What are the moderation criteria? - Chuck

Since nobody got back to me on the general complaints thread, I figured I’d just start a new one here.

I ended up getting two strikes right away on this thread:

and

My issue is that the moderation feels really unfair and selective.
If my posts were offensive, they were mostly just reacting to other equally offensive posts that didn't get flagged at all.

The whole discussion has spiraled out of control, and insults are flying everywhere.

It’s interesting, though—most of the debate stays somewhat civil until a certain group of users can't win an argument with actual facts or evidence, so they just pivot to personal attacks. Instead of the moderator stepping in to stop the conversation from turning into a shouting match, it's tolerated, and then the penalties seem to be applied selectively.

There are hundreds of posts before and after mine that haven't been flagged, even when they are straight-up insults.
Sure, my posts have some sarcasm and maybe a bit of an edge, but there's still an actual argument behind them.

Banning just my two posts while ignoring a sea of trolls feels like a way to dismiss someone's points entirely.

To give you an idea, look at this post:

ahhh Bradley Scott2...that guy is just too frustrated because he can't see his own dick from his desk, who wouldn't be in his shoes.

That is a direct ad hominem attack, even though I had basically stepped away from the debate because it was impossible to have a normal conversation.
That insult got a 10-point strike, yet my posts got 30 points, even though I wasn't being personally abusive like that.

And it doesn't stop there; the same user comments on the moderation just a few posts later:

But there's no strike for that either, just like there are generally no strikes when people throw insults or constantly use strawman arguments, even against the moderator.

Sorry for the delay; I missed your complaint earlier.

Not sure how a colleague from the engineering department gets sucked into those ideologies. Too much time spent hanging out with the philosophy majors next door?

It seems like you and Ashley Rodriguez20 are always trying to drag the debate down to your level—using nonsense to drown us out with "experience."

The answer is that turning a discussion into a personal attack, or an ad hominem, isn't allowed—especially when it includes insults.

Charles Fox10 said:Sorry for the delay, I honestly didn't see your complaint until now.

And the verdict is that I resorted to personal attacks or ad hominem, which isn't allowed, especially when paired with insults.

If my posts are worth a penalty (and I’m not saying they aren't), then at least one out of every four or five posts in this thread qualifies. You docked me 30 points twice, while Skldz only got 10 for direct insults without any provocation. Previously, my posts earned 10 points while his earned 30.

What exactly was "ad hominem" about my posts?
Could you clarify that for me?

Is it an ad hominem to tell someone to "use their brain" when they're performing insane mental gymnastics that defy all logic (which is how this whole discussion is going)?
And is it an insult to jokingly suggest someone is just trying to drag you down to their level by acting like an expert? That female user responded to that post in the exact same way.

Because, again, some women here post incredibly offensive things every other time, including in threads I've replied to.
The moderator allows them to derail discussions, spam the thread, and use strawman arguments. They even get away with insulting people and making false accusations.

Even you felt how that went down in this specific thread, having to defend yourself against senseless accusations.

Skldz gets 10 points for an unprovoked insult.

You're right. I'll ask the moderator to fix this.

Let’s try being halfway decent for once here... Skldz2904 is only talking to you like this because they disagree with you, even though the guy was being perfectly polite until you flipped out.

You didn't get banned for this one... just a little gift from our moderator...

"Let's be objective.
You're a mangin, and you're buying into all those ideological feminist tropes, gender ideology, and other 'liberal' delusions that have crawled into the social sciences.
To you, it all makes sense.
To someone who looks at the world through a more rational, realistic lens, it probably looks like straight-up brainwashing.

Sorry, you totally failed the brainwashing test."

So now we're back to... "And you failed?"

And now you're playing the victim? 😕

Ashley Rodriguez20 said:You weren't banned for this... it was purely at the discretion of our moderator...

And now you're playing the victim? 😕

What exactly? Should someone be banned for saying this? Honestly, if this is how we're going to bring in the authorities and censor users, then just shut the whole forum down already. I’d hate for people to claim this is the premier online community in the country, only to realize that all those deleted posts and bans were actually just a way to manufacture a false consensus...

I'm not even sure if I should be weighing in here, but I saw another user doing it, so I suppose it's permitted. If I'm overstepping, my apologies...

I don't see any issue here if I can just start calling Bradley Scott2 "crybaby" from now on,

So come on, let the moderator weigh in and settle this once and for all.

As for me, you know I couldn't care less about any of this.

Ashley Rodriguez20 said:I don't see any issue if I start calling Bradley Scott2 a mangin from now on.

Let the moderator weigh in and settle this once and for all.

Not that I particularly care either way.

No.

Charles Fox10 said:You're right, I'll ask the moderators to fix that.

Are you going to fix those two warnings you handed out to me too, or at least explain what was actually so offensive about them?
By that logic, you could have flagged half the posts in this thread.

Charles Fox10 said:Nah.

Look, we all know I’m basically a mangin in a fancy way—basically just saying he's a total wuss.
So if we're cool with using that label, can we finally agree on a solid American equivalent for calling him a complete crybaby? 😁

Ashley Rodriguez20 said:We all know I'm basically a softie when I say someone's just being a total wimp.

That term is actually a pretty specific way to describe how certain guys act and their whole outlook on life.
How would you even label them?
Try coming up with an American slang term for it.

I don't see why anyone would take offense at it.
Some people get offended if you call them old, or if you address a woman as "ma'am" or "miss," or whatever.
And honestly, nowadays you can't even call a thief a thief without worrying about getting sued for emotional distress... everyone's so sensitive...

As for what I said about the Duluth model—yeah, it's brainwashing. I could say that on TV or right in the middle of Times Square. Go ahead and sue me; I'll just bring five experts to court who will back me up.

Bradley Scott2 said:"Mangin" is actually a pretty precise way to describe how certain guys act and their whole outlook on life.
So what would you call them?
Try coming up with some American slang for it.

I honestly don't see why anyone would find that offensive.
Some people get triggered when you call them an old geezer, or if you call a woman "ma'am" instead of "miss," or whatever.
And for heaven's sake, nowadays you can't even call a thief a thief without them suing you for emotional distress... everyone is just so incredibly sensitive these days...

As for what I said about the Duluth model—yeah, it's total brainwashing. I could say that on TV or right in the middle of Times Square. Go ahead, sue me; I'll just show up to court with five happy people ready to back me up.

I’m totally with you on all that, which is why I’d love to be able to call you and people like you "crybabies." I don't get how you can claim there's nothing offensive about it, since we all know exactly what that implies, but hey, Charles Fox10 says it's fine, so I guess it is! 😢

Ashley Rodriguez20 said:We all know my way of saying someone's a total pushover is just being "refined."
If we're using those kinds of labels, can we finally agree on an American equivalent for calling Cukic a complete coward? 😁

No. We aren't going to trade insults or mock one another. Whatever you feel the need to say, say it while actually respecting the person you're talking to.

Charles Fox10 said:Nah, we aren't doing the whole insults and mocking thing here. Just say what you need to say while actually showing some damn respect to the people you're talking to.

Exactly. It's like how calling someone a mangin—you know, that specific blend of man and... well, let's just say it's basically the same level of insult as calling someone a little bitch. Honestly, who needs an entire English dictionary just to find different ways to be equally rude?

Ashley Rodriguez20 said:Exactly. That's why using terms like "man + vagina = mangin" or translating it as something like "little guy" feels just as ridiculous. I don't see why we even need English slang for something that isn't even polite to begin with.

Look, whether you like it or not, the term "mangin" is going to be everywhere in the next couple of years. It's just like how the manosphere is spreading all over the US. Trying to stop it is basically like trying to stop the tide.

Bradley Scott2 said:Look, whether you like it or not—this whole "alpha male" trend is going to be everywhere for the next few years. It's just like the manosphere phenomenon we see all over the US. Anyone trying to put a stop to it might as well try to stop the tide from coming in.

Buh, if we don't stay on our best behavior, you'll all start coming up with all sorts of nasty names for us...
🤣

Bradley Scott2 said:Look, whether you’re down with it or not, this whole "alpha male" nonsense is going to be everywhere for the next few years. It’s already taking over the manosphere, and honestly, it's hitting the US just as hard. Anyone trying to block this movement might as well try to stop a tidal wave.

Oh please, we’ve already got plenty of local slang for cowards and weaklings right here in the States, so we don't exactly need to wait for an import. It really just comes down to whether we're allowed to say it, not whether we don't know how.😁

Ashley Rodriguez20 and Nancy Johnson17, honestly, this constant whining in every single thread about "white knights" is just plain distasteful.

Can't you see I'm literally out here fighting for free speech?😁

I didn't come all this way just to whine about some random nonsense, I came for Felix!

So now I'm seeing that you're actually against us being allowed to call people crybabies?🙂>

What am I even supposed to think about this "freedom of speech" thing you're preaching now?

Ashley Rodriguez20 said:Can't you see I'm actually arguing for free speech?😁

I didn't come here to nitpick about the rules, I was just asking for FedEx.

🙂So now I see you're also against calling people out for being total cowards?

What am I supposed to think about this "free speech" thing of yours now?

Where did you get the idea that I'm against it?

FedEx wasn't complaining, he was just questioning why the criteria vary. But I already told him he’s being naive; an intelligent person should probably understand why things work this way. Honestly, by even trying to hunt for justice, he basically just showed how weak his position is.