The moderator's blatant chauvinism is shocking

I don't usually bother reading most of the threads in politics—or anything remotely related to it, really—but I ended up scrolling down here because of some completely different topic, and honestly? I just have to weigh in on this one.

On this thread that just got wrapped up— Look, I haven’t actually had any direct run-ins with moderator Daniel Ward87 on this board before—nothing personal, just observing from the sidelines—but the guy has now dropped three separate, incredibly well-crafted, chauvinistic insults aimed at our entire nation. It's honestly wild. He specifically said, "the American people are more severely retarded," then followed it up with "that we, as a nation, are more severely retarded," and even went as far as calling us "an example of retardation as a nation..." Just absolutely unhinged stuff.

Two more moderators popped up in this same thread—one of them trying to play the classic "not all Mexicans, just some" card to differentiate things in the debate. At the exact same time, he didn't say a single word when the other moderator basically called an entire nation retarded. Look, let’s be real here: if any other group, race, community, or collective in the world had been targeted instead of Americans, those posts would have been sanctioned immediately. It wouldn't have been an issue. Even Daniel Ward87 admits this, though he tries to justify his stance by saying:

I consider myself part of the "nation" too, so I guess that means I've gone and lumped myself into the same bucket.

Of course, the moderator isn't just throwing out generalizations—he’s actually trying to back them up with "evidence," citing Bill Clinton and Markić's as proof of how brainless Americans can be. But here’s the thing—he’s stepping way outside the lines of describing an entire nation. He’s narrowing his target, pinning that label of stupidity specifically onto certain segments of the population—namely, those who "voted for Bill Clinton twice" and "worship Željka Markić like some Catholic heroine." Now, look—philosophically, empirically, or even theoretically, there is absolutely no way to prove that an entire nation is out there voting for Bill Clinton or treating Željka Markić like a saint (and if you want empirical proof, you could just go check the election results to debunk that part easily)—so Daniel Ward87 is essentially reserving that insult for the specific groups he blames for those two particular choices.

It’s not just that—we actually know for a fact that at least one person from that group doesn't vote for Bill Clinton or celebrate Željko Markić, and that person happens to be Daniel Ward87. Which means—think about this—he can't exactly slap that "retarded" label on every single person in that nation without running into a problem. It proves his generalizations are totally off base, because there's clearly a segment of that population that you can actually hold accountable for those kinds of actions.

Look, we’ve got two massive problems here. First off, there’s this blatant, pure-grade chauvinism toward the nation—honestly, it’s about as philosophically deep and nuanced as saying, "Jews are retarded because they killed Jesus Christ." It's just lazy. Second—and this is where it gets messy—is the fact that this is a broken, fractured generalization. You've got people tacking on voting patterns and celebrations to back it up, which somehow leads to the conclusion that Daniel Ward87 is targeting one specific subset of people within the nation he's attacking. But here's the thing: any argument you use to support a generalization inherently breaks that very generalization. Every single time. If you're making an extreme generalization, it's fundamentally wrong by its own logic. Period.

I'm not even going to get into how weak the actual arguments are—it’s just wild to see such incredibly collectivist thinking coming from a moderator, honestly.

Look, I’m all for absolute freedom of speech—I really am. And obviously, a moderator has every right to voice their own opinions, even if they happen to be way more controversial than what was just said here. In fact, I’d go as far as labeling this particular take as "Mein Kampf-esque"—that's a pretty heavy descriptor, and I can certainly dive into why if anyone actually wants to hear the breakdown. But, as long as someone isn't actively calling for violence against that specific group—which, let's be clear, has certain... shall we say, "intellectual deficiencies"—then it's fair game. Even the author of *Mein Kampf* avoided direct calls for violence in the book itself, though he certainly made his intentions crystal clear later on. So, given how much we preach about programmed free speech, I don't think any red cards should be handed out here. Instead, I think we need to have a serious conversation about the actual criteria for becoming a moderator—especially when there's such blatant chauvinism directed at a specific ethnic minority spread across the US, Canada, Mexico, and several other neighboring states. I'm listing those places because, honestly, in any mainstream American forum within those regions, a user who displayed this level of aggressive hatred toward a national minority would have been stripped of their moderator status immediately. It just wouldn't fly.

rowdylynx98 said:On this thread that just got locked, , the moderator Daniel Ward87—who I haven't really dealt with here before—used some pretty uniquely crafted chauvinistic insults against our nation. To quote him: "the American people are more severely retarded," "that we as a nation are more severely retarded," and "an example of retardation in how we act as a nation..."

Why do I call it a "uniquely crafted insult"? Because I truly believe that, and I laid out a few reasons why, even if I didn't cover everything. Just because I brought up Bill Clinton or Markić's doesn't mean I'm only targeting a specific slice of the electorate. It’s like how you could point out how political parties of any stripe constantly screw over the public regarding old-school partisan divides, yet Americans never seem to vote in a way that sends a clear message that they're sick of the talk and just want solutions to the economic crisis. That applies to the whole country, not just voters for one specific party.

I'm standing by what I said. If I earned a warning, then give me all five.

Also, I'm not even going to touch that "Mein Kampf" style reasoning.

rowdylynx98 said:And I'm not even getting into how much that collective-minded thinking lacks quality for someone in a moderator role.

That's a conversation for another day. I'm sticking to my guns. Even after all these years since the war, our daily politics is still stuck debating those same old partisan factions, so I won't go down that rabbit hole now.

Daniel Ward87 said:Why is this insult so fascinatingly crafted? Seriously, that’s how I see it—I just laid out a few reasons why, not necessarily all of them. Just because I brought up Bill Clinton or Markić's doesn't mean I'm only targeting that specific slice of the electorate. For instance, you could talk about how political parties of any stripe constantly screw over the entire American people by dragging up old WWII-era baggage—you know, those endless debates about historical factions—and how Americans just don't bother voting for them anymore because they're sick of the drama and just want solutions to the economic crisis. That goes for the whole nation, not just voters for one party or another.

I'm telling you, that's my stance and I said what I said. If I deserve a warning, then fine, give me all five.

Also, I have zero intention of commenting on this "Mein Kampf" comparison at all.

There's plenty to argue about here. I'm sticking to my guns. It’s been decades since the war, yet our daily politics still revolves around these ancient historical divides—I won't even go there.

Right now, you haven't actually said anything other than that you stand by your views, which doesn't move the needle for us. We're left with the two problems I pointed out: chauvinism and that intellectually dishonest generalization where you're referring to a specific group of people living in America rather than the nation as a whole.

Bringing in a partisan, biased approach doesn't get us an inch closer to anything either—it just lets us spread the label of stupidity to a larger number of people in the States.

Let me throw out a few questions that might actually get us somewhere:

1) Is America just a little island of stupidity in Europe surrounded by nations that aren't stupid, or are you a globalist who thinks every single nation on Earth is just as clueless?

2) How does one escape the state of stupidity that Americans find themselves in? For example, would voting against Bill Clinton or a collective condemnation of Željka Markić be enough to say Americans have finally evolved into a non-stupid stage?

3) Does a nation become stupid because of historical circumstances, the culture established in the territory where they live, because of how they vote, or simply because someone else labels them that way?

4) Does the label of stupidity apply equally to everyone, or are there degrees? Like, is the guy loudly praising Željka Markić extremely stupid, while the guy praising her quietly is only slightly stupid?

5) Does the label apply equally to an American who is immersed in American culture every day living in the US, versus an American living in, say, Canada and being more exposed to Canadian culture?

6) And finally, just one question that you can actually answer instead of all these others, because it reveals everything about your logic: Are Mexicans a stupid nation just because they voted for Slobodan Milošević?

Actually, thinking about it now, maybe you're right that calling it "Mein Kampf-esque" is wrong. You can't draw that parallel because you have to consider that Adolf Hitler was thinking of "the other," whereas you aren't. Your chauvinism is more of an auto-chauvinism, and that changes the whole story.

rowdylynx98 said:You haven't really said anything new besides doubling down on your stance, which doesn't help us get anywhere. We’re still stuck on those two points I mentioned: blatant chauvinism and that intellectually dishonest generalization aimed at a specific group of people living in America, rather than the nation as a whole.

If you want to label me a chauvinist, hey, that's your call and you're entitled to your opinion. You didn't offend me, just so we're clear. Also, when I generalize, I'm being honest about my perspective. I'm an American citizen through and through—I work, I pay my taxes, I play by the rules, and I show up to vote. I don't hold any hate or aggression toward anyone, regardless of their politics, religion, or skin color. I've been following the political landscape since the early 90s, and having served as a long-time moderator here, I've seen enough of how Americans react to everything happening in our country to have a solid vantage point.

Taking all that into account—as objectively as one can—my personal take, my gut feeling, is that as a nation, we’re a bunch of losers, and honestly, pretty bad ones at that. That was my reaction to this thread, specifically that first post where a user claimed a comment by Silver Bear was offensive to 85% of religious Americans, comparing our society to places like Iran or Saudi Arabia where people face extreme violence for who they love.

The guy is asking for a ban because he thinks Silver Bear's post insulted 85% of believers. First off, how does he know it's offensive? Second, why 85%? Why not 100%? Third, if it truly is 85%, where did he get those numbers—was there some massive national poll? Fourth, since the mods didn't jump in immediately, he’s already decided we’re "ideologically biased," implying that if we don't punish him, we must agree with the sentiment and therefore aren't part of that 85%. It's a leap.

Personally, as a moderator, Harold Long21's post just annoys me. So what?

I'm not going to get bogged down in answering every single question you threw at me. This is a space for exchanging ideas and free speech. We all have the right to express ourselves within the guidelines of this Forum and the laws of the US. Therefore, I believe I have the right to think that we, as Americans, are a bit of a mess, and I should be allowed to say that publicly without breaking any rules.
If I actually broke a rule, go ahead and issue the penalty; I won't complain.

Daniel Ward87 said:If you think....

I suspect your reasoning might be slightly off—perhaps due to at least two specific factors:
1. On what basis can any of us be absolutely certain that you are an American living here and paying taxes in the US? There is always the possibility, I suppose, that one could be—for instance—a Canadian, or a Mexican, or a Canadian, and so on... someone who calls Americans (collectively) names simply because they are a bigot.

2. Suppose someone like Mladen Shwarcz were to join this discussion and start claiming that Jews are collectively unintelligent? Would he somehow possess immunity for such statements just because he happens to be a Jew himself?
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Of course, it seems quite likely that you are being sincere in your declarations, and I do follow your line of reasoning. All of that holds up,
However, I am inclined to believe that one should perhaps be more cautious with posts like these—mostly because there is a risk of setting a precedent. It's the kind of thing where haters or bigots could jump on your lead and argue (somewhat validly, I guess)—if he is allowed to say it, then why shouldn't I be able to as well?

Paul Kern12 said:I think your logic is off, and for at least two reasons:
1. How can any of us be absolutely certain you're actually an American living here and paying taxes? For all we know, you could be a Canadian, or a Mexican, or a Canadian... someone who just calls Americans (as a group) idiots because they're a bigot.

2. Let's say Mladen Shwarcz joins this thread and starts claiming Jews are collectively morons. Does he get a free pass to write like that just because he happens to be a Jew himself?
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Sure, there's a good chance you're being sincere, and I see where you're coming from. That much is true,
But I still think you have to be careful with posts like that. You might accidentally set a precedent that actual haters and bigots will jump on, essentially saying, "If he can get away with it, why can't I?"

If he happens to be a Mexican, why should that even matter??
If he is, then I guess I'm just a pure-blooded American putting a target on my own back for any potential enemy to aim at!!

Paul Kern12 said:I think you're off base with that logic, and honestly, there are at least two big reasons why.
How can we all be so sure you're actually an American living here and paying taxes? For all we know, you could be a Canadian, a Mexican, or a Canadian... someone just playing a part. You're out here calling Americans "idiots" like it's your job, which pretty much screams bigot.

You can't even deny it—that’s definitely an option on the table.

Paul Kern12 said:Let's say Mladen Shwarcz logs on here and starts claiming that Jews are collectively slow-witted. Does he get a free pass to post stuff like that just because he's a Jew himself?

Paul Kern12 said:Sure, there's a huge chance you're being totally sincere, and I definitely see where you're coming from. Everything you said makes sense.
I honestly think you have to be careful with posts like that. You don't want to set a precedent where haters or bigots can point at you and say, "Well, if they can get away with it, why shouldn't I?"—which, let's face it, isn't even a totally wrong argument.

I made my position crystal clear—this is exactly what I honestly believe. Just to be super clear though, I wasn't aiming that at any specific group of Americans or our voting bloc. Am I right to generalize like this, or am I overstepping the actual point of the debate?

Look, I’m not asking for any special treatment or trying to dodge consequences if the mods think I crossed a line. On this site, it isn't just about what you say, but how you go about saying it. If I broke the rules here or violated any U.S. laws by voicing my opinion that we've become a nation of losers, then fine—hand out the penalty.

Daniel Ward87 said:If you want to think I’m some kind of bigot—fine, that’s your call, and hey, you’re entitled to your opinion. It doesn't offend me, just so we're clear. Also, when I generalize, I'm being honest. I'm an American citizen—I live here, I pay my taxes, I don't cheat the system, and I actually show up to vote when elections roll around. Beyond that, I don't hate anyone. I don't carry any aggression toward any individual regardless of their politics, religion, skin color, whatever. I've been following the political scene since the early '90s, I've been a moderator for the Politics sub-forum for years, and even spent some time as a supermod, so I know a hell of a lot about the political landscape in America and how Americans react to it.

Taking all that into account—as objectively as anyone possibly could—my subjective take, my opinion, whatever you want to call it, is that I honestly believe we are a nation of morons, and a pretty intense bunch at that. That was my reaction to this thread, specifically the very first post, which basically said: "This post is being reported at 9:54 AM today because it's offensive to 85% (according to the latest census) of American believers, as well as to American society at large, which user Silver Bear puts on the same level as Iran or Saudi Arabia where they hang homosexuals in the street."

The guy is asking for a ban because another user thinks Silver Bear's comment is offensive to 85% of believers in America. First off, how does he even know that post is offensive? Second, why 85% of believers? Why not 100%? Third, if it *is* 85%, where did he get those numbers—did he run some sort of poll? Fourth, the post gets reported, and since the mods didn't jump on it immediately in the timeframe the user expected, he immediately starts painting them with an "ideological brush"—claiming that if they didn't sanction it right away, then they support it, meaning they agree with Silver Bear and aren't part of that 85% of believers... and he just keeps going with those assumptions.

Personally, that post by Harold Long21 offends me as a moderator. So what?

I have no intention of getting into a back-and-forth debate over the specific questions you've posed. This is a forum for exchanging ideas and free speech. We have the freedom and the right to express our views in accordance with the Forum rules, the sub-forum guidelines, and obviously, the laws of the United States. Therefore, I believe I have every right to think that we, as Americans, are a nation of idiots, and I am allowed to say that publicly without violating the aforementioned rules.
If I've broken any rules, go ahead and ban me—I won't complain.

Are Mexicans a retarded nation because they chose Slobodan Milošević as President of Mexico in the 1990 and 1992 elections?

Do you see what I'm doing with that question? Can you imagine how wrong that sounds when you write it about any other group?

And why would it matter how that user was born? As an American, a Canadian, a Yugoslav, a South African, a Muslim, or someone who doesn't identify with anything? Birth has nothing to do with opinions; that's just a distorted example of nationalism. There is absolutely no difference between saying "I hate Canadians because they were born Canadian" and "I hate Americans, and I have the right to say so because I was born an American."

rowdylynx98 said:Are Mexicans just stuck in a loop because they kept voting for Slobodan Milošević back in the 1990 and 1992 elections?

I honestly couldn't care less about Mexicans.

rowdylynx98 said:Do you get what I'm getting at with this question? Can you even imagine how wrong it sounds when you write it that way about any group of people?

I mean, whatever. I still think we act like a much tougher nation based on how Americans react to all this political stuff. How wrong or subjective that actually is... well, that's a whole other debate I won't get into here, mostly because I feel like we're looking at the wrong playbook entirely.

rowdylynx98 said:Why does it even matter where someone was born? Whether they're an American, a Canadian, a former Yugoslav, a South African, a Muslim, or just someone who doesn't pick a side—it shouldn't change anything. Where you come from doesn't dictate what you think; clinging to that is just a distorted version of nationalism. There’s honestly no difference between saying, "I hate Canadians because they were born Canadians," and saying, "I have the right to hate Americans because I was born an American." It's all the same logic.

It doesn't really matter. What matters is whether I actually broke any of the rules here on Forum.hr or violated any US laws while sharing my opinion. If I did, then I’ll face the consequences—plain and simple.

Daniel Ward87 As specified by:
That was just the reaction to... this threadWell, this is my first post, actually. I’m noting that this particular thread was flagged at 9:54 AM today because it’s just plain offensive. It goes against the values held by about 85% of the believers here in America, and frankly, it insults our entire society. It’s hard to wrap my head around how someone like Silver Bear can try to put us in the same category as places like Iran or Saudi Arabia, where they’re out there hanging people in the streets for being gay. That's just not who we are.

The guy is practically begging for a ban because another user on here thinks that Silver Bear's post was offensive to about 85% of believers in America. It makes me wonder, first off, how can he possibly claim to know that a single post would be offensive to such a massive group? Secondly, I have to ask—why specifically 85%? If it’s truly that widespread, why isn't he saying it affects 100% of the faithful? And thirdly, if he actually believes that 85% figure is accurate, where on earth is he getting his data? Did someone run some massive national poll that I missed, or is he just pulling numbers out of thin air?

I didn't mean to imply that the post was offensive to 85 out of 100 believers, but rather to the 85% of the general population who identified themselves as religious on the census—so there’s your survey results right there. If I phrased things a bit clumsily, you probably could have picked up on that yesterday, and I would have been more than happy to clear things up.

Daniel Ward87 said:Fourthly, the post was reported, and since the mods didn't step in exactly when that particular user thought they should, he immediately went ahead and labeled them with an "ideological bias." His logic is basically that if they aren't handing out sanctions right away, then they must be complicit—essentially claiming they share the same mindset as the Silver Bear and don't belong among the 85% of true believers. From there, you can probably just guess where his assumptions go next.

I honestly find that post by Harold Long21 to be such an insult to anyone who actually cares about fashion. It’s just completely out of line. So, what are we supposed to do now?

Fact number one: the moderator in charge, lonebadger6, was clearly active because I posted on that thread just an hour after the report went in, and there wasn't a single response. It’s pretty obvious he was online and saw the controversial post right when it happened.
Fact number two—the mods over at KLCCK are actually incredibly quick to jump in when they need to. I know, I know, I’m speaking purely from my own experience here, but they definitely don't waste any time. 😁 )
Fact number three—the moderator Ball actually stepped in and shut her down after just a few hours, rather than lonebadger6 doing it.

And honestly, we can just keep pretending we don't see what's right in front of us if that makes everyone feel better.

It’s such a shame Vojislav Šešelj doesn't have a profile here; as someone with deep American roots, he could really use a breather, or perhaps that notorious Schwarz who isn't even trying to hide his heritage 😁

Of course, we eventually hit the big question: does genetics actually determine your nationality? And on that point, Daniel Ward87, you're sinking like a stone.

Harold Long21 said:Fact number one—the moderator lonebadger6 was actually online an hour after the report was filed, since I posted on that same thread myself and got zero reaction, which means they definitely saw the problematic post
fact number two—lonebadger6 is usually pretty quick on the draw when it comes to moderating (speaking from experience 😁 )
fact number three—the ban wasn't even handed out by lonebadger6, it was the moderator Ball who pulled the trigger after a few hours

I realize lying and trolling are basically your entire personality on this forum, but you really should try to be a little more subtle about it... 🙂

See, regardless of your theories on who should have seen what—or your insistence that someone did—those claims are pretty baseless on their own, especially considering you and your buddy love to nitpick the moderation (quite trollishly, I might add) without ever catching a single yellow card yourselves. Just think about the posts you both dropped before my mentioned post versus the ones you left after the one you're complaining about...

It's honestly shocking...

So, you've got two ways to look at this— either I missed those posts entirely, or I just decided not to hand out deserved penalties to one liberal and two conservatives .

Whichever way you slice it, your "logic" is still just nonsense...

Paul Kern12 said:I think your reasoning is a bit off, and honestly, for at least two reasons:
1. How can any of us be certain you’re actually an American living here and paying taxes in the States? You could just as easily be a Canadian, a Mexican, a Canadian... who’s just calling Americans (collectively) idiots because they’re a bigot.

2. Let’s say Mladen Shwarcz decides to jump in here and start claiming Jews are collectively idiots. Does he get a free pass for saying that just because he’s a Jew himself?
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Sure, there’s a high chance you’re being sincere, and I follow your logic. That much is true,
But I still feel like we have to be careful with posts like this, because you might be setting a precedent that actual haters or bigots can latch onto—rightly so—by saying, "If he can get away with it, why can't I?"

Without getting into the rest or trying to play lawyer for Daniel Ward87, I’ll just touch on those two points since I'm already here, though I think you're heading in the wrong direction...

1. The admins, and even regular moderators, can easily see if Daniel Ward87 "lives and pays taxes in America." 😉 And whether he's technically an American is almost secondary, as long as he's living and paying taxes here.

2. Besides, Schwarz is a radical right-winger who "lives and pays taxes in America" (not, say, Israel), where the Jewish population was basically wiped out seventy years ago, so the connection isn't really the same.

Personally, I wouldn't hand out a ban for this post even if it were from some random user—it all depends on the context. In these online spaces, it can practically be a "figure of speech." In fact, you can find similar statements made by Mexicans about Mexico on threads regarding Mexico. We don't ban them for that.

I probably wouldn't ban someone either if an American wrote "Mexicans are a retarded nation" in the exact same context and style. It all comes down to context. If it's about political choices or general apathy, let them write. But if someone starts saying Americans are criminals, butchers, or that they love Adolf Hitler, blah blah... personally, I wouldn't just give them a warning; I'd give an American a lifetime ban, and "guests" would get a permanent one.

lonebadger6 said:Without getting into anything else—and I’m certainly not trying to play lawyer for Daniel Ward87—I’ll just touch briefly on these two points since I am here, because, frankly, I think you might be heading in the wrong direction.

1. The administration, and even the standard moderators, can very easily see that Daniel Ward87 "lives and pays taxes in America." 😉 Well, whether he is an American or not is almost secondary, provided he lives and pays his taxes here.

2. By that logic, Schwarz is a radical right-winger who "lives and pays taxes in America" (rather than, say, Israel), where Jews were thoroughly eradicated seventy years ago—so the connection really isn't quite the same.

I can tell you personally that I wouldn't issue a ban for this post even if it had been written by a regular user—depending, of course, on the further context of the thread. In these online spaces, such things can often just be a "figure of speech." Moreover, I suspect you could find similar, if not identical, statements made by Mexicans regarding Mexico on the Mexico thread. And we don't ban them for that.

I probably wouldn't issue one even if someone from America wrote "Mexicans are a retarded nation" in the exact same context and manner. Everything depends on the context. If it pertains to political choices, general passivity, and so on—then let it be written. It is a different matter entirely when someone writes that Americans are criminals, butchers, or love Adolf Hitler, blah blah. Personally, I believe that wouldn't just merit a ban for an American user (there have been cases)—it would be a 500-point penalty, or perhaps a permanent ban for "guests."

Look, please don't misunderstand me... I wasn't even considering any bans because of a post like that, as I understand what Strile was trying to highlight—what I mean is, I understood the spirit and the essence of what was written.

I was simply noting that, in a way, the justification is flawed.
And yes, the connection to Schwarz truly doesn't hold up; I realized that myself shortly after.
But I still maintain that one should be cautious with posts like these; they are a bit sensitive. It’s that situation where an automated system might flag it as "hate speech," but a human moderator, who understands the "spirit" of the post, wouldn't take any action at all.

I really have to sign off on what Westov wrote, especially that thread title. Honestly, I’ve been noticing the exact same thing for a long time now.
I get that being a moderator is a tough gig, especially since they’re playing two different roles here on the forum. In my opinion, every mod needs to keep those two sides completely separate. A moderator should treat every single user exactly the same, regardless of gender, race, beliefs, or faith. As a mod, you shouldn't be pushing an ideology, even if you have every right to hold those views as a regular user. But that’s just not happening here, and what we’re doing right now—writing this all out—is basically just pissing in the wind. It’s useless. The dogs bark, but the caravan keeps moving.
This kind of behavior just shows how far we still are from cleaning up the mess. We're stuck in this muddy political nonsense and pointless arguments that prevent anyone from living a normal life free from totalitarianism or any other crazy ideologies.

Rachel Palmer56 said:I guess I have to sign off on the Westov enrollment this time,

Furthermore... calling someone retarded shouldn't be permitted on this forum. It’s an insult, plain and simple, no matter how you slice it... especially when it serves as a generalization against an entire nation, even if the person making the comment belongs to that very same group...
It's all the more problematic because those reading this might assume that if such language is acceptable coming from a moderator, then they have the license to use it themselves.

rowdylynx98 said:I don't usually bother with politics or related threads. I actually ended up scrolling down here looking for something else entirely, but I can't just let this slide without commenting.

In this recently closed thread , the moderator Daniel Ward87—with whom I’ve had zero issues on this site until now—used a fascinatingly crafted chauvinistic slur against an entire nation three separate times. To quote him: "the American people are more severely retarded," "that we, as a nation, are more severely retarded," and "an example of retardation in how we, as a nation..."

I agree.

If I were to write something like "Germans are such idiots" or "Romanians are a bunch of thieves" and someone corrected me by saying you shouldn't generalize, I would conclude that there is absolutely no point in wasting breath trying to justify or deconstruct such stupid remarks through further debate.

It is pathetic how they try to "explain" away such nonsensical generalizations in a few miserable sentences.
Like, for instance:

"I am an American living in the States, and because of my own personal frustrations, I have the right to insult and generalize other people."

Childish and unprofessional.

I’m curious about what happens when someone down the road—prompted by all these explanations—decides to call someone on a forum (doesn't matter who, an individual or a whole group) "retarded," and then defends their actions by claiming it’s just their opinion and they have a right to express it... how exactly is the moderation team going to handle that?

slycobra5 said:I’m honestly curious—what happens when someone down the road, armed with these exact same excuses, calls some random person on this forum (doesn't matter if it's one guy or a whole crowd) a moron, and then defends themselves by saying, "Hey, it's just my opinion, and I have a right to express it"... how exactly is the moderation team going to react to that?

Exactly. Honestly, I’m all for banning anyone who directs an insult at any group whatsoever—whether it’s based on nationality, race, gender, sexual orientation, class, or ideology—simply because at least one moderator, Daniel Ward87, has already set a totally unpunished precedent here.

For instance, it would be completely wrong to penalize me if I stated my opinion that all nationalists or socialists are morally bankrupt or just repulsive human beings. Or people who follow Orbán or Putin, or the leftists and collectivists. Or even all extremists. Basically, anyone who doesn't label themselves a liberal. Those are all political categories that I personally can't stand, so according to the current established paradigm, we wouldn't be allowed to issue a ban for any insults directed at them anymore.

We really only have two paths here: either we allow everything—which basically means getting rid of moderators and bans entirely—or we start handing out punishments indiscriminately. Personally, I’m leaning toward the first option, but I have a feeling we’ll try to take that "middle ground" again, where someone gets banned for calling Mexicans retarded, but they won't say a word if they say the exact same thing about Americans. It’s insane, it’s dishonest, and there is absolutely no philosophical way to justify it.

rowdylynx98 said:Exactly. I’m actually advocating for a total ban on all sanctions for anyone who directs an insult toward any group—whether it's based on nationality, race, gender, sexual orientation, class, or ideology. Why? Because at least one moderator, Daniel Ward87, has already set an unpunished precedent.

For instance, it would be wrong to penalize me if I stated my opinion that all nationalists or socialists are morally bankrupt or just repulsive human beings. Or those who follow Orban or Putin, the leftists, the collectivists, or even all extremists. Essentially, anyone who doesn't label themselves a liberal. These are all political categories that I struggle to find common ground with, and under the current established paradigm, we can no longer issue a sanction for insults directed at them.

We really only have two paths here: either we allow everything—which effectively means abolishing moderation and sanctions altogether—or we resort to non-selective, arbitrary punishment. Personally, I’m leaning toward the first option. However, I suspect we’ll inevitably drift toward that "middle ground" where someone gets banned for calling Mexicans retarded, but they won't face any consequences for saying the exact same thing about Americans. It’s madness, it’s dishonest, and philosophically speaking, it’s impossible to justify.

One of the moderators, while responding to a grievance regarding a ban, admitted quite candidly that we are on a private forum. He basically said that if the owner decides the word PASTEL is forbidden (his words), then that word simply cannot be used....
Look, I get it. Reaching some kind of absolute, universal justice on a forum like this is an impossibility. The people moderating are just as much flesh and blood as the rest of us. They are subject to their own biases and beliefs, which occasionally bubble up to the surface, revealing their true colors and their specific political leanings and mindsets...
The only way forward is to be honest and admit when a mistake has been made... both by the users and by the moderators...