Posts by Harold Evans4

You just love twisting people's words and spinning them to fit whatever narrative you've got going on, don't you?

velvetbear372 said:So, if something doesn't line up with what you think you know, it’s automatically labeled as hysteria? Please. I'll admit, talking about the end of humanity sounds hysterical, but reaching that conclusion based on actual science? That's just terrifying.

Look, I'm not being hysterical just because this doesn't fit my worldview. It’s about how you actually laid it out. It's the way you're talking—specifically your choice of words and how you're presenting things. That's where the problem is.

velvetbear372 said:Is recycling just some kind of fake science? Seriously, what does recycling even have to do with global warming? A lot? Please. There’s actually a massive connection: if you recycle, you aren't out there cutting down forests—which are busy soaking up all that CO2—just to manufacture more paper when you could be using what's already been made.

Look, I never said recycling was pseudoscience. That’s the whole point—I put a line break right after my first statement before even mentioning recycling. You’re either reading too fast or you're just twisting my words on purpose. Which one is it?
Look, I'm not saying we shouldn't recycle. It’s not that deep. Recycling is mostly just useful for making other stuff, right? As for how much it actually helps stop global warming... who knows? Honestly, trying to pin down an exact percentage of its impact feels impossible, but most estimates suggest it doesn't move the needle all that much. I don't get why everyone starts screaming about recycling the second someone mentions global warming. Like, calm down.

velvetbear372 said:You basically shut him down just so you could pivot this whole thing into a PDF alternative. Seriously?

Wrong again. You're totally misreading me. I only said that because I saw the way you guys were arguing and the kind of "scientific" articles people were actually tossing around here. Seriously?

Maybe chill out with the drama just a little bit? If you actually want people to take you seriously, you gotta tone it down. Right now, you sound like some clickbait trash from a tabloid.

velvetbear372 said:There isn't even a theoretical chance. Since when do you get to say stuff like that without actually explaining yourself?

Give me a break. My whole thread is backed by actual science.

So, basically, one of you moderators is out here denying global warming. Just great.

You're freaking out. Same as usual, whether it's here or on that other thread. Not to mention how this whole discussion is sliding straight into pseudoscience, which is pretty obvious right now.
And what does recycling even have to do with global warming? Someone brought that up right at the start.

Not to mention how ugly this debate is getting because the second someone disagrees with you or denies one of your points, you just start attacking and insulting people. Where exactly did I deny global warming?

Can we move this topic over to the "Alternatives" subforum?

velvetbear372 said:Man, I seriously don't get when I'm supposed to move to off-topic. There are so many threads here, and honestly, I have no clue how you guys decide what counts as off-topic while a conversation is actually happening. To me, everything being said is clearly tied to the main topic.

Look, if the thread title doesn't make it obvious, then the very first post should.
Specifically, take this thread I just locked today: link
Even if the original poster isn't hanging around anymore, the subject matter is clearly defined. I get it, most of you are fed up with the state of the American economy, but you can't just hijack every single thread to turn into a random vent session about politics or social issues.
That specific thread should have been used to dive into the actual data—looking at how the economy shifted, for better or worse, after opening up to the European Union markets and dealing with the massive brain drain of workers leaving the country. Instead, it just drifts back into complaining about American bureaucracy, which was just as bad—if not worse—long before everyone started fleeing.
And it's not like I didn't warn you two pages ago: link

velvetbear372 said:I agree that the mods aren't managing certain threads well and they're stifling the debate. That thread about the cost of living got shut down just because people kept drifting off-topic; I personally got slapped with 10 warnings for the exact same thing.

Change up the attitude, or change the thread title and let people actually talk about whatever the conversation leads to. If things get out of hand, redirect them with an actual post about the topic instead of just throwing a warning at them.

I’m not changing my tone. The thread title was already updated (did you even bother reading my reply above, velvetbadger172?). My opening post explains everything, and there are plenty of follow-up posts where I explicitly told you guys to stay on track.
If you want to swap opinions, there are a ton of other threads for that, plus the Chat thread where you can talk all you want. There are even specific threads for small businesses, income levels... stuff like what you were talking about in that closed thread.

What, am I supposed to overhaul my entire moderation style every time some random user decides to critique me?

Btw, I thought I had a grudge against velvetbadger172... how come you're the one getting buried in warnings while velvetbadger172 is over here complaining about getting 7 in a single month? 🤔

velvetbadger172 said:Look, don't take this as me whining about unfair mods,
but you haven't exactly "mastered the art of moderation." Proof? This whole thread devolved into nothing but nonsense and toxic arguments. It used to be a solid discussion with actual useful info about what it costs to live a "normal" life.

Now that this thread on living expenses is locked, you're acting like some victim of unruly users who won't stay on topic. But honestly? You have all the tools to keep a conversation on track. Not that I'm trying to tell you how to do your job—I'm not looking for your seat.

Me, mastering the topic? Based on your logic, you think I'm supposed to train you guys like a pack of dogs. Look, people didn't want to stay on topic. So what if the thread's gone? It wasn't serving any purpose anyway. I have no clue what you think my "job" entails here, but if you expect me to beg users to behave every single day, you've got to be kidding me. Take it or leave it... bye.

As for the rest, I'm no victim... you're the one who filed a complaint and is playing the martyr. No matter how you spin it, there’s always someone going to complain (if not to the admins, then via DM). Locking a thread is a tool, plain and simple—especially when after endless warnings, nobody wants to play ball.

Just so we're clear. What's your big suggestion?
Should I hand out "off-topic" warnings to everyone on the last three pages? Which, by the way, is partially what I did.
Should I hit them with "violating site rules" instead, which would just end up banning half the forum?
Should I skip the warnings entirely and just drop ten notices over a couple of weeks? Or write an eleventh one two days later? And so on, and so forth.
Should I just beg you all to act like mature, civilized adults as if my life depends on it?

What’s even your point?

Look, it’s not my fault the thread had to be locked—it’s because 90% of you guys are treating this place like an off-topic lounge. And yeah, you’re right, the topic itself is actually useful... it's just that your posts have nothing to do with it. Besides, I already warned you several times; check my last post if you need proof.
You’re seriously acting like I have a "beef" with you personally. Is it true I had to warn you before because you were derailing things? Yeah. But you aren't special. I could list ten other people who got the same warnings, including Darude, whom you mentioned. And honestly, saying I can't "rein in" someone is a pretty weird way to put it—what am I, a dog trainer?
So what, am I supposed to comment on your post title or that word "unprofessionalism"? If I don't hand out warnings, I get blamed, and if I do, you end up with a strike and eventually a ban. It's a lose-lose. Do you want me to moderate or not?
Honestly, all I want is to hop on here once a week, read the threads that actually matter, and learn something new. If everyone would just stay on topic and stop being difficult, I wouldn't have to deal with warnings or strikes. You think I do this because I have nothing better to do? You think there's some payoff in this? I’m just trying to moderate objectively and fairly. Usually, I'll go with a warning instead of a strike, unless we're talking about sensitive topics like Tesla, which have their own set of rules.
And don't even get me started on how much you guys love complaining about the moderation if we don't jump on a post within 15 minutes. People start spamming stuff like "Moderators, why are you letting these trolls run wild????" like this is a live chat where I'm expected to react instantly to every single message. Then you get salty when you get a strike for complaining about the mods.

velvetbadger172 said:Just like I announced four days ago, moderator Harold Evans4 took a potentially interesting thread and locked it down.
With his unprofessional, arbitrary, and condescending attitude toward certain users, and those constant warnings written in red (eight of them over 19 pages!), he supposedly tried to bring order to the thread, but his failures have finally caught up with him.
On the other hand, he was just lenient with others. We see the same thing happening in the thread comparing the cost of living in America versus moving abroad (expenses, services, bureaucracy...).
From the very beginning, he insisted on staying strictly on topic...

...My recent strike on this thread, caused by his inability to control the obvious troll and hater Darude, was supposedly meant to "control the passions," I guess.
The constant off-topic rambling, trolling, baiting, insults, and the fact that the thread turned into a total chat room is entirely the moderator's fault. The topic is good and useful, and all the tools are in the moderator's hands...

...and again, I repeat, it is exclusively the moderator's failure for not "controlling the thread" from the start.

I shortened the quote to hit the main points.
So, let me get this straight: I close an old thread (which was going nowhere), open a new one, rename it, write a long intro, and then drop eight moderator warnings over 19 pages because people weren't following the rules to keep the discussion on track... yet people still ignore the rules and spend three pages arguing about something else, forcing me to penalize a bunch of posts and lock the thread. And now I'm the bad guy for doing "bad moderation"? 🙂

I can't exactly give you the green light to go posting on other people's subforums, can I? But hey, if you ever decide to drop a comment over on my subforum...
you've got my blessing to jump into the chat thread.

First thing I noticed... this is just a chat thread. I didn't even bother reading what they were arguing about because, honestly, same. I let people rip into the moderation on my own threads all the time, or I'll be the one calling out issues in the chats I run. Why wouldn't I?

P.S. Just to be clear, this isn't the rule for every single subforum. I'm just saying that the chat threads on certain parts of this site are way more laid back when it comes to the rules.

First off, you’ve gotta hunt down a user who hasn't been slapped with a ban yet, which—let's be real—is basically impossible unless they’re running some brand-new account. Just like Dubba was saying. But honestly? Once you actually find someone without a strike against them, I’m pretty sure you could talk trash to their face without even having a single post under your belt.
I think you just ended up in the wrong sub-forum; technical questions belong over in the other section.

Of course certain takes are gonna land well with some people on here. You know how to spin the truth to make it sound super extreme. And honestly, deciding who the "best" user is is just your own subjective opinion, so I’m assuming you’re really just thirsty for attention and applause because of how you talk. That’s my take anyway, obviously. 😁
You’ve got a massive ego and you constantly label anyone who disagrees with you as stupid, shallow, or brainless. The second someone pushes back, you start whining because you can't handle even a little criticism. Just look at this example right here—the moment we commented on your stuff, you immediately went on the attack against us. What exactly did you think was going to happen?
As for what kind of user I am or whether my posts get noticed, that has absolutely nothing to do with your issues. It's pure projection. In my time on this site, I've only picked up three strikes, and two of those were for off-topic stuff... I think that says plenty about how I carry myself. And when it comes to moderating, I genuinely try to be fair to everyone. I always give a warning before handing out a strike. You can see my moderator posts in red whenever a thread starts heading south; I try to set boundaries early so I don't have to go on a massive ban spree for trolling, off-topic nonsense, or flame wars. There's plenty of stuff to deal with on the subforum.

I think I've made my point clear enough with this post, and it's up to the admins to decide if your accusations actually hold water. I'm done debating this.

I’m guessing they aren't talking about me, even though my post is right there in the screenshot. 🤔

Grace Jones86, no offense, but since you’re already chiming in on this sub-forum, I might as well give it to you straight.
Your whole vibe and the way you write is just weird—like, seriously weird. Honestly, most people would probably look at your posts and just call it trolling, flame wars, or you playing dumb.
You aren't objective for a second, especially when you start talking about work or the tech industry... which is basically all you ever talk about. Reading your descriptions, you’d think you were describing life in Auschwitz rather than just a typical day in an American IT office. You paint the entire industry as some massive victim of some imaginary persecution targeting you guys.
It’s not just me, either; plenty of other people on Reddit have noticed that you clearly went through some kind of workplace trauma, and now you're just dumping all those frustrations into your posts.
Look, I agree that nobody should tolerate being insulted or belittled by other users here, but the way you carry yourself practically invites that kind of reaction, so I’m not even surprised.
I was just asking you to dial it back a bit because this isn't exactly how you have a constructive conversation.

Swiss 😁

Anyone else ever tried buying gold using crypto? I’m betting the margins are absolutely insane.

Alright, thanks for the input.

So, am I really not gonna get any kind of answer in these two weeks? Not even a "no can do"? Anything at all, just so I know someone actually in charge has seen this and isn't just ignoring me.

I haven't hung around this corner of the forum in a minute, but I finally had to jump in. Honestly? The Economy subforum desperately needs a more active moderator. We’re drowning in repetitive threads, ads, spam, and—worst of all—trolling that's spinning totally out of control because nobody is stepping in to stop it.
Look, I'm not attacking the current mods, somied and zabotinski, because when they actually show up, they do a solid job. The issue is they’re rarely around. They aren't moderating much, and they aren't really engaging in the discussions either. I get it, they probably have actual lives and jobs outside of this, so again, this isn't a dig at them personally.
Just take one look at the Economy section. You'll see absolute nonsense on the very first page—everything from people asking for better recommendations for Turkish soap operas to idiots advertising fake passports and other low-life spam. Then you've got those "bait" threads designed solely to trigger people. Sure, you can just ignore the junk by not clicking, but that's not the real problem. The worst part is seeing high-quality discussions get hijacked by trolls. It's driving good people away from specific threads, the whole subforum, and honestly, even the site itself.

I don't think I need to go on forever here—I could list examples all day—but you get the point. We need one or two active mods dedicated to the Economy subforum.

Thanks for listening.