Syria and the issue of abortion

Are any of the moderators keeping an eye on the Syria thread?

"Pederoliberalism" (sic!), "neo-Marxist scum" (sic!), "an absolute disaster" (sic!)...

Sorry about the radio silence, everyone! Work has been absolutely relentless lately—the good kind of intense, where I’m finally getting the recognition I deserve, but since my family relies on this income, I haven't been able to step away. It’s been a few weeks since I've had a spare second to dive into the threads I usually keep an eye on.
I promise that once things settle down and I catch my breath, I’ll jump back in and get this specific thread cleaned up first.

In the meantime, feel free to enjoy the chaos and see how much you actually like this topic when I'm not stepping in to moderate it!

I’m not sure which forum you actually moderate, but where I hang out—the PDF world—you aren't doing anything at all... you're practically invisible. In my opinion, you should step down as a moderator there. There are plenty of younger people who could take over; they know the languages and it won't affect their family life one bit...

We’ve got your favorite guy handling moderation for the World subforum; it's basically his main gig.
Honestly, how can you even tell I’m missing when he’s doing such an incredible job? 😕

My primary focus is actually moderating the Politics and American Civil War subforums.

I noticed you’ve included my text in your signature, but I don't recall you ever explaining to me what was so problematic about the word "Kike."
So, I’m asking you nicely to give me an explanation, otherwise, I'll have to request that you be sanctioned for being disrespectful.
I even went as far as asking a few people whose kids attend Jewish preschools about this, and I still haven't heard back.
They said they'd look into it, but it seems like it just isn't that big of a deal to them.

Calling someone a Kike is offensive to Jews.

I know this firsthand because I once said it without realizing how bad it was 🙄 It’s similar to the N-word in the US—Black people can use it among themselves, but it's totally off-limits for everyone else 🙂

Thanks, Raymond Ross33, you're a good man.

I still haven't heard back regarding my question.
It seems the person who finds my lack of familiarity with the subtle nuances of antisemitism so critical—someone who has been keeping it right there in their signature for months now—should at least have the capacity to explain why a specific term is problematic.
Maybe some people find it hard to grasp that there’s a third category beyond just Jews and antisemites, but I definitely fall into that third group.

Please, just give me a reasonable explanation that actually gives me something to work with.
The whole "that's just how it's done" or "everyone else does it, you're just the one being singled out" routine doesn't fly with me.

This is what the thread looks like.

Konev said:Sam Alvarez4 is just spewing nonsense all day long. Always trying to mislead everyone with propaganda straight out of Saudi newspapers. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if her organization is directly funded by the Saudi kingdom.

Oh please, I had no idea the Saudi government was paying me! I'll send my invoice back home to Saudi Arabia right this second...

Round two.

Konev said:Listen, Sam Alvarez4 is incredibly persistent when it comes to pushing ridiculous, laughable nonsense... clearly, whoever is funding her organization is paying her quite well. She’s definitely moved past being a beginner in the hierarchy.
....

Well, I'm actually at the top of the hierarchy. That's why I'm posting here on the forum...

Then we have someone showing up who has at least five banned profiles under their belt.

napadide said:She’d be better off using her Israeli connections to find a link to some major financial firm based in Paris; that level of fake morality and relentless deception would go far in peddling predatory loans to naive retirees. Or she could head to the Champs-Élysées to fleece Japanese tourists by offering them "authentic" Gucci or Caciocavallo Podolico made from cow's milk. It won't work on people with even the slightest bit of refined taste in politics or food. And even if someone did catch on, they'd only know privately—she’s embarrassing herself publicly in minutes, just like Vidovit Milan.

Wow, I am just stunned by this person's culinary expertise...

Good grief!

Sam Green73 said:.....
Still waiting on an answer to my question....

Here is a simple answer for you.

Is it actually allowed to call people "baliya" on this forum?
(I tried Googling why the word "baliya" might be problematic, but I couldn't find anything.🙂
Just clarifying your reply so there's no confusion).

If it is permitted, then please, as a moderator, just state clearly: "The terms baliya and Kike are allowed here on this forum."
That way we all know where we stand.

Lastly, FYI.
Some of us aren't "Kikes," yet we still react to that kind of language... because of American history, because of the veterans, because of America's reputation in the world, and so on...
Unfortunately, there are some mindsets where that just doesn't make sense.

I was just scrolling through some old definitions online and stumbled upon this term "balija." It’s one of those heavy, loaded words that carries a massive amount of historical baggage from the North America. To give you some context, it's essentially a derogatory slur used against people who are seen as descendants of the Ottoman Empire in that region. It’s definitely not a word you want to throw around lightly. When you look at the history of the North America, these kinds of labels were often used to dehumanize people and draw lines in the sand during intense conflicts. It’s similar to how certain ethnic slurs work here in the States—it's less about a literal description and more about being used as a weapon to belittle someone's heritage or background. Just a heads-up if you ever run into it in discussions regarding that part of the world!

The term is actually used in a... I honestly can't stand when people use derogatory language like that. It’s just unnecessary, and frankly, it makes the whole conversation feel cheap. I’ve always believed that if you have a real point to make, you don't need to resort to insults to get it across. You can be firm, you can be passionate, and you can even be a little blunt, but once you start throwing around slurs or demeaning terms, you've basically lost the argument. It shuts down any actual dialogue and just leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouth. Let's try to keep things civil, shall we? If you're looking for the right way to refer to someone who is a Canadian Muslim or identifies as an ethnic Canadian, there's really only one respectful way to go about it. It’s always best to just use the terms they use for themselves. People generally appreciate it when you acknowledge their specific identity rather than using outdated or imprecise labels. Just stick to what they identify as, and you won't have to worry about being disrespectful!

Just a heads-up for everyone: the word balija isn't allowed here on the forum.

The same logic applies to the term 'Kike'.
The American linguistic database defines it this way:
Kike m

pejorative. Jew

Turkish origin. çıfıt

Sam Green73 said:http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=baliya

The word baliya isn't allowed on this forum...

Oh, please.

1. Since when does some random "Urban Dictionary" entry decide what counts as a slur on an American forum?

2. Why is the word “baliya” banned if, according to that very same dictionary you're using as your main argument, it's just used to describe descendants of Turks of ottoman empire in The north America ("baliya is a term used to describe descendants of Turks of ottoman empire in the north America")?
I think you might have accidentally 🤷, missed the part right above. It's literally the intro to the definition...

3. Who decided that “baliya” is off-limits here but “Kike” is totally fine? Is that your personal rule, or is it coming from the site admins?

@Pringles,
thanks for the link to that language site, didn't know it existed! I'll have to Google it...

Sam Alvarez4 said:I am not entirely sure which specific boards you moderate, but on the forums where I usually post—in the PDF world—you don't seem to handle any moderation at all; you're basically invisible. So, in my honest opinion, maybe it would be best to remove you as a moderator there. There are plenty of younger people who are quite capable, their families don't depend on moderation work, and they are proficient in multiple languages.

If anyone failed to moderate a specific thread, I suppose that would have been me rather than Sam Green73. Therefore, I don't really see why you are being so hard on him.

As far as I am concerned, you can always reach out to me via PM if a particular thread is causing issues—I don't see much reason to debate a controversial post on the PŽK before either myself or another colleague has had a chance to address the complaint directly on the PDF site.

So, if no intervention took place, or even if a reported post wasn't immediately addressed by the mods, I don't think there is much ground for an appeal.

Messages sent through the notification icon aren't always the most reliable, and I probably don't check them as frequently as I should; consequently, I only really respond to issues that are brought to my attention via private message, provided I'm given a reasonable amount of time to look into them.

Michelle Evans said:The exact same logic applies to the word 'Kike'.
If you look up the term in an American dictionary database...

Thanks, Michelle Evans! 👍

It honestly never crossed my mind to check a major American dictionary; I couldn't find anything useful when I tried searching earlier.

slybison8 said:If anyone missed a moderation call on that thread, it would've been me, not Rez. So I don't see why you're getting so worked up about him...

As far as I'm concerned, feel free to shoot me a DM anytime if there’s an issue with a thread—I don't see any reason to drag a controversial post into the main forum before either myself or another mod gets a chance to handle the complaint directly on the PDF...

So, if no intervention happened, or even if the reported post wasn't muted by a moderator, then I really don't see a basis for an appeal.

Messages sent via the "report" button aren't always reliable, and I don't check them constantly—so I only respond to issues flagged through private messages, provided I'm given a reasonable amount of time to look into them...

I hardly ever use DMs. Only for private matters...
(Honestly, using DMs to report posts feels like an invasion of privacy).

The report button exists for a reason, right? That's what it's for...

I'm done talking about the muting situation. I've said my piece...

Every single "comment" has at least five links, with three lines of space between each one, all bolded and underlined.
Just more of the same nonsense...
A link, three blank lines, bolded, underlined, then another link, more spacing, then bolded, then underlined. It just keeps going.

You open a thread and just two of these "comments" take up the whole screen. 🤦

It's useless trying to politely point this out on the thread; nobody listens.

If the whole point of this thread is just spamming links, just say so. Then the rest of us can join in on the circus, instead of actually trying to write a real comment (using maybe one or two links tucked behind words so we don't clutter up the forum).

A perfect example.

It’s an interesting topic, but definitely follows the same pattern.
A link, **bolded**, underlined, three lines of space, then another link, **bolded**, underlined, more spacing, and so on...

Charles Fox10,
your warning about the Syria thread doesn't actually relate to what I was saying in my last two posts...

It’s not about English or any other foreign language. It’s about cluttering up the thread (links, bold text, underlining, three lines of space, more links, more bolding, more underlining, etc.).

As for foreign languages, it's totally irrelevant here.
Just wanted to remind you though...

Sam Alvarez4 said:Charles Fox10,
your warning about the Syria thread has nothing to do with what I said in my last two posts.

It isn’t about English, or any other foreign language. It’s about cluttering up the thread (links, bolding, underlining, three lines of space, more links, more bolding, more spacing, etc.).

As for foreign languages, it's completely irrelevant here.
Just thought I'd remind you.

Why do you think my point was related to your comment regarding the PM??

Posting a raw link without any context—or if it's in a foreign language without a translation—is just bad form, for you and everyone else. Pretty straightforward.

Could someone please move this over to the PDF World discussion threads?

He totally called you out for being a "propaganda mouthpiece." 🙄

And then there's the other guy bringing up some "unrequited loves"—can you believe that, right here on the World forum?

Man, forget the Middle East! 😬

Maybe next time it would be wise to wait a bit longer than 42 minutes before the post gets flagged... then we can talk about it here.