The moderation on Politics is absolutely unbearable

I’m calling on the supermoderators, the admins, Anderson, or honestly anyone with an ounce of authority to finally step in and clean up the absolute mess happening with the moderators over in the Politics subforum. Look, I’m not saying everyone running things there is incompetent, but the decent ones either get drowned out or they’re busy policing sub-sections I don't even visit.

It’s ridiculous. You’ll see completely pointless threads cluttering up the main board, while actual, high-stakes discussions get shoved over to Close Politics, only for Chuck to suddenly decide a few hours later that the thread needs to be locked. For instance—and there have been plenty of others—take the debates regarding whether Lourdes is just a massive hoax or if it’s a Vatican delusion. These were shut down without any legitimate reason, with the moderator simply telling people to go talk about Lourdes over in the Religion section instead. Let me be clear: the discussion was civilized, heavily argued, and totally respectful. There was zero personal attacking. We were discussing the political implications of the Lourdes phenomenon and whether the Vatican would officially recognize the apparitions. That is squarely a matter of politics, not just religious dogma.

On top of that, the red cards seem to be handed out almost at random, often when there isn't even a shred of justification for it. Meanwhile, posts that are packed with insults, complete tangents, and ad hominem attacks sail right through without consequence, even when someone takes the time to report them using the little icon with a well-reasoned explanation.

Then you’ve got certain users who have been straight-up trolling certain threads for months. Everyone knows they’re just there to stir the pot—except, apparently, the moderators. They’re allowed to stay, and it’s incredibly rare to see one of them actually catch a red card or, heaven forbid, a three-day ban.

If you look at those last two points, it’s pretty damn obvious how biased some of these moderators are. They clearly treat their own political allies with much more leniency than they do anyone else on the other side of the aisle.

I shouldn't have to spell this out, but all of this is dragging down the quality of debate in that subforum and, by extension, the entire site. I’m asking the people in charge to please take some actual steps to fix this situation.

Linda Young38 said:Irrelevant topics are being allowed all over the main subforum...
/cut/

On top of that, red cards seem to be handed out almost at random, often without any real justification. Meanwhile, posts filled with insults, off-topic chatter, and ad hominem attacks go completely unpunished, even when they're reported properly using the flag icon.

In certain threads, some users have been trolling for months. Everyone—except maybe the moderators—knows exactly what they're doing, yet they're allowed to stay. It’s incredibly rare to see them get a red card, let alone a three-day ban.

Looking at those last two points, it's pretty clear how biased some moderators are. They treat people who align with their own political views much more leniently than anyone else.

We need links, at least one for each of these claims. This complaint is far too vague. Without specifics, we can't see which threads you mean, which users are trolling, or where this behavior is happening.

Michelle Evans said:We need actual links—at least one for every single claim being made. This complaint is just too vague as it stands. I can't go back and check which specific threads we're talking about, which users are involved, or which sections are letting trolls run wild without some proof.

I’ll get those links over to you once my schedule clears up a bit. Or honestly, someone else can just grab them. I’m sure there are plenty of people who are fed up with how things are being handled over on the Politics board.

Update: Just as I was saying, CNN is running a segment right now on the topic of Lourdes, yet our own thread where we could actually discuss this stuff has been shut down. 😵

If the discussion regarding Lourdes was shut down, I take responsibility for that, as I was the one who suggested it to my colleagues.

To be clear, I haven't been following the thread closely; most of what I read were debates over whether the visionaries at Lourdes are truly divinely inspired or merely frauds or mentally ill. In many posts, however, this devolved into nothing more than mockery and insults, which is always an issue.

But let us start from the beginning... The Pope suggesting a direction for resolving the long-standing investigation into the miracles at Lourdes is not, in itself, playing at politics. In a sense, it might be indirectly political because any decision made will undoubtedly set a precedent for how future miracles are evaluated, thereby impacting the policy of Vatican City. However, the matter itself is simply a formal conclusion regarding whether these miracles actually occurred, if they were fabricated for certain reasons, or if the matter remains uncertain. We expect the resolution to either grant legitimacy to the shrine (thereby providing formal permission for Catholic hierarchy officials to organize pilgrimages), strip the shrine of its legitimacy by attempting to marginalize it and asking the faithful not to visit, or, perhaps as a compromise, withhold official legitimacy while not preventing or discouraging people from visiting through their own private organizations. Therefore, the upcoming decisions—assuming they even occur, as the Pope is under no obligation to act—are primarily concerned with the religious perspective of the shrine.
Secondly, although many citizens of the US visit the site, the shrine is not located in America, and the entire situation is not an American political issue, even if it were considered a political one. Thirdly, we have no desire to open unnecessary doors for the division of the faithful, nor do we wish to implicate the local residents of the area regarding the construction of lodging and hospitality facilities. Neither of those are matters tied to politics.

Regarding the rest of your report, I ask that you refrain from attacking the moderation team in such a broad manner in the future; it is neither polite nor useful to anyone.