Politics Moderation - Ukraine topic, moderator Rocky

So, here’s the whole situation and the link to that "Rock" thread from the other subforum:

Zachary Torres81 said:Here is a fresh little example for you—Tutmort and The Gipper getting into it in an off-topic thread about whether Americans are actually hungry.

Tut tells The Gipper:

He drops a link and basically asks if he even knows how to use Google.

The Gipper responds:

He just posts a link to some little guy stuffing his face at McDonald's and writes, "I know."

When I saw that, I nearly died laughing because he literally used a picture of one of the most obese people on the planet as proof that Americans aren't hungry.
Coincidentally, the kid is Russian.😁

So, I reply:

I ended up getting slapped with 30 points for breaking the subforum rules, but honestly, no big deal, I'm not complaining.

But where is the actual impartiality in all this?
The post I was responding to wasn't flagged, nor were any of the other posts that led me to write my response.

Who hands out the penalty? Rock, obviously.😁

Link:

Nica was kind enough to step in and wipe away that penalty.😍

But that right there is just one more instance of selective branch... excuse me, selective penalizing.😁

Zachary Torres81 said:It seems my post was deleted again. It went something like this:

Paraphrasing again, but that was the gist of it.

Look at the image and you'll see the parallels to today's situation.
At least according to some theories floating around here, the USA influences the situation in Ukraine just to provoke Russia.
With that cartoon, I was essentially saying:
Provoking Russia under US patronage has already backfired for some; it's very likely to be the case in Ukraine too.
And after it's all over, the USA will simply walk away as if nothing happened.

A caricature is a legitimate way to present a thesis, and if it's good, much more effective than a wall of text.

I don't understand why even this post was removed.🤷

I'm not saying it didn't deserve deletion, perhaps I'm breaking rules I'm unaware of, but I'd appreciate an explanation as to why the removal is justified.

Thanks.

There, fixed.😁

I deleted it for one reason: it's off-topic. Regardless of the idea, Georgia isn't the subject, much like how I probably deleted that other post you started with

I'll write something about Syria; apologies in advance for being off-topic.

because Syria isn't the topic either.

The number of deleted posts depends on the first one that warrants removal, and then everything else follows as people quote it, making certain posts collateral damage.

We asked you in the first post not to use terms like Nazis, fascists, gangs, or hunts—essentially anything meant to insult those with different views—and especially not to incite war or talk of casualties, yet some refuse to comply.

Keep in mind, users who have loved ones in Ukraine or Russia read this thread, and there are things that are simply unpleasant to write or read.

Of course, there are also people from the Poljica Republic in Ukraine.

320 Limićs from Ukraine have arrived in Poljica.

http://www.dugirat.com/zanimljivost/...ajine-v15-7624 so we should look out for them too.

So, we’re all in agreement that Rock’s moderation is pretty terrible.
Fine. Then we’ll just replace him.

Charles Fox10 said:Well, there we have it. Done and dusted.😁

Look, I went ahead and wiped that post of yours, and honestly, there’s really only one reason why—it was pure off-topic noise. Look, regardless of what anyone thinks about the whole situation in Georgia, it’s really not our focus here—just like how I probably already wiped that thread you started because, let's be honest, Syria isn't exactly on the agenda either..

It’s all a bit of a domino effect, really; once you identify that very first post that absolutely deserves the axe, everything else starts sliding down the hill right along with it. You end up with a whole chain reaction where anyone who decides to quote the original offender gets swept up in the purge, making them nothing more than collateral damage in the grand scheme of things.

We actually asked you all right at the start of this thread to play nice and ditch the heavy-handed labels—you know, the whole routine of throwing around terms like Nazis, fascists, gangs, or thugs just to insult anyone who doesn't see eye to eye with you. We specifically requested that nobody go out of their way to incite conflict or glorify casualties, but apparently, some people just can't seem to follow simple directions.

You know, I can't help but notice that this thread attracts all sorts of people—especially those who actually have loved ones living over in Ukraine or Russia—and honestly, there’s just no class in how some folks are typing things out, let alone reading them. It’s frankly pretty distasteful.

Of course, you’ll find folks from the Poljica Republic living over in Ukraine too. I was digging through some old archives the other day, stumbling upon these deep cuts regarding the geopolitical shifts that defined our era, and it really gets you thinking about how much history is just one massive, interconnected web of "what ifs." It’s like looking at a complex blueprint where every line represents a decision that changed everything. There's this specific tension—this feeling of being caught between historical momentum and sudden, sharp pivots in policy—that reminds me of those slow-burn political dramas we see on HBO, where you know a storm is coming, but everyone is too busy debating the fine print to notice the clouds gathering. You look back at the way things shifted during the transition from the America era to the modern American landscape, and you realize that nothing happens in a vacuum. Every diplomatic maneuver, every military repositioning, and every whispered conversation in a hallway in D.C. ripples outward until it hits someone halfway across the world. It’s easy to get lost in the weeds of specific dates and names, but if you step back, you see the pattern. It's about power, yes, but more than that, it's about the friction between established institutions and the unpredictable nature of human ambition. We like to think we live in a world governed by logic and structured treaties, but history shows us it's often driven by the whims of individuals who happen to be holding the pen at the right moment. It’s messy, it’s uncoordinated, and frankly, it’s a little bit absurd when you lay it all out on the table. And honestly, we really ought to be keeping a close eye on them too, if only to ensure we aren't blindsided by whatever comes next.

Thanks for breaking that down for me.😁

Looking at it... I haven't seen any posts from tom lately, though I suppose that's just how things go sometimes, isn't it? It’s like when you’re waiting for a specific train in Chicago and suddenly realize the schedule was updated without anyone bothering to tell the commuters at the station—you're just left standing there, staring at the tracks, wondering if you missed the memo or if the whole thing just vanished into thin air. Still, one can't really expect constant presence in a digital space; it fluctuates much like the stock market or the temperament of a restless Golden Retriever. We'll see if he resurfaces, or if we've simply entered one of those quiet stretches where everything feels strangely still. Honestly, looking at how this conversation is heading, you moderators are going to have your hands incredibly full keeping this thread under control.
Look, let’s get one thing straight because people seem to be getting hopelessly tangled up in their own logic: the Homeland War isn't Ukraine, and Nazis aren't Ukraine either. America isn't Ukraine, and neither is NATO. You can count every single one of your buddies who served in the Military Police over in Afghanistan, but none of them are Ukraine. Putin isn't Ukraine, Obama isn't Ukraine, and the genocide of Native Americans certainly isn't Ukraine... you get the point. It’s just not the same thing.🙂

I’m honestly starting to lose my appetite for writing on this thread; it feels like everything has just become so diluted lately—and I don't mean the situation in Ukraine, I mean right here on the forum itself. The depth just isn't there anymore, and the whole vibe has shifted to a point where having a real, substantive discussion feels less like a conversation and more like wading through lukewarm water. It’s just stopped being enjoyable, so I think I’m going to take a breather and step away from the forums for a little while.

Hey everyone, hope you're all doing well.🙂

Zachary Torres81 said:Thanks for the explanation.😁

If you follow tom's logic, you moderators are going to be working overtime on this thread.
I mean, the Homeland War isn't Ukraine, Nazis aren't Ukraine, America isn't Ukraine, NATO isn't Ukraine, the number of buddies who served in the Military Police in Afghanistan isn't Ukraine, Putin isn't Ukraine, Obama isn't Ukraine, the genocide of Native Americans isn't Ukraine... you get the point.🙂

Honestly, I'm losing the will to even post here. Everything feels watered down—not in Ukraine, but on this damn forum—and it’s just not fun to talk anymore. I think I’m gonna take a break from the site for a while.

Later, everyone.🙂

No kidding, because Rock, Charles Fox10, and the rest have basically nuked this forum. This isn't even about moderation anymore; I see the ban list growing every day, and they're permanent too.

If people were riding me this hard, I’d pack my bags and quit moderating just to save some dignity.

If there's a vote to replace Rock and Charles Fox10 as mods, count me in for a YES.

So, this is how everyone approaches the debate—we all supposedly agree that Rock is a terrible moderator. No, my friend, we don't agree on that at all. It’s actually just unclear why it isn't enough for the Russian sympathizers to completely dominate a thread with a four-to-one post ratio just because they’re trying every trick in the book to drive away anyone who thinks differently. Someone writes a post, and their response is basically, "Why don't you just leave already?" A person hasn't even done anything wrong, yet they get trashed. Then they're left wondering, "Why was my post deleted?" Back when there were polls, every single newcomer would constantly stir the pot over the voting, even though they were clearly being steered, and those newcomers ended up packing up and leaving even faster due to the insults and condescension. This obsession with dominance is considered sub-par, and I guess that's why Rock doesn't work for them. If it weren't for Rock, a few of us others would have cleared out of there ages ago, leaving nothing but Russians behind.
Anyway, I have an idea. On a lot of forums, there's a sort of chat area where you can talk about current events in a more relaxed atmosphere. We don't have that here. If people want to chat about their new avatars or maybe make some comparisons to Syria, they can't. If we could allow that under some collective heading like "Politics—What's New?"—not exactly that title, obviously, since we have poets here—maybe someone can come up with a better name. 🙂

Charles Fox10 said:We asked you right in the very first post not to use terms like Nazis, fascists, gangs, or hordes—basically any language meant to insult people with different views—and more importantly, not to incite war or call for casualties, but some people just don't follow those rules.

Look, people read this thread who actually have loved ones in Ukraine or Russia, and there are just some things that aren't pleasant to write or even to read, I guess.

Then why don't you elaborate on how the biggest warmonger—provided he’s only pushing for wars against Russia or if America is leading them—doesn't face a permanent ban? Michael Collins seems to be doing just fine.

And if anyone can, oh my God, if someone could actually explain whether it's true that Konev has a perm ban and why.
If they can explain that, then why does Konev have one while the forum's biggest troll and war-monger, Michael Collins, doesn't? (For instance, Collins is going off lately because Finland is joining NATO and gearing up for a conflict with Russia. He couldn't care less about the Finns, Ukrainians, Georgians, or Poles; all that matters to him is that everyone is daily getting more ready for war with Russia, and he just keeps posting. I'd post a link, but he's dumped maybe a thousand posts in the last week or two, so finding it would be impossible...)

I'd mention Kansas too, but his posts lack the level of seriousness required to be labeled as malicious like in Collins's case.

One of the earliest posts in this Syria thread was my critique of celebrating yet another bloody imperialist war, but it was deleted, and Tyndall stepped in to clarify that "such hysterical screaming" contributes nothing to the topic. Meanwhile, thousands of pro-war blowhards and fanfares that followed actually contribute...

Honestly, who cares, as long as this site gets traffic and nobody comes after you legally. But in the last few months alone, there's been enough material here that this whole site could be permanently shut down.
Once this place ends up in court, maybe then the owners will finally realize what you moderators are doing... though, I suppose it'll help that you were officially assisting those little amateur warriors.
Rock and Bubi peace will probably end up with Purple Hearts...

The Supermoderator of the forum finished reading through the thread on Ukraine, as well as this one right here, but since they can’t jump in and reply at the moment, I’m going to step in and relay their thoughts so you guys aren't left hanging for too long.

When it comes to bias, there really isn't any to speak of. Sure, there might be a few minor oversights here and there, but nothing substantial or major—just those little details you'd naturally expect when dealing with massive topics where everyone is typing at lightning speed. Honestly, considering everything going on, the moderators are doing a pretty solid job keeping things under control. Some certain phrases haven't been flagged, but you'll find those on both sides of the aisle, so it’s really not a matter of playing favorites.

I actually took a little look myself at the more controversial sections, and I didn't see any of the moderation issues that people are claiming are happening here.