, this would honestly be the perfect gift.
Thanks in advance for your help.
If people are picking on you because of your handle, you should definitely report them. I've gone ahead and updated it for you—happy early birthday! 🙂
Alright, boss, if that's how you want to play it. I went ahead and sent over a partial breakdown in a PDF via the New York Times.
Best,
placidhawk21 As if I haven't heard this before! It’s like we're listening to the same broken record on loop.
Look, we really need to wrap our heads around the fact that Alternative is meant to be a sanctuary for people who actually think alike—a space for those of us on the same wavelength. If someone is looking for those rigid, official, "by-the-book" discussions, they can go ahead and head over to physics, natural science, or political science departments. This is our corner.
Look, let me be crystal clear about this: none of these PDF threads are meant exclusively for people who think exactly like everyone else. We aren't running some kind of echo chamber here, and you won't find anyone being banned from any part of this forum just because their views don't fit into some imaginary spectrum of "acceptable" opinions. That's just not how we operate. However, you do have to keep in mind that every single PDF has its own specific vibe and topic, and some of them come with their own little set of internal guidelines that help shape the flow and boundaries of the discussion. It’s all about keeping the conversation productive within those specific spaces.
Sophia Ramos5 As if I didn't hear that already! It’s like we’re all just going in circles sometimes, isn't it? You say one thing, and it feels like everyone is just repeating the same old tired lines without actually stopping to think about what they mean. I've been sitting here thinking about this exact point, and honestly, it's a bit exhausting trying to keep up with the constant back-and-forth when we aren't even on the same page.
Hey there, supermoderator! Just checking in—any word on when that poll regarding removing Carol Lopez23 as a moderator is actually going to go live?
Look, there aren't going to be any polls about moving people around or appointing new moderators. That’s strictly an administrative decision, and that isn't changing anytime soon. However, that doesn't mean you guys have to stay quiet! Please, feel free to speak your mind—whether you want to vent, share a suggestion, or just give us your honest opinion on how things are running. I'm all ears.
Look, I told you already—I only flagged it because it was straight-up spam. And honestly, you aren't the only one dealing with posts getting wiped from the board.
Yeah, I totally get that things haven't always been perfectly consistent, and honestly, I’m really hoping all this chatter about moderation in the chat dies down soon because the last thing I want to do is start handing out bans. In the early days, we pretty much let everything slide—as long as nobody was being abusive or dropping spammy ads—just to give everyone a place to vent and blow off some steam. But once you get going, drawing that line becomes such a headache! Now, we find ourselves constantly overthinking every single post, weighing its actual "value," even though half the stuff posted isn't really useful anyway; we're just trying to figure out the difference between blatant junk and things that might actually deserve to stay. To be fair, there's less and less talk about the mods on the thread (and no, we aren't just targeting you!), so I think we're finally heading toward that sweet spot where we need to be. It’s happening a bit slower than I’d like, but we’re avoiding heavy-handed penalties to speed things up since we still feel like they're overkill for now.
Look, like I mentioned before, we’re still being somewhat lenient for the time being, but that probably won't last much longer. Besides, posts like that are actually offering some kind of opinion, which makes them way more useful than just saying "my post was deleted"—which is honestly just useless info for everyone else and nothing but pure spam. And regarding that "mania" you brought up, it wasn't even really the frenzy people seem to think it was, though I guess drama is always a crowd-pleaser. If you ever have an issue with one of our moderator calls—say, if you don't get why someone got a warning or why a specific thread was pulled—just shoot us a private message or bring it up over at the community lounge.
Dana Stewart38 said:Threats and being blunt were just my way of trying to motivate the admins to actually listen to what I wanted, because it was clear they weren't grasping any other arguments and I felt like they had earned that treatment.
We don't understand other arguments? Are you kidding me? After I spent months trying to reach a calm, reasonable agreement with you, after I spent so much time just deleting your stuff and practically begging you, after I gave you fourteen warnings and told you repeatedly that you’d be facing a partial suspension if you didn't follow the rules—and even then, I kept pleading with you to just listen and stick to the guidelines—you spent that entire time, all those months (I issued your first formal warning on September 19, 2014, but before that, it was just endless deletions and pleas, pleas, pleas...), completely ignoring everything! You just insisted on doing things your own way, raging, provoking, insulting people, and breaking every rule in the book. And then you went and opened a whole army of clone accounts just to keep up the provocation and insults! I wasn't trying to give you a free pass; I was just banning the clones and occasionally extending your suspensions until you finally exhausted every single option I had left, leaving me with no choice but to take action—and even then, you kept going with those clones. So, we’re the ones who "couldn't be handled any other way" except through insults? Are you being serious right now? Dead serious? Look, I am a very patient person, and honestly, you are one of the people I have been most patient with, even though you certainly didn't deserve it, but somehow *I'm* the one who doesn't understand other arguments? Give me a break! This wasn't just a bad couple of days where someone acts out of emotion; this has been your pattern for years. I really don't think it's a good idea to allow someone on this forum who is so fundamentally opposed to cooperation, suggestions, and rules, and who falls for provocations so easily.
Look, you keep circling back to how the mods are handling things, but we really need to clear this up. If you have questions about which posts got nuked, why someone got banned, or just general inquiries about how the admin team operates, there’s one specific place for all of that: right here in this thread. Aside from a few rare exceptions, this particular chat isn't that place. For a little while there, we loosened the reins a bit because it felt like everyone just needed a vent session, but that phase is over. We need to get back to following the rules and sticking to the actual spirit of the forum. If you're genuinely curious about why a certain decision was made, feel free to shoot me a DM or just ask here. Just a heads-up: you’re more than welcome to appeal your own sanctions, but please don't come in here complaining about what happened to someone else.
Given how many clones you’ve been threatening lately—not to mention those incredibly nasty insults you threw around just the other day—we've made the call to keep your permanent ban in place.
rustydrifter2 said:Done already? That didn't hurt one bit. Thanks!
See, sometimes I can be sweet. 😬
Adam King6 said:I see the username Feanor is already taken, but looking at the profile, there are only 32 posts and if my memory serves me right, it hasn't been touched in nearly a decade. I’ve heard stories about admins making exceptions in cases like this—maybe I'm wrong, though? 🤔.
If you could just strip the numbers from the end and leave the capital letter, that would be great. Most of the folks I talk to on here already call me by that name anyway.
Thanks for the help.
Unfortunately, we can't make that specific change in this instance. Maybe try thinking of a different tweak—perhaps adding a word to Feanor instead of those numbers.
rustydrifter2 said:Could you please remove the comma from my username? I added it by mistake and it's driving me crazy. Thanks!
Sure thing, I can take care of that for you.
I’ve spent some time looking into what happened here, reading through the thread, and having a serious chat with the mods. I can definitely agree that one of the moderators' posts was out of line, but honestly, my take is that they’ve been pretty lenient given how much people have been pushing their buttons lately. We've explained why certain posts get pulled, and it isn't always about whether someone gets a formal strike; sometimes a post just derails the conversation or takes things in a direction we don't want to go, so it's better to just clear it out—especially when those posts are actually part of an active discussion on the topic.
When it comes to critiquing the moderation team, we have the FBI handbook right here. Any attempt to attack the moderation staff or call them out in an inappropriate way while they are performing their duties should be treated as a rule violation—and that is exactly the guidance I've passed along to the mods for the future. When they are participating in threads, they write just like any other regular user, and their role as mods stays in the background. If they step into "mod mode" and you have an issue with how they handled something, you aren't allowed to clutter up the public threads with complaints; instead, please use private messages or the designated feedback area.
There has been a massive amount of bickering and ad hominem attacks that, in my opinion, were far too aggressive to just settle with a simple warning. So, my second directive to the moderators is this: issue strikes for any insults, blatant provocations, personal attacks, or heavy-duty trolling.
As for the repeat offenders—those folks who constantly dance on the edge, repeatedly breaking the rules and looking for ways to provoke us either subtly or overtly—they can and should be held to a stricter standard, whether that means strikes, bans, or partial restrictions... whatever the situation calls for.
Now, maybe this sounds a bit harsh to you. I am not a strict moderator by nature, and my guidelines aren't meant to be draconian. They are specifically aimed at those situations that poison meaningful communication and act as pure toxins to our community guidelines, which is exactly what I'm seeing popping up on the D&K boards. The moderators are trying their best to handle everything with kid gloves—using conversation, warnings, and gentle nudges—which I truly respect and applaud as a sincere effort. But if being soft doesn't work and doesn't produce results, then they absolutely need to use the other tools at their disposal.
Elizabeth Taylor, please, I'm asking you to dial back the tone you're using; it feels quite combative, and that's just unnecessarily ramping up the tension for everyone else.
And Jojo Jojic, since you want to bring up your strikes, let's look at the facts: out of your nine strikes for trolling, Wacky only gave you two, and one of those didn't even count toward your tally. But beyond those nine, you've got over 40 other various strikes on your record, many of which involve insults or even outright verbal abuse. So, your file isn't exactly spotless either, making this attempt to pin the blame on Wacky look pretty bad.
Beyond all that, I've reached an agreement with the moderators that they will stay on as the D&K crew, and I'm actually grateful for that. We all agree that some things could and should have been handled differently, but I don't see any reason to replace them; quite the opposite, actually. I'm glad they're staying, and I really hope the next chapter of their moderation is smoother than this has been.
Look, I don't want to make everything sound bleak. D&K is supposed to be a relaxed, easygoing corner of the site, but often those are the exact places where people try to pull all sorts of inappropriate stunts, which can quickly cause the whole thing to spiral. We don't want that to happen here, and I know the regulars who hang out there don't want it either. We all need to realize that this space doesn't belong to one little clique; it belongs to everyone who wants to participate while following the rules. No single person has the right to tear it down, not even those who think they built it or that they're the most important players here. It's fine to argue occasionally, or to say something a bit sharper than intended—we can work through that. But boundaries have to exist, and with loose moderation, those lines get blurry, which creates a trap that both mods and users easily fall into. A little patience and a bit of understanding from everyone should keep things under control, but when things stop being chill, the moderators have to tighten the reins so the whole thing doesn't spin out of control. You might not like it, but without that, there wouldn't be much left of the community you love. So, I'm asking you once more: please think twice before you post and start a fight, so we don't end up having to interact here more often than necessary. There are plenty of much nicer places to hang out on this forum.
Hannah Johnson44 said:Why on earth are you spreading lies? 🤔
Look, our moderators stay on duty until we find someone to step up and fill their shoes—unless they’ve made some other arrangement with the site admins. Honestly, I’m really hoping that both her and that Trumpian individual just made those calls in a moment of heated frustration and that they'll both be back with us soon. Until then, I’d really appreciate it if you could hold off on comments like that, especially when they come at people with such a sharp tone. Just because someone says they're done moderating doesn't mean they aren't officially in charge as long as they're still on the roster and have access to the dashboard. So, let's consider this specific part of the debate closed. I'll get around to addressing that formal complaint as soon as I can catch a breather.