Posts by Jason Morgan

Nicholas King said:In this particular context, telling someone to "just ignore them" feels a bit... well, let's call it somewhat authoritarian.

True, but we can't just ban someone simply because they occasionally lose their cool and throw an insult. We can penalize them for trolling and verbal abuse, certainly. That should be done regardless of our personal—meaning non-moderator—opinion of that individual. Personally, I have quite a few thoughts regarding certain frequent posters here, but it would be remarkably foolish to issue bans just because I have the power to do so.
There are a million shades of gray.
As for that other ban, you explained it quite delicately. One user targets on-topic discussions over on the Politics subforum and the Lifestyle section (where both of them are regular, constructive contributors), waiting for topics where they can subtly attack someone's morality or decorum while technically staying on-topic. The other individual, however, went on a scorched-earth campaign across the entire site, quoting one specific person repeatedly just to troll. It’s all about the nuances. We can't just write black-and-white rules or ban people based on a whim. Even in the US, stalkers aren't immediately sent to the electric chair; they get the benefit of the doubt first, then a restraining order, and if they violate that, then things get serious.

And I agree with you that not all forum rules carry equal weight and the criteria aren't applied uniformly everywhere, but how exactly do you propose we standardize that? For instance, I’d love to wipe out certain troublemakers and hand out warnings to their cohorts, but that isn't my job description, so it is what it is.
This platform is far too massive a machine to speak so simply about its general direction. We are talking about tens of thousands of users and dozens of moderators, all of whom are unique individuals acting on their own judgment, overseen by admins. There is absolutely no chance that everyone will always agree on how something should be handled or sanctioned.

(which brings us back to the famous concept of "reputation," doesn't it?)

Don't you see how this sounds like you're advocating for certain users and taking a non-objective view of the community at large? Where does that lead? Where do we draw the line?

Personally, I try my best not to allow chatty off-topic banter or trolling to bleed across the whole site, given certain users' previous (and justified) reputations, even if that means ending up in an appeals process every single day.

So, are you suggesting that we shouldn't treat all users equally, or that we *should* take their history into account? Should we look the other way when a user openly insults someone just because they are a "useful" contributor (I happen to agree with your assessment of her)? Should we look the other way for you? Ultimately, should we be weighing a person's writing style, their past warnings, or their "reputation" when deciding how to act, or not?

Look, I take those factors into account right up to a certain point, and I try very hard not to cross it. Sometimes I stumble—take the case of Persephone's story and her expectations—but this site is a moving target. Some users are objectively trolls, some enjoy being insulting, and some just want to chat. That isn't a personal vendetta against them; it's reflected in their warning history and their style. However, no matter how much I might want to, I cannot overlook it when you tell someone "you're an idiot" just because you're the one saying it rather than some unconstructive chatterbox. Such statements must be treated equally because they drag the entire discussion down to a low level. It's the same with trolling or using ad hominem attacks, like saying "my mother makes better chili" just to dismiss an argument.

And I think you’ve seen firsthand that we tend to let high-quality contributors indulge in some decent off-topic banter—even letting those threads spin off into their own dedicated topics rather than just handing out bans. It's quite a different beast compared to that mindless chatter on some thread about "what did you have for lunch or what brand of condoms are you using." But, frankly, there has to be a line drawn somewhere. We can't just tolerate everything for certain people in the name of "reputation" while being absolute sticklers for everyone else. That simply isn't fair.

It’s not working; people see right through it.

They don't see it. They really, truly don't see it—not even if they had direct access to moderator tools or an admin password.

And she just keeps biting back at him, unfortunately.

Now, look, he’s been properly banned and blacklisted for his constant trolling and insults, I know that. But allowing someone who’s being targeted to relentlessly hit him with things like "you're a freak," "you're an idiot," "get lost," or "piss off" isn't exactly kind or productive for the rest of the community, if you'll permit me to say so. It’s certainly not pleasant for the other users who have to read through it, nor is it particularly relevant to the discussion at hand.

The reality of the situation is that he latched onto her like a moth to a flame, but that doesn't objectively grant her the right to insult him within the threads. The moderators really ought to address the insults and trolling from both sides, rather than just focusing on the one side that was targeted by a sanctimonious troll.

A certain level of cultured, civilized discourse should be maintained here, which is, among other things, the duty of our poor moderators—so I feel compelled to point that out.

If someone is actually stalking you, just put them on ignore and stop engaging. Tell the moderators and call it a day. Anaïs chose to respond to every single one of his quotes, telling him to get lost, which essentially just hands him more ammunition to quote her, insult her, and engage in this endless back-and-forth.

There, that is my take as someone who has been watching, deleting, and banning their tug-of-war in an attempt to help a colleague and support her approach. You can't forbid people from quoting you or replying to your posts, but when a situation turns out like this, the best move is to use the ignore function and stay consistent. Otherwise, you're just feeding the fire, and we see how well that ends.

Look, you’ve been given a perfectly valid reason—this particular topic just doesn't have enough meat on its bones for a proper forum debate. And honestly, if you already knew there was a dedicated thread for discussions about threesomes, why didn't you head over there instead? There aren't nearly enough people on this site who can relate to the specific awkwardness of getting tipsy with a boyfriend and a friend (or her partner) and then dealing with the fallout of everyone being in the same room afterward. If you want to vent about those uncomfortable moments, please, take it to the threesome thread.

Honestly, who exactly is insulting you? I’m struggling to see what kind of debate could even possibly take place in a thread like yours, if you ask me.

And while we're at it, do be a dear and send over the links to those similar threads you mentioned. I'd love to actually see these double standards you're talking about, please.

First off, this thread isn't getting unlocked.

Secondly, you started this topic because you ended up hooking up with your boyfriend, a friend, and her boyfriend—basically a messy group situation where everyone was grinding and having sex in close proximity—and now you're spiraling because you feel disgusted with yourself, even though they all insisted everything was perfectly fine.

This doesn't qualify as a discussion topic for the Lifestyle Forum because it doesn't actually present a problem to be solved (at least not on this specific board), nor does it offer any real substance or conflict for a meaningful debate. If your goal is simply to vent about how repulsive you feel or express your sudden aversion to experimentation, please head over to a venting sub-forum or join one of the existing threads in the Psychology section.
Alternatively, you could just start a personal blog; not every passing thought needs its own dedicated thread on a community forum.

That is all.

It’s becoming quite impossible to get anything done lately; Facebook seems to have completely lost its grip on reality ☕

Before I dive into this, I need about three days to get my head straight and prepare. 🙂 I've been dealing with everything from these sharp, cutting pains to intense cramping and just an overwhelming sense of exhaustion.

I actually got it, and honestly, I wasn't even hurting 🤔 All I felt were those little cramps—you know, that dull ache you get a day or two before the real destruction starts. But here’s the kicker: 😬 I just finished a heavy course of horse antibiotics yesterday. Is it possible that’s why I’m feeling fine? It feels like the only logical explanation, but does anyone actually know the science behind why that might be? 😁

Gerald Rivera17 said:Is there any way this could be considered valid? 🙂

There’s this thread from several years back titled "Did you have sex today?" where hundreds of people just chime in with stuff like "yes," "no," "heheheh hiih ROFL," "LOL hehe yes," or "OF COURSE 😢😢((((" — and the answer is no.

The whole thread is junk because Ljesa has been scrubbing the Forum over the last few weeks to get rid of ancient, duplicate, and completely useless threads.

Nicholas King said:That’s easy for you to say—but who on earth is going to believe me when I show up at an AA meeting and confess, "It all started because I spiraled out of control celebrating my ten-thousandth post..."? 😁

🤣

True enough. Just step on the gas a little so you don't end up crashing during every single cleanup operation. 😳

Andrew Roberts5 said:And tell them nothing... or do I?....

Good grief, we are talking about forum posts here. You’ll just whip up new ones just like you always have. In my own long career on this board, I’ve lost at least 1,500—maybe even more than a thousand—posts. Why is it that the users who come crying about their post counts always seem to have only 300 to 1,000 posts? If your post count were actually that vital to your identity, you would be spamming every corner of this site much more aggressively! 🧐

The forums are undergoing some regular maintenance lately, yes. If you noticed a sudden drop in your post count over the last few days, don't panic—it's just because we've been scrubbing out old, redundant threads from the legacy archives dating back four, five, or even six years ago.

Perhaps I should point out that this forum isn't some private playground for a little clique of buddies. Honestly, as women and mothers, shouldn't we care more about ensuring RiD remains a high-quality resource filled with useful information for other pregnant women, moms, and those planning to become one? It feels a bit selfish to focus solely on where we can chat amongst ourselves. That simply isn't the purpose of a forum like this.

Linda Price5 said:You know, what I’ve been chewing on lately is this nagging sense of why things have shifted so much. There was a time when a little bit of irreverence—a bit of good-natured ribbing, even during the heavy discussions—was actually welcomed here. It gave the place soul, you know? But nowadays, it feels like that kind of levity is increasingly frowned upon. It’s as if we’ve lost that ability to balance the serious stuff with a bit of wit.

Pranks and general messing around aren't exactly welcome everywhere, and that’s really the crux of the matter. As I’ve mentioned before, there are certain corners of the internet—certain subreddits, if you will—where you can troll and stir the pot to your heart's content without anyone batting an eye. But I find myself genuinely perplexed by certain individuals. Why do people feel this sudden, frantic urge to act like unleashed dogs in environments where they know, quite clearly, their behavior isn't tolerated? And then, once they inevitably face the consequences, they have the audacity to whine about it? Now, don't get me wrong—I'm certainly not pointing that finger at you.

I have absolutely no clue what that smart ass was up to, but apparently, any thread asking if someone is still pregnant keeps getting nuked or sanctioned. Honestly, what a load of crap.

wiredfalcon2 said:Why on earth do we find ourselves scrolling through threads that clearly irritate us, only to end up typing out responses to posts that genuinely make our blood boil? It’s a peculiar little habit, isn't it? I often catch myself doing it—falling down a rabbit hole of negativity, feeling my pulse quicken, and then thinking, "Yes, I absolutely must provide a measured, logical rebuttal to this nonsense." It feels like a bit of a self-inflicted wound most days. 🙂 If it bothers you that much, then honestly, just don't do it. Otherwise, you're just coming across as a bored, bitter woman who's clearly overcompensating for her own insecurities—and frankly, being a bit of a bully toward some kids. It’s quite a stretch to hijack a topic that actually served a vital purpose by helping so many people avoid unwanted pregnancies, all just to satisfy your own personal agenda. 🙂

And xxxxx... honestly, I really ought to drop a few pounds before summer rolls around. 🙂 Go run a lap or something. Stop trolling this Reddit thread just so you can whine about how nobody likes you; that’s not exactly how cool girls behave. That’s more along the lines of some attention-seeking idiot. Don't be one of them. 🙂

Here is a classic troll for you. This guy couldn't care less about the Clorox discussions on Reddit; he’s only here because he's obsessed with xxxxxxxx's backside. Truly top-tier gear you've got there, my friend.

Linda Price5 said:Furthermore, this thread is already twenty-four pages deep. It’s packed with an enormous volume of questions and answers. If this were a discussion about using headphones where it had been explained nineteen different times that you actually put them in your ears—and then someone showed up asking why they couldn't hear anything after shoving them into their belly button, only for someone else to reply that the headphones were faulty—would they get banned just because that poor soul is now off to buy some new navel-based headphones?

But really, do you absolutely have to wait until page twenty-five of this specific thread to post about shoving things into a belly button or... elsewhere? 🤷
You know fine well that this is a topic where confused kids test out nonsense, and those kinds of comments aren't permitted here. You also know that if a thread like that were opened on Reddit, it would be absolutely flooded with trolls. Which is perfectly fine, honestly. It really just comes down to the specific platform where you choose to post.

dustyranger64 said:Look, I actually find your post quite amusing. Truly. But you’ve decided to drop this on a thread frequented by kids who honestly don't have a clue—they come here asking the most staggeringly moronic questions because they simply DON'T KNOW. If they haven't even mastered the basics, you can't deliver an answer like this; someone is bound to take it at face value. Even if the irony is practically screaming off the page to us, you have to realize that kids who don't even grasp common sense aren't going to understand what irony is, let alone the subtle nuances of how it's being used.

The most absurd part of this entire situation is that Kuki and Persephone already know all of this, and we know that they know. And they are fully aware that we know they know.

wanderingbadger44 said:So, do you really think the best way to handle this is to hand out a ban to a user who has been contributing nothing but serious, constructive input to a thread—simply because they finally posted something that wasn't strictly on-topic?

If you’ve been acting all "constructive" throughout a discussion, by what authority do you grant yourself the right to just drift off-topic whenever you feel like it, essentially ignoring the rules once you've had your say? 🙂
And frankly, I'm not just talking to you here. 🙂

wanderingbadger44 said:Would you be a dear and explain to me—as if I’ve never even heard the term before—exactly what "trolling" entails?

Well then, here you go.

Your little trolling tactics consist of off-topic outbursts and arrogant attacks directed at other users in spaces where they simply don't belong. Furthermore, please keep in mind that private messages regarding these specific rule violations are permitted to be made public.

wanderingbadger44 said:I thought perhaps the moderator simply misunderstood my point, or maybe they misread some sort of malicious intent where none existed.

Precisely.

While this thread drifted into off-topic territory and some mild, thematic trolling several pages back, your specific post stands out for one singular reason: it targets the individual. You resorted to an ad hominem attack, essentially saying, "No one even reads your posts anyway, haha, you just write like this, blah blah." How he writes or the quality of his contributions isn't the issue here. A warning would have been appropriate for being off-topic, but it's your condescending tone toward him that really crosses the line.

It is quite paradoxical, really, that you talk about scrubbing the forum clean with Clorox and complain about people acting up, when you are doing exactly that—treating users you deem less intelligent, less educated, or generally less successful than yourself with such disdain. I find that somewhat tragic for two reasons:

1. I actually consider you an exceptionally high-quality conversationalist and debater. You are capable of communicating far more effectively than by repeatedly targeting your interlocutor or attempting to belittle them based on perceived traits—starting with their intelligence (which seems to be a recurring theme in your warnings).
2. On Reddit, there are countless subreddits where trolling and banter are perfectly acceptable. While the rules clearly state that provocation, instigation, and insults are prohibited, we aren't talking about total sterilization. You know as well as I do that on many parts of the site, much worse posts go completely unsanctioned simply because of the nature of those specific communities.

In this particular instance, I can’t say whether your remark was meant in good spirits. I don't know if you and the user you addressed are old friends grabbing coffee somewhere, making an inside joke; regardless, that kind of banter doesn't belong in this specific thread.

I stand by the warning. The admins will remove it if they decide it was unjustified, but I would urge you to take a moment to reflect on how you communicate here when dealing with those you perceive as being less articulate or less bright than yourself.

Lisa Alvarez25 said:I’d honestly rather be a fly on the wall once the party really starts.😂
But who can say what kind of initiation lies ahead? Aren't you even slightly terrified? 😲

Terrified doesn't even begin to cover it. If all else fails, I'll just have to bribe one of the admins with a couple of shots of bourbon and a plate of loaded nachos; surely that'll buy my way in.

Lisa Alvarez25 said:So, is this how everyone still does it—just coordinating through encrypted chats while completely wasted? 😬

Personally, I haven't had the opportunity to participate yet since I'm still a total rookie and haven't even finished my probationary period. I heard about it from some of the more seasoned colleagues, and frankly, I wouldn't dream of discussing those... shall we say, "unconventional" information-gathering methods here, but there certainly were some specific encrypted chat contacts involved.