Moderator Replacement

Can we please get some new mods for the "Economy" subforum? The current ones are absolute garbage—they ignore reports, let people talk trash, and just sit there while two or three guys go at it for dozens of pages. Meanwhile, over in the tech forums, the mods are busy deleting my posts for no reason.

Thanks

So, if you were in charge, which of the regular users would you actually nominate to step up as the new moderators?
I mean, what’s even the point of letting the current crew pick if their choices end up being totally useless to you anyway, right?

Maybe we need new people, or maybe we don't—I honestly can't tell. In this specific case, I'd just say let them swap places. It’s pretty obvious that even if a full-blown revolution broke out tomorrow, one group wouldn't even blink, while the other side would lose their minds over the tiniest little troll online.

If you go ahead and pull the current person out, you’ve gotta slot someone else in there, right? I mean, otherwise you’re just left with a subforum that doesn't have a moderator, and then nobody is actually going to step up to handle any reports once they start rolling in.

What do you even need moderators for? (Most of them do more harm than good anyway.) Just moderate yourselves.

Alexander Diaz4 said:Maybe we need new ones, or maybe not... I can't tell. In this case, they should just swap places. It's obvious some people wouldn't even react if a revolution broke out, while others jump at the slightest troll...

"wouldnt"?!

The forum needs moderation.
If nothing else, someone should moderate the typos...

Could you please drop a link to what you're talking about?

Hell yeah, I keep links like that tucked away in my bookmarks... 🤦

If you want to report posts, just hit that red triangle icon with the exclamation point. Go ask the moderators if you're confused.

It’s been about a year now since anyone actually bothered to moderate the Economy section (the main page)

Gerald Chavez7 said:Nobody's been moderating the Economy section (the main page) for like a whole year now.

yeah, but you're still sitting there with a mod badge on your profile

If you look at the moderator lists on most subreddits, they’re way longer than the actual group of people doing any real work.

If they actually ran an experiment and threw someone like Smith, Aleta ogrozd, or even Modesty Blaze into the mix, you just know there’d be a massive protest within two weeks because everyone would be bullying them and handing out baseless suspensions. And the worst part? You couldn't even send half of those people a freaking DM to clear things up 😁

Just enjoy your freedom while it lasts, man 🤣

Honestly guys, what’s been happening here lately is a total disaster. So many high-quality users have been driven away, and the whole site has tanked. Everything has devolved into nothing but conspiracy theories, constant bickering, and endless off-topic nonsense. I don't think you can find two coherent discussions anymore if you look hard enough.

A handful of people have basically hijacked this subforum and are running wild, yet nobody is actually handing out penalties.

Are there any plans to actually do something about this?

You don't even need a moderator who's an expert in economics; you just need someone with the willpower to scroll through the threads every day and slap down the people being abusive, the off-topic trolls, and the constant insults until some semblance of order is restored. Once that's done, then maybe you can find someone to actually moderate the discussions so they move in a productive direction.

Just look at the recent posts from these users—who, by the way, are blatant clones of accounts that were already banned:

antibes said:Anyway, why don't you explain it to me—your old man, just like you, tried to act like he was the boss of the coop, but everyone in town knew he was a complete amateur. And since you're clearly just here to suck up to him (like how some guy's gonna give you a break)... is that how it went?? I just hope they gave him the business.

antibes said:And what kind of person is that? He ended up with a fool for a son who doesn't even know how to calculate interest or plant a garden... you're lying again, go crawl back to your corner before you get bullied again.

antibes said:Listen, you idiot, ATMs are going to be spitting out tens and twenties, which is worth less than the hundreds we see now and $67... but obviously, you're too dim to understand a word I'm saying.

antibes said:konaćno you admitted it, and diabolica is just pure trash.

I don't know what to tell you, Antibes is just one of those places. It’s got that vibe where everyone is trying way too hard to look like they aren't trying at all. If you're looking for that classic, high-end coastal energy, sure, it hits the mark, but it can feel a bit performative after a while. Just my two cents. [User] says:
diabolica is a total lowlife.

I don't know what to tell you, Antibes is just one of those places. It’s fine if that’s your vibe, I guess, but it’s definitely not blowing any minds for me. The user says:
You’re honestly just a total nobody, someone who does nothing but suck the life out of everyone else around them.

d. Fenc said:As someone who’s been a total nobody and a small-town loser for years, your absolute worst nightmare is realizing just how much opportunity the younger generation—and even some of the older crowd—actually has here in America today. $5000 Back in the day, you would’ve had to pack up and move to Germany just to pull a salary like that. But hey, what can you do? You should've picked up some actual skills while you were still young.

d. Fenc said:Honestly, just your existence on this planet—acting like some brainless, grease-stained migrant worker—is an insult to the entire human race. 😁😁:😁Man, you’re so dense you can’t even insult someone properly. You’re out here playing at being edgy, but honestly? You have the wit of a middle schooler—and that's being generous. 🙂🙂🙂

d. Fenc The user said:Hey, Smith, you finally done with the work week? Why don't you go ahead and scrub all that grease and elevator lubricant off your hands so you actually look like a decent human being for once. 🙏🙏

You could honestly predict this would happen in under five minutes just by looking at the recent posts from certain users on Reddit. I don’t know what kind of weird obsession people have with those who moved abroad, but it’s always the same story. They trigger a massive counter-attack, and before you know it, everyone is dragging the argument through pages and pages of nonsense.

Let’s talk about these threads:

- American tourism - It’s turned into this private little clique where a handful of users just mess with everyone else. They spend all their time bragging about their rental properties or what they’re planning to build next. There’s an entire subforum dedicated to landlords for a reason, but the second anyone brings up macroeconomics, the downsides of the industry, or—god forbid—tax implications, those five guys jump in and derail everything. It's literally the same small group acting out, and they’re the reason the first two threads got locked.

- What to expect this fall - Is this just a breeding ground for conspiracy theories now? Nibiru, planet nonsense, and total garbage? It feels like people who aren't allowed to post in the politics section have just drifted down here because nobody is moderating anything.

- Salaries - How much are you making in the States? - The last ten pages have been nothing but talk about spending money on hookers and strip clubs. Just constant insults and ad hominem attacks.

Is anyone actually going to try and fix this place? Luckily, the other business subforums are doing alright. Since they're more niche, we actually help each other out with small businesses, entrepreneurship, investing, loans, and all that stuff. But something needs to happen with the main forum, otherwise, even the few decent users left are going to bail.

Welcome to Reddit.

We already established that PDF religion and PDF economics don't have any active modes

Sometimes things go off the rails and lose all sense of class, but overall it isn't terrible. It’s always the same story—maybe it feels better now just because I don't read as much as I used to. The only user capable of having a high-level discussion about economics was shadow, but he left (if I'm seeing that right), mostly because he had nobody left to talk to. Long before him, there were Monsignor and RealBear, but they got banned and left in protest (if my memory serves).

The economy of a PDF is far too massive for anyone to take on these responsibilities pro bono, and I doubt management will offer enough compensation to let me hand-pick a quality moderator (if such a thing is even possible). If we end up with someone who takes the job just because they want to play God—basically using it to vent frustrations and compensate for real-life complexes—things will be even worse than they are now. It's easier to just ignore a few unpleasant comments, like

diabolica said:you absolute piece of trash , bringing up my old man? I'll shove that primitive American garbage right down your throat, you low-class peasant, you total stench.

.. that's just life. If I were the mod, I wouldn't have sanctioned or deleted this.

I actually just wrote a post because of that thread.

I intentionally left out diabolica's response, mostly because antibes has been poking at him forever. At least diabolica actually puts in the work—throwing down numbers, charts, and trying to spark an actual debate. Even if his conclusions miss the mark sometimes, he brings some interesting data to the table that could start a decent conversation. But every single time he posts, d. Fenc and antibes jump in with those cheap ad hominem attacks. Diabolica has never been the one to start a personal fight; it took him a long time even to start snapping back at these guys. Good taste just isn't part of the equation anymore.

Honestly, I think antibes has targeted diabolica in over 100 posts. At first, he was doing a good job ignoring him or just sidestepping the nonsense, but he finally snapped because the guy mentioned his father. You can't really blame diabolica there; anyone who's actually been following the economy knows exactly what's been going on.

We used to have some solid people here, like shadow and even that former moderator wand_1. Sure, you'll find the occasional smart post now and then, but those people end up leaving too.

Things have definitely gone downhill over the last few years, but the last year or two? Total disaster. There was a time when you could actually learn something on here, but now... I completely disagree with the idea that we should just leave things as they are. Not unless we want this place to be nothing but endless debates about sex workers, Nibiru, Putin, and all that other junk that belongs in politics, conspiracy, or rental subreddits. None of that has anything to do with economics.

Carl Wilson said:If they actually used Mr. Smith, Aleta ogrozd, or even Modesty Blaze for an experiment—honestly—they'd be back within two weeks crying about being bullied or getting banned for absolutely no reason... and some of them won't even let you send them a DM... 😁

Just enjoy the freedom while it lasts, my friend 🤣

Finally, a real suggestion!

Throw in KLCCLK too and you’ve basically got The Beatles of moderation ready to run any subreddit... 🐔

You don't need to be some high-level economist or anything—I mean, we’re really just asking for someone to occasionally glance over the threads, shut down any insults, and maybe give a heads-up when things drift off-topic. It seems like the good discussions just wither away or, in the end, get locked up entirely.
Maybe one of the moderators from the politics section could step in? Personally, I think everyone over there is pretty decent and keeps things civil.

boldcanyon14 said:Guys, what’s been happening here lately is an absolute train wreck. So many high-quality users have been driven away, and the whole board has tanked. It’s devolved into nothing but conspiracy theories, constant bickering, and endless off-topic nonsense. I honestly don't know if you can find two coherent discussions anymore.

A handful of people have basically hijacked this subforum and are running it into the ground, yet nobody is stepping in to discipline them.

Are there any plans to actually address this?

We don't even need a moderator who's an economics expert right now; we just need someone with the backbone to scroll through the threads daily and penalize the people being abusive, the off-topic posters, and the trolls until some semblance of order is restored. Only then can we find someone to actually moderate the discussions to ensure they stay on track.

I mean, just look at the recent posts from these users—who, by the way, are blatant clones of the accounts that were banned:

It takes less than five minutes to see this pattern if you bother to check the recent activity of certain posters. I don't know what kind of grudge they hold against people who moved abroad, but because of them, a counter-attack has started, and the arguments just drag on page after page.

And don't even get me started on the specific threads:

- US tourism industry - This has turned into a private playground for a few users who just mock everyone else. They constantly drone on about their own setups and what they plan to do next. There’s an entire subforum dedicated to landlords for that, but the second a discussion starts regarding macroeconomics, the downsides of the industry, or heaven forbid, tax implications, those five jump in and derail everything. It’s literally the same small group acting out, and they're the reason the first two threads were shut down.

- What awaits us this fall - A thread dedicated to conspiracy theories? Nibiru planets and all sorts of garbage? Users who aren't allowed to post in the Ukraine section have just migrated here because nobody is moderating anything.

- Salary - How much do you earn in the US? - The last ten pages are just talk about spending money at strip clubs, constant insults, and non-stop ad hominem attacks.

Is anyone going to try and fix this? Fortunately, the other subforums within the economy section are fine; they're specialized enough that we still help each other out with small businesses, entrepreneurship, investing, loans, and all that. But something has to be done about the main forum, otherwise, the few decent users left are going to walk away too.

Oh, give me a break. Fine, whatever you say. I didn't even bother responding to your posts above because, frankly, they just radiate passive-aggression. Feel free to stay here on this economy PDF and complain, or better yet, start a special thread just for your grievances.

And wouldn't you just love to be appointed moderator for this economy PDF so you could deal with the rest of us!
I don't dive into the other threads you mentioned because I don't read or write that much, but the US tourism industry thread isn't the problem; whether someone wants to participate in it or not says more about them than the thread itself.
Most posts are just fluff where nothing relevant is said, though there are plenty of threads covering broad topics like field data and forecasting graphs.

it's a wide open field