Posts by Sophia Thomas7

placidorca16 said:No, you’re missing the point. I’m telling you, this isn't about some minor rule violation. It’s about you calling my comment "genius". Why isn't Flatow's post just as "genius" as mine, considering mine was just a direct response to his?

Because yours was the final word after several pages of back-and-forth bickering. Besides, if you think his post is worth a ban, then your reply to him is just as bad.

Like I said, calling someone a feminist or accusing them of having a bias isn't grounds for getting banned—especially since that was directed at you because of how you've handled this entire topic.

placidorca16 said:So, even though they used a "multi-perspective" tag, they "accidentally" picked the exact side I wrote about—the very last one.😉 If I hadn't been hanging around this forum for years seeing how things actually work, I might have actually believed you.

The actual warning isn't the issue here; it's your "brilliant" little comment directed solely at my post. My post was nothing more than a direct parallel to what Flatiron wrote earlier—literally the same words, just with a different tag because of the label he slapped on me. But apparently, his post wasn't worth your "brilliance."😁 If you had quoted him with that same sarcastic tone, I wouldn't be saying a word. Instead, it looks like certain people get a free pass to throw ad hominem insults while everyone else gets flagged. So much for your legendary impartiality and objectivity as a moderator.👎

Honestly, it feels like you’re just desperate for the forum admin to ban the guy because he called you a feminist. But sorry to burst your bubble—posts like that don't merit a ban. And why did you get "labeled" in the first place? Because of your own posts on the topic.

placidorca16 said:That’s exactly why I wrote my previous post—to point out how ridiculous that kind of labeling is. But then moderator Sophia Thomas7 didn't even flag the earlier comment. So, why didn't that initial remark earn a single reprimand, let alone a spiteful reply and a thread lockout? Does the moderation team actually believe that previous post was perfectly fine and didn't deserve any pushback at all?

Thanks in advance for the clarification.

Since this whole thing has spiraled into everyone labeling each other from every possible angle, the topic itself has become the problem. There's really no point in just killing off the entire community because everyone's lost interest anyway. And honestly, Flatiron's post isn't worth a ban.

Kyle Jackson16 said:At the end of the day, users are responsible for their own posts. The moderators just follow the site's established community guidelines.

If someone is actually threatening you on this forum, you can always report it to the local police.

bluecyclist64 said:No, I don't think I know what you're talking about. Honestly, I think you just made that up to sound more important.

Or maybe you view "go jump in a lake" as a literal death threat?

It’s probably for the best that the police didn't see this. Everyone would be under investigation—including the mods for deleting it, since that counts as a cover-up.

-eerie music-

I’m actually loving Firebase. Really hoping they roll out more features soon.

neonfox12 said:Since when was a second chance even an option? 🙂

I let rustydrifter10 know. 🙂

neonfox12 said:Hey everyone, it’s been a while since we last caught up. Hope you're all doing well. 🙂 And especially not with this kind of attitude. 😬

The whole point of this thread is to see if there's any chance I might actually get a pardon here in the States.

Yeah, I was definitely trying to stir the pot with the sub, but I had my reasons. Look, that doesn't make what I did right—I know that—but at the moment, I honestly couldn't see a better way to handle things. I want to apologize to everyone, especially the mods, for wasting your time with my nonsense.

What actually changed? Well, I got exactly what I set out to do. Mission accomplished.

Why now, though? I just popped back onto the forum after a long break only to find things heating up again in the US chat, with everyone debating whether we should pull the plug on it. Honestly, that chat was my lifeline when I was at rock bottom; it’s what helped me get back on my feet and rebuild my confidence. Because of that, I really want to do whatever I can to help keep it running, assuming my schedule allows for it. That space is vital for people navigating the hardest chapters of their lives. Even if you don't take my plea to heart, I'd strongly suggest doing everything in your power to ensure the US chat stays around for good.

So, why on earth would they give me a second chance? I haven’t exactly gone around asking for second chances before, let alone been granted one, so I promise you this: my posts will be at least as sharp and high-quality as they were back on Lies. Also, just as a suggestion—if I commit a first serious offense, let's go straight to a permanent ban.

So, that’s my request. Please, just give it some serious thought. Also, while you're at it, I’d really appreciate it if someone could post the voting statistics regarding my case right here.

Thanks.

Have a good one. Happy reading! 🙂

Hey there,
We talked it over and agreed to give it another shot. But honestly, what you said is spot on—one more real slip-up and we’re right back to partial payments. 👍

Since this is laid out pretty clearly, I’m going to run it by my colleagues and see what they think. 🙂

This post got a Card because it was just some incredibly mindless trolling from someone who admitted at least twice in this thread that they only showed up to stir the pot.

Daniel Kelly57 said:So the previous guy could have had two because maybe people weren't posting that much? Honestly, I don't care. I know what I'm talking about because I'm always active there, unlike you and the rest of the mods. You made a mistake and now it's hard to admit. I don't get why everyone is being so rigid. It's like you all want people to post less. 🤔

I find it absolutely fascinating how these "alternative facts" are being presented as the absolute truth. 😁

People were posting before, and the problems were almost identical to what we see now. Every once in a while, the Slack goes totally insane until it's unrecognizable.

On the PDFs I moderate, I'm relatively frequent; I don't always post because work keeps me busy, but I always find time to quote things. So, this whole "I'm always there and you aren't" argument is just pure nonsense.

As for the mistake—what mistake are we actually talking about? That we left one group chat open instead of setting it to zero? Okay, fine, you've got a point. We should have had zero chats on the US side. I'll admit the error. 👍

Daniel Kelly57 said:Nothing much going on. I didn't even notice the group chat was active, but we all know who used to run the show there. Now that the US finally got a high-quality moderator that everyone actually respects, things feel smoother, but I still haven't seen that crazy energy in the chat that used to drive the US side wild.

They shut down the 40+ group chat that people actually cared about, and now the whole US community is feeling the hit. What am I supposed to do, just talk nonsense without any substance? That’s how the mods operate, and that’s exactly why I’m speaking up. There are two other moderators in the US that I haven't even heard of. What are they even doing here? Just appoint one decent moderator. Bring back the 40+ chat and fix this mess. 🍿

The Reddit sub doesn't have a chat; it's shut down. For instance, the Finance sub does have one, and they don't have any issues.

Daniel Kelly57 said:Nothing much going on. I didn't even notice the group chat was active, but we all know who used to run the show there. Now that the US finally got a high-quality moderator that everyone actually respects, things feel smoother, but I still haven't seen that crazy energy in the chat that used to drive the US side wild.

They shut down the 40+ group chat that people actually cared about, and now the whole US community is feeling the hit. What am I supposed to do, just talk nonsense without any substance? That’s how the mods operate, and that’s exactly why I’m speaking up. There are two other moderators in the US that I haven't even heard of. What are they even doing here? Just appoint one decent moderator. Bring back the 40+ chat and fix this mess. 🍿

Assigning or removing moderators is up to the owner, not me.

And yeah, you're just venting because you claim the US isn't moderated just because of the chat situation. No, we aren't going to run two separate chats; ideally, every category should have its own dedicated chat. It's either one central hub or nothing at all. 🍿

Daniel Kelly57 said:Moderator quality and performance are everything on a forum like this. Honestly, the current mess is a direct result of poor moderation. I don't get why we don't have someone dedicated to managing the US section properly, because it’s pretty obvious the current mods can't handle it. Their only solution seems to be muting the Group chat and calling it a day. So what does that actually achieve? Peace and quiet? Since when was "silence" the whole point of a forum? A forum should be a place of debate and energy, not a ghost town. As far as I can remember, the Group chat wasn't even active until this season, and now that it's finally buzzing, the mods shut it down because they couldn't manage it. They could have just handled things simply when they got out of hand instead of killing the vibe entirely. 🍿

Claiming that the US section isn't being moderated just because people are going wild in the chat doesn't hold any water. And how exactly was the chat shut down? They kept one channel open and the mod promised to pay closer attention.

Seriously, you're just talking nonsense without any proof.

Daniel Kelly57 said:But how much activity are we actually seeing on those other PDFs compared to what was happening in those two Slack channels? 🍿

Some chats are busier than others—some are absolutely blowing up, while some are just sitting there dead silent. So, what's the move now? 🍿

Jerry Parker72 said:Ah, my bad—Nicole mentioned it was unnecessary 😁
I guess she’s just the type to say things like that...

The two Slack channels in the US have been around forever and everything has worked fine.
Merging them didn't actually achieve anything—it just created awkwardness and tension. Maybe that was the point all along. 🤷
If the moderators were actually part of the subforum and participated in it, managing two Slack threads wouldn't even be an issue. I know that sounds like Mission Impossible to you, but try to visualize it.

Well, I guess we can agree to disagree. I'm not insisting we need X amount of chats; other PDFs can function just fine with one, or even zero logins.

Jerry Parker72 said:This reminds me of those "visionary" entrepreneurs who always find a way to blame their employees when the company goes under. It’s a classic move—it’s never the CEO’s fault, it’s always the staff. 😁
And if anyone actually points out the glaring issues? They're just labeled as troublemakers or accused of being negative. 😬

The fix is pretty straightforward, honestly. Just remove those two or three moderators who haven't contributed anything to the subforum in ages and bring in people who actually give a damn about this place. Once you have active participants in charge, you'll see the difference immediately. Plus, problematic users would be flagged much faster and removed before they cause real damage.

Give me a break.

"Claiming the Slack in the US sub-forum is unnecessary shows a total lack of thought and empathy on your part. Or maybe it's just pure laziness because you don't want to moderate it. I'm not sure. You decide."

I never said it was unnecessary. And here we go—now it's the Reddit users' fault because they're trying to bury the chat just because, heaven forbid, we have two separate chats instead of one. 🤦

Jerry Parker72 said:You want pears, I’ll take apples...
I never said there isn't moderation happening—just that some mods aren't actually participating in the community; they just act like cops whenever they feel like it.

It escapes me why someone would hold onto a moderator title if they lack the time or the drive to actually moderate. Is the ego attached to the title really that massive? 🤷 I suppose in a place like American, it is.
It seems like being a moderator is a lifetime appointment unless you decide to quit. If this were a paid gig, I might understand the attachment, but it isn't. 😵 🤣

To be blunt, I don't think Meadow and Air Canada have any business being moderators for the US section.
Jacob Sullivan91 shows up occasionally—rarely, mind you—but at least there's a semblance of presence there.

What I'm seeing across the forums—not just the US subforum—is pretty grim: a bunch of moderators who exist purely for decoration. They aren't active members of the community; they're just enforcers waiting for a report to land on their desks.
I imagine the owner couldn't care less about this, much like most other things, so he just lets it slide.

At the end of the day, we're talking about the US subforum. This is where people come when they're frustrated, lonely, or just feeling out of place. It should go without saying that you need a bit of tolerance and subtlety here—real engagement in the "life" of the subforum.
I've lost count of how many times I've seen someone get provoked into a heated response, only to end up with a ban. The fact that they were being trolled by the same person for the last ten posts—knowing exactly where it was heading—doesn't seem to matter.

The WhatsApp chats are a vital part of the US subforum; for certain people, they are the ONLY way to experience any kind of normal social interaction. I know at least ten people whose lives were genuinely improved because of these chats, which makes them worth preserving.
Claiming the chat doesn't belong in the US subforum just shows a complete lack of thought and empathy on your part. Or maybe it's just laziness because you don't feel like moderating it. I can't say which. You decide.

And it's a mistake to consolidate everything into one single chat when we're dealing with such diverse personalities. You've essentially thrown Mentos and Coca-Cola into the same bucket, and we all know how that ends. Once the chaos hits, you'll just get to smugly declare, "See, I told you the US WhatsApp chat shouldn't exist."

Great. So now, not only is one group not enough, but apparently we need several different ones—one for specific age groups, one for this, one for that. Other subforums can function perfectly fine with a single chat, but the US section is treated with such special reverence that it needs its own little ecosystem. A chat should be a place where EVERYONE is welcome and where EVERYONE has the chance to just hang out and talk casually. If someone can't manage to be civil in a chat, they shouldn't be using it. Let me repeat: plenty of other forum chats are full of diverse people with different perspectives and ages, yet the US section is the only one being singled out.

And it’s even more fascinating how the issue is suddenly framed as "moderators vs. one chat," rather than the US crew systematically trying to bury the chat out of pure spite. 🤦 Good luck to them/you. My stance hasn't changed: if a chat can't function without constant, nonstop drama and bullshit, then there's no reason for it to exist on the US section at all. And as for all the undermining and twisting of words, you can try to pull the wool over my eyes all you want, but it won't work on me.

Jerry Parker72 said:Looking at how things have been going on this subforum, it’s pretty obvious something is broken.

Maybe swap out two or three moderators for people who—brace yourselves—actually bother to participate around here.
I only see you popping up occasionally. Some of them are clearly just there for decoration, showing up only when a report needs a reaction.
(Not suggesting myself—don't want any confusion—but I'm sure someone would step up.)

Don't get me wrong, the partial bans are definitely happening, but they're being reserved for truly problematic behavior.

Jerry Parker72 said:Looking at how things have been going on this subforum, it’s pretty obvious something is broken.

Maybe swap out two or three moderators for people who—brace yourselves—actually bother to participate around here.
I only see you popping up occasionally. Some of them are clearly just there for decoration, showing up only when a report needs a reaction.
(Not suggesting myself—don't want any confusion—but I'm sure someone would step up.)

Personally, I love how every time someone brings up the WhatsApp, we get hit with comments like this.

The US section is moderated just fine; our only real headache is the WhatsApp, and honestly, it's been that way for years. Basically, the mass deletion of posts and all the drama usually kicks off after midnight—which is exactly when we get the most (if not all) of the reports.

To claim that the US isn't being moderated just because things go south in one specific thread late at night simply doesn't hold water. We've pointed this out countless times: because of the nature of a WhatsApp, it has to be moderated based on user reports. We aren't obligated to host a chat; if users want another US WhatsApp, they can easily start one over on the PDF meant for that purpose.

The epicenter of the issue on the US side is exclusively the WhatsApp; everything else is perfectly calm. For comparison, look at LJES (along with its corresponding PPDF), which has two separate chats where reports are practically non-existent.

Jerry Parker72 said:Back in the day, if a user was being a total nightmare in a specific sub-forum, they’d just get a ban from that section—simple as that.
That was how we cleared out the troublemakers from WhatsApp, and honestly, the peace and quiet was worth it.
I don't get why we stopped doing that. It shouldn't just be limited to WhatsApp, either; it should apply to all the threads on the US site. If someone is toxic to a specific community, they should just say goodbye. 👋
We shouldn't let everyone else suffer just because of one or two headaches.

The other thing Mickey mentioned is spot on. If you aren't feeling up to moderating anymore, there's the door. Just hand in your resignation so someone with actual time and energy can step up.
Is being a moderator supposed to be a lifetime appointment now?
Half the people on the moderator list barely lift a finger—they're basically just there for decoration...

Where on earth are you getting the idea that we shouldn't still be doing that?

Daniel Kelly57 said:This is a total joke. Honestly, I can’t remember seeing anything stupider than this. Don't you guys get that the forum was basically dead, and those two WhatsApp groups were the only places where people were actually talking? By merging them into one, what did you actually achieve? What was even the issue? Where was the actual harassment? I don't get why moderating a WhatsApp group is such a massive struggle. Like, wtf? A chat is supposed to be a chill spot. We don't all have to love each other or agree on everything. Everyone knows which cliques are which and who hangs out with whom. If anything, it would be better to just let each clique start their own separate chat at the bottom of the forum so they can do their thing there. If I remember right, that’s how you handled things after the chat on ŽUD got shut down. And look at what ŽUD looks like now. Nobody even posts there anymore. Plus, that refugee chat of yours crashed too. So now you've killed off the fun chat just to merge it with a bunch of grumpy old men? 🤔

So you're admitting it's a dive bar, that everyone clashes, and that the cliques are real. You're a real sweetheart, aren't you? 👍 Look, listen: there *have* to be TWO separate chats because trying to cram them into one is impossible. And that other chat? That's just the cranky old guys.

Bless your heart. 🙂