You guys have officially hit rock bottom

• Violations of US law (specifically regarding hate speech or discrimination, justifying or glorifying criminal acts, copyright infringement, pedophilia, animal cruelty, etc.)

The very first person to complain about this thread was slapped with a ban.

Is it even necessary to point out that these kinds of antics usually end with the police getting involved?

While the opening post outlines the legal boundaries, if you follow how the thread is progressing, you'll see blatant calls for physical violence, for instance:

technotronic said:Grab some ice from LED, freeze some water, and just coat the whole damn path in ice, so everyone can go ahead and break their legs.

The thread should be OFF, but one female user was clearly losing her mind over the topic and received this response: Honestly, how disgusting. What kind of conversation is that?

This entire discussion is saturated with extreme discrimination.
Now, I suppose you'll argue that punishing a child for being MK is somehow "above" the rules of the Forum?

judolino said:We’re just having a massive blast over there...

In a huge percentage of cases, yes. Most seriously: MK is, for the most part, a place for high-level trolling and jokes.

That is precisely why I find it so confusing when people—especially the moderators, but others too—start showing solidarity with that tiny (we're talking low single digits) fraction of users who hide behind this "just joking" excuse while dropping completely serious rhetoric.

Let me give you an example: I’d bet anything that if you encountered a sentence announcing a definitive street cleaning where someone wrote, "To protect ourselves from this vile disease, we won't just take to the streets, we will establish order so they become a safe extension of our childhood backyards where our kids can grow up without having to look at this [slur] filth"—and you personally swapped out "[slur]" for something like "leftist scum"—you would have reacted with a level of apathy usually reserved for a rainy Monday in Seattle 🙂—yet that sentence sat there untouched for four days, only getting banned today after a massive uproar on the main Forum via an administrator intervention, rather than a moderator's action.

Can we all just agree that this (unpunished until today's admin move, and still unedited) sentence doesn't qualify as "just a joke"?

On the flip side, Chuck is currently (if you want to call it secondary 🙂) banning this post for "violating sub-forum rules."

If that isn't blatant moderator favoritism, then I don't know what is.

I stumbled upon this thread last night after someone brought it up while they were filing a complaint about that Hyperactive kids topic, so I decided to hop in and see what all the fuss was about. Honestly? This isn't going to stay up for long.

rustydrifter10 said:I stumbled upon this thread last night—someone mentioned it while they were filing a complaint over that Hyperactive kids topic—so I decided to pop in and see what all the fuss was about. This isn't going to stay the way it is for long.

The bottom line here is that the moderators are absolutely enabling the current state of this thread, which becomes painfully obvious if you look at how they handle that other topic.

Meanwhile, their go-to defense—which, I have to admit, is crafted with quite a bit of cunning and "wisdom"—is to play the victim. They basically claim that "enemies of all colors want to sterilize MK, we’re just having a little fun here, and if you can't take a joke or have any sense of humor in life, then maybe you should just delete MK, the Forum, and the entire Internet..."

Author,
I find myself checking this thread periodically, primarily as a preventative measure rather than out of a deep fascination with the specific subject matter. I have observed certain patterns over the last few weeks since this was launched—though, admittedly, I haven't scrutinized every single entry. To be perfectly clear, I do not read every individual post within the PDF files I moderate, nor do I possess the luxury of time to do so. My involvement, specifically regarding the removal of content and utilizing various administrative tools, occurs strictly after a report has been filed; it is toward this process that I direct all well-meaning users of this thread and the entire Forum.
Once reports are submitted, we generally sweep away the clutter, the insults, and the nonsense—in fact, several posts have been scrubbed and removed within the last 24 hours alone. One particular user managed to rack up 500 points for just two posts, bringing their total to 1,000.
It is truly a pity that you could not simply wait until morning—say, until 8:00 AM—after filing your reports at 3:00 AM to allow us time to process them; instead, you rushed here mere minutes later to open this thread, rather than reaching out via private message to me or any other moderator.

And so, the duty officers are left to face the fallout, ready to pull whatever arguments they can from their sleeves. While we are on the subject...

Nicholas King said:The crux of the matter is that the moderators absolutely support the current state of this thread, which becomes glaringly obvious when one observes how this very discussion is being moderated.

Furthermore, there is a recurring mantra—which I must admit is quite cleverly and cunningly phrased—whereby people play the victim by claiming that "enemies of all stripes want to sterilize MK, and that we are just having a laugh; if you lack a sense of humor or a life, then you might as well delete MK, the Forum, and the entire Internet altogether."

I appreciate your unsolicited tutorial on whether or not the moderators are supportive, but there is absolutely no need to speak on our behalf, especially when you are peddling falsehoods.
Personally, I am completely opposed to any incitement of violence or the verbal abuse of others.
I have missed certain posts because I do not monitor this thread daily, but rather check it upon receiving a report (or occasionally scanning a page or two preemptively). Please, feel free to continue your little crusade of digging through threads to sniff out rule-breaking posts—just so you can fabricate the narrative that the moderators are complicit. 😵 By all means, if that brings you joy and serves as the primary purpose of your existence on this Forum, go right ahead.

Aaron Harris2 said:—there’s really no need to speak on our behalf.

I am speaking solely and exclusively for myself. As for the rest of you—well, two out of three of you are already making plenty of noise, so I don't think I need to step in and offer any assistance.

I haven't seen some of the posts, since I don't check this thread every single day—I usually just pop in when I get a notification (or occasionally browse a page or two just to stay ahead of things).

So, what you're suggesting is that the sentence I copy-pasted sat there completely unpunished for four days—right up until today's decree from Tyndall—simply because none of the three moderators spent those four days monitoring a thread that was obviously going to be explosive from the very start? Honestly, it's been a long time since I've witnessed such blatant moderator self-criticism—or rather, a confession of sheer negligence.

Now, it actually puts things in a bit of an awkward position, because one has to choose between two lesser evils: either this heated thread sat ignored by every single mod for four days, or someone *was* watching, yet they didn't find the announcement about cleaning up the streets to be problematic in the slightest.

It is quite evident that you are attempting to speak on our behalf when you claim we support calls for violence or similar rhetoric—behavior which I am formally requesting the administration to prohibit, as I have absolutely no desire to squander my precious time here or drafting lengthy documents just to convince you that such violent sentiments are not supported by us.
Indeed, there were several days where certain posts went unsanctioned simply because they escaped our notice; after all, some moderators are not present on the Forum every single day, which is an expected reality in any organization where there isn't sufficient funding to properly compensate the work being performed.

Utilizing the report function is a perfectly sophisticated solution, and I strongly urge all users to make use of it.

Aaron Harris2 said:some moderators aren't even active on the Forum every single day

It would actually be quite helpful if one of you three could just list out how many posts each of you managed to write during those days when you weren't hanging around the Forum.

The subject here—which, let’s be honest, has been obvious since the very first post—is high-stakes. It is incredibly unusual for a moderator to explicitly state they haven't been monitoring a thread.

Take, for instance, the case where a warning wasn't issued for one post, yet was handed out for another one I mentioned—not to mention that whole mess regarding the thread about Hyperactive kids. To me, the arguments used to claim that you are supporting those who promote violence (and I am quoting here: "supporting this kind of thread state")—well, it isn't exactly difficult to distinguish between that specific phrasing and the accusation that the moderators themselves are "supporting violence."

I have already made it abundantly clear that I do not follow his every move on a daily basis; rather, I monitor things sporadically. Given that I am currently tracking hundreds of different threads spread across two massive PDF files and three smaller ones, I fail to see where the confusion lies. 🤷
While I have indeed been active on the Forum, I was simply not participating in that specific thread. Some of us barely frequent the site at all—and frankly, what is the issue with that?

Regrettably, because I have actual responsibilities to attend to IRL, I cannot spend my entire day locked in an argument with you 😵 regarding why a particular post didn't warrant a three or four-day penalty.
Furthermore, you aren't even answering the question I posed within the thread that is also documented in this PDF.
Therefore, my responses here are primarily intended to assist a certain user whom I hope will reach out, especially when she encounters a post that requires reporting (whether via a report or a PM). That is all I have to say on the matter, and I am signing off.

Aaron Harris2 said:Look, I follow hundreds of threads across two major subreddits and three other forums. What exactly is so confusing about that? 🤷

What isn't clear is why you're stepping up to take on responsibilities that—if we're being honest and looking at your own words—you clearly aren't equipped to handle properly.

The world isn't going to stop spinning if you scale back those massive numbers to a level you actually have the capacity and the desire to manage decently.

BTW, regarding the part where you asked us moderators—it’s not that the post wasn't penalized for four days, it's that it wasn't penalized at all. Tyndall was the one who handled it.

Sometimes moderators just can't keep up with every single thread, especially when they're juggling a bunch of different PDF files at once. Honestly, anyone is entitled to take a breather and step back for a moment if they feel like they need it.

That being said, I totally agree that threads dealing with more sensitive subject matter—the kind where rules are easily broken—really should be prioritized and given some extra attention by the mod team.

Since Deedy mentioned he hasn't had much time to moderate lately because this topic got pushed aside by other things, I think it’s perfectly fine to let someone handle a heavy workload or life stuff occasionally without making it a permanent thing. There's really no point in continuing to call him out for it, so I’d appreciate it if we could just drop it.

Aaron Harris2 said:Look,
I check this thread periodically, mostly as a preventative measure rather than out of a deep fascination with the subject matter itself. I’ve noticed certain things over the last few weeks since it went live, though I haven't caught everything. Why? Because I don't read every single post. It isn't my job to sift through every PDF I moderate, and frankly, I don't have the bandwidth for it. My involvement—whether it's archiving or using other administrative tools—typically happens after a report is filed, which is exactly what I'm suggesting to all the well-meaning users here.
Once reports come in, we generally clear out the garbage, the insults, and the nonsense. In fact, several posts were scrubbed or archived within the last 24 hours. One user actually racked up 1,000 points just by making two posts that triggered those penalties.
I honestly wish you had just waited until morning—say, after 8:00 AM instead of filing reports at 3:00 AM and then immediately rushing here to start a new thread one minute later. You could have also just sent me or another moderator a private message.

I’ve been waiting over a week for any kind of reaction to this thread. I spotted the issue on the forum immediately, so the suggestion that I should have waited "a few more hours" doesn't hold water; I waited for many, many hours and absolutely nothing happened.

My intention was to open this thread specifically to get the controversial one locked down because it violates US federal laws, and given the nature of the title, it's the kind of thing that could bring the FBI right to our doorstep. Advocacy groups report this kind of stuff all the time. While reading through, I ran into some incredibly disrespectful posts, so I reported them. Regardless, I assumed no one would be penalized anyway, seeing as one guy who actually had the nerve to say this shouldn't be planned was already slapped with a red card.

It's baffling to me that you even allow something like this to remain active on the forum. The whole point is that you saw the thread. If you were acting as a competent moderator, you should have realized it violated the law, locked the thread, issued a red card to the author, and moved on.

frozenowl3 said:I’m totally over this thread, but I couldn't help noticing how one user clearly lost her cool over the topic and ended up getting hit with this response which is just honestly gross—talk about a nasty way to handle a conversation.

It's such a huge contrast to the quoted post, which is actually brimming with intelligence and genuine good intentions.

My post was deleted. Bravo. Real class act.

Come on, rustydrifter10, deal with this yellow card right now. I've already got my email drafted and sitting there; all I have to do is hit send.

frozenowl3 said:You deleted my post. Bravo. Truly impressive work.

I can't believe we're still debating this. It’s almost comical how much energy people pour into such a fundamentally flawed premise. Honestly, I’ve seen more logical reasoning in a late-night infomercial than in some of these arguments. Look, I remember sitting in a lecture hall back in college, listening to a professor drone on about economic theory, and even then, the sheer lack of practical application was glaring. We're doing the same thing here. You can dress up the data all you want, but if the underlying foundation is cracked, the whole structure is going to collapse eventually. It’s just basic math at this point. rustydrifter10 seems to think there’s some hidden nuance being missed, but let’s be real: there isn't. It’s a straightforward issue that everyone is overcomplicating to feel important. We need to stop dancing around the obvious and actually address the core problem instead of chasing these endless, superficial tangents.

rustydrifter10, sort this yellow card situation out right now. I’ve already got the email drafted and sitting there; all I need is for you to give me the green light so I can finally hit send.

By the way, I have officially reported the insults directed at me in this thread, and I fully expect the necessary disciplinary actions to be taken against the offender.

I suspect nobody will actually have the bandwidth to sit down and review the entire thing today. If this isn't fully sorted out by midnight, I’m sending out an email.

frozenowl3 said:Well, you went and deleted my post. Round of applause for that one, I guess!

I honestly can't believe how much this whole situation is starting to feel like a broken record! It’s almost funny if it weren't so incredibly frustrating. You see these patterns repeating over and over again, and yet, here we are, right back at square one. I was reading what rustydrifter10 had to say earlier, and I have to agree—there's just a fundamental misunderstanding happening here. It feels like everyone is talking past each other instead of actually addressing the core issue. People are getting so caught up in the noise that they're missing the forest for the trees, you know? And then there's the way people react to any kind of change. It’s like as soon as a new policy or a different approach is suggested, the immediate response is just pure, unadulterated pushback without even considering why the shift was necessary in the first place. It reminds me of those endless debates you see on cable news where nobody actually listens; everyone just waits for their turn to shout. I really think if we could just take a step back and look at the bigger picture—the actual impact this has on everyday Americans—we wouldn't be having this same circular argument for the hundredth time. But I guess that’s asking too much of people these days, isn't it? We need more nuance and less knee-jerk reactions if we ever want to make any real progress.

Come on, rustydrifter10, please just take care of this yellow card situation right now—I've already got the email typed up and ready to go, I just need you to hit send!

Yeah, just so you know, actually commenting on a moderator warning does earn you 30 points. If you're looking to appeal a strike or a card, there's already a specific thread set up just for that purpose!

The moderator really shouldn't have been allowed to go in and edit your post like that!

Oh, naturally, that’s how it looks—you'll all just cross your arms and go right back to surfing the web like nothing happened...

frozenowl3 said:Oh, sure, it totally looks that way—as if you’re all just going to cross your arms and keep scrolling through the internet without a care in the world...

Honestly, I couldn't care less about these kinds of attitudes. If anything, it's just sad how this kind of thing is treated as perfectly normal here in America, much like the rest of the Middle East. What really baffles me, though, is the reaction from the moderators and admins. They should have shut this thread down immediately, period. Especially considering the absolute circus of a debate that was happening here.
MOMIMGAY—you have my full support on this. In fact, I don't think this whole thread should have even been opened in the first place since it started back on May 8th, while the original topic dates back to April 26th. That is more than enough time for someone to step in and react.
At the end of the day, it's just the Middle East through and through.