steelheron25 said:I don't buy that this forum picked up some corporate sponsor like you’re implying, but appointing a new moderator for the World Politics subforum is an absolute disaster.
This individual has been lurking in threads regarding Eastern Europe—specifically Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus—for years now, and frankly, he behaves more like a spokesperson for the Russian Federation embassy. He is always the first one to dump news from Russian media outlets, ranging from the major networks to the most obscure fringe sites, all while displaying an unapologetic bias toward Putin and his regime's policies.
Now, that isn't necessarily a dealbreaker on its own; we live in a free country, and everyone is entitled to their own perspective.
What is significantly more problematic is his utter intolerance for anyone with a differing opinion. For years, his go-to tactic has been to toss anyone he disagrees with onto his ignore list, dismissively labeling them as "clones," "democrats," or various other insults meant to paint them as foreign agents. Furthermore, any post that doesn't align with his worldview is immediately derided as "spamming" or "whining."
And we are supposed to believe that a person like this should be handed moderator privileges for that specific topic?
Is he expected to adjudicate reports from users he personally considers "democratic scum"? Is that what passes for decent moderation these days?
Just look at the thread regarding Russia; it has essentially morphed into his personal blog. Everyone who dared to offer a different perspective has simply retreated.
Was that the intention?
That is exactly my thought process—is that the goal here? I won't sit here and speculate, but all signs point to yes.
The freedom to express a dissenting opinion seems to have vanished from this space.😁
It goes even deeper than that. He deliberately provokes others by posting links from shady, low-quality websites—which, by the way, looks like he's working hand-in-hand with the very people responsible for those links just to promote them... only to then sanction and delete every single reply.👎
Like you said, it’s incredibly strange that someone like this would be promoted to moderator... a guy who has spent years telling everyone to ignore anyone who disagrees with him, even going so far as to instruct his followers to do the same.
It’s nothing groundbreaking; I won't speculate, but that is how propaganda works everywhere. If that's the new policy of this forum... fine, whatever. I guess someone has to make a living somehow.😁😁👍
Best regards,