Banned from the Alternative community???

Noah Myers8 said:First off, cosmictinker21, you basically broke about twenty different forum rules just by posting this. Secondly, 🤦 it’s just a suggestion. Inside a thread.

Aha. Fine. Thanks. A "recommendation." In the style of: "Please read this work I personally translated." Which rules, exactly? I'm terrified you'll ban me for making a massive blunder. I'm truly embarrassed by my own ignorance here. I'm not a moderator, so I don't exactly have a PhD in interpreting the forum guidelines... but please, enlighten me. I'll follow them to the letter.

Noah Myers8, sine ira et studio. Toward anyone at all.🤷

cosmictinker21 said:Aha. Fine. Thanks. A "recommendation." In the style of: "Please read this work I personally translated." Which rules, exactly? I'm terrified you'll ban me for making a massive blunder. I'm truly embarrassed by my own ignorance here. I'm not a moderator, so I don't exactly have a PhD in interpreting the forum guidelines... but please, enlighten me. I'll follow them to the letter.

Noah Myers8, sine ira et studio. Toward anyone at all.🤷

cosmictinker21, look, there’s a strict rule on this forum against doxxing anyone or leaking private info. Why on earth would you think that doesn't apply to the moderators? Seriously, how would you feel if I just slapped your full name right here for everyone to see? Yeah... exactly what I thought.

Noah Myers8 said:cosmictinker21, look, there’s a strict rule on this forum against doxxing anyone or leaking private info. Why on earth would you think that doesn't apply to the moderators? Seriously, how would you feel if I just slapped your full name right here for everyone to see? Yeah... exactly what I thought.

Fair enough, I messed up by citing that. I admit it and I regret it. I was being pretty careless there. My main point was just whether it's actually okay for moderators to promote their own work. That's what I was really getting at.

I'll be humbly accepting the penalty for this, obviously. I'm not joking, I mean it...😢

cosmictinker21 said:Fair enough, I messed up by citing that. I admit it and I regret it. I was being pretty careless there. My main point was just whether it's actually okay for moderators to promote their own work. That's what I was really getting at.

I'll be humbly accepting the penalty for this, obviously. I'm not joking, I mean it...😢

Look, listen to me.
Say I translate book xy for some publisher like Z. and I end up loving the book so much that I come on here and tell everyone, "Hey guys, this is an awesome book!" Am I making money off that? No, my publisher might.

I don't see what the big deal is. Seriously, I don't. People promote the companies they work for or the services they provide all the time, bragging about a job well done. You're nitpicking over a translation where nobody is gaining anything by promoting it.

Noah Myers8 said:Look, listen to me.
Say I translate book xy for some publisher like Z. and I end up loving the book so much that I come on here and tell everyone, "Hey guys, this is an awesome book!" Am I making money off that? No, my publisher might.

I don't see what the big deal is. Seriously, I don't. People promote the companies they work for or the services they provide all the time, bragging about a job well done. You're nitpicking over a translation where nobody is gaining anything by promoting it.

You've definitely got a point there. But then again, is the person who bans someone based on nothing more than a suspicion—claiming they're selling their own products on a forum without any proof—actually doing the right thing? Or are they just giving people a blueprint for how to skirt the rules...

Anyway, I think we're getting off track. This whole discussion is supposed to be about the ban over at Alternative...

cosmictinker21 said:You've definitely got a point there. But then again, is the person who bans someone based on nothing more than a suspicion—claiming they're selling their own products on a forum without any proof—actually doing the right thing? Or are they just giving people a blueprint for how to skirt the rules...

Anyway, I think we're getting off track. This whole discussion is supposed to be about the ban over at Alternative...

Let's get back to this and settle it once and for all. The Alternative can't just be some "anything goes" free-for-all zone. No matter how you slice it, there has to be some level of accountability involved.

Noah Myers8 said:Let's get back to this and settle it once and for all. The Alternative can't just be some "anything goes" free-for-all zone. No matter how you slice it, there has to be some level of accountability involved.

Accountability for what, though?

cosmictinker21 said:So, what’s the deal with this whole Alternative thing???😲

Morgan Hernandez5, Noah Myers8,,, where did everyone go???

We went from having this dynamic PDF where different perspectives—hypotheses, theories, practical applications, spiritual insights, scientific data, mystical views, you name it—actually clashed in a meaningful way, to this absolute mess of senseless bans. It's just devolved into personal vendettas now. Honestly, just leave that stuff alone and deal with it in your actual life. I don't doubt that most people here are rational and well-intentioned; they don't usually let their frustrations manifest through smugness or by deleting posts and handing out bans without any real argument. Looking back at the last few months, sure, the debates were intense, but nobody felt personally attacked by a post or someone else's opinion. Usually, when communication breakdowns happened publicly, they were resolved publicly too, with a decent amount of mutual respect between the people on either side of the screen. Or, at least, they weren't dragged into the spotlight through other users who had nothing to do with the private spat.

I’m asking this publicly: why was the psychopathy thread pulled from the forum? The topic was thoroughly covered; interest in it had naturally tapered off. Fine, it dropped down a page. Whatever. It was still accessible to anyone interested in reading about it, just like any other topic. But now, it’s nowhere to be found in the space visible to the average Joe. And I actually really need some links to illustrate certain types of antisocial behavior...🤷

i'm interested in this too.

🙂 Honestly, I stay far away from the Alternative section once I see all those patients and moderator-induced brain rot.

The Alternative sub here is basically just a collection of idiots—it can actually get pretty sketchy for some people.

cosmictinker21 said:So, what’s the deal with this whole Alternative thing???😲

Morgan Hernandez5, Noah Myers8,,, where did everyone go???

We went from having this dynamic PDF where different perspectives—hypotheses, theories, practical applications, spiritual insights, scientific data, mystical views, you name it—actually clashed in a meaningful way, to this absolute mess of senseless bans. It's just devolved into personal vendettas now. Honestly, just leave that stuff alone and deal with it in your actual life. I don't doubt that most people here are rational and well-intentioned; they don't usually let their frustrations manifest through smugness or by deleting posts and handing out bans without any real argument. Looking back at the last few months, sure, the debates were intense, but nobody felt personally attacked by a post or someone else's opinion. Usually, when communication breakdowns happened publicly, they were resolved publicly too, with a decent amount of mutual respect between the people on either side of the screen. Or, at least, they weren't dragged into the spotlight through other users who had nothing to do with the private spat.

I’m asking this publicly: why was the psychopathy thread pulled from the forum? The topic was thoroughly covered; interest in it had naturally tapered off. Fine, it dropped down a page. Whatever. It was still accessible to anyone interested in reading about it, just like any other topic. But now, it’s nowhere to be found in the space visible to the average Joe. And I actually really need some links to illustrate certain types of antisocial behavior...🤷

I second everything said, and I’ll add one more thing:

Those discussions didn't even earn a single warning. How does it make sense that they suddenly justify selectively banning a whole group of users from the entire PDF?

Does anyone else see the massive disproportion between these two criteria? It's like comparing the sky to the ground.

Moderator dustyharbor18:
If you're the one responsible for these bans, then maybe it's time to step down, because you've clearly shown a total misunderstanding of what moderation should be.

And if you were just following orders from someone else to do this, then step down anyway, because it's better to be an honest forum member than a dishonest moderator. I highly doubt anyone is paying you enough to sell out your own integrity; the position isn't worth that.

If you want proof of how the Alternative is moderated, just look at the "Alternative and Cultism" thread. It was a discussion meant to help people distinguish true skeptics from cultists and scammers, yet it was torpedoed by the Health board in record time. They sent it over there, then pulled it back, leaving it invisible for a while before it started jumping between subforums. On the Alternative, you aren't allowed to criticize the platform itself. The moderators are biased and completely lacking objectivity—just like the regular users they protect, who are given free rein to troll and spam any topic they don't like.

Chris Lopez59 said:I second everything said, and I’ll add one more thing:

Those discussions didn't even earn a single warning. How does it make sense that they suddenly justify selectively banning a whole group of users from the entire PDF?

Does anyone else see the massive disproportion between these two criteria? It's like comparing the sky to the ground.

Moderator dustyharbor18:
If you're the one responsible for these bans, then maybe it's time to step down, because you've clearly shown a total misunderstanding of what moderation should be.

And if you were just following orders from someone else to do this, then step down anyway, because it's better to be an honest forum member than a dishonest moderator. I highly doubt anyone is paying you enough to sell out your own integrity; the position isn't worth that.

Also, back when I was hanging out on Alternative, I noticed this huge friction between Lujza and dustyharbor18. Lujza started pushing some really shady, dark stuff—basically selling smoke and calling it magic—and honestly, that might be where all this mess started.☕

Sophia Brooks24 said:If you want proof of how the Alternative is moderated, just look at the "Alternative and Cultism" thread. It was a discussion meant to help people distinguish true skeptics from cultists and scammers, yet it was torpedoed by the Health board in record time. They sent it over there, then pulled it back, leaving it invisible for a while before it started jumping between subforums. On the Alternative, you aren't allowed to criticize the platform itself. The moderators are biased and completely lacking objectivity—just like the regular users they protect, who are given free rein to troll and spam any topic they don't like.

Alternative is basically just cults and scams—plus all that self-promotion.

Sure. Just look at that thread about MMS where anyone who even hinted it was an advertisement got torn apart, only for the admins to shut the whole thing down because a few users running the thread were supposedly using the forum to hawk their homemade goods. What happened to the responsibility of the moderators who actually encouraged that behavior?

And why didn't the moderators on other forums step in?

Sophia Brooks24 said:If you want proof of how the Alternative is moderated, just look at the "Alternative and Cultism" thread. It was a discussion meant to help people distinguish true skeptics from cultists and scammers, yet it was torpedoed by the Health board in record time. They sent it over there, then pulled it back, leaving it invisible for a while before it started jumping between subforums. On the Alternative, you aren't allowed to criticize the platform itself. The moderators are biased and completely lacking objectivity—just like the regular users they protect, who are given free rein to troll and spam any topic they don't like.

Oh, come on, people have been critical here plenty of times. The real issue isn't the criticism itself; it's the difference between someone making an actual, reasoned point and someone just shouting nonsense without any substance. That's where you draw the line between a legitimate user and a common troll.

Chris Lopez59 said:Oh, come on, people have been critical here plenty of times. The real issue isn't the criticism itself; it's the difference between someone making an actual, reasoned point and someone just shouting nonsense without any substance. That's where you draw the line between a legitimate user and a common troll.

But honestly, what arguments do you even need when you're dealing with pure stupidity and someone's total demonic rambling? Most of that PDF is just private mockery anyway. You really ought to just get out of there and report everything to the authorities—staying in a place like that isn't safe for anyone.

Morgan Hernandez5 said:i'm interested in this too.

Maybe that thread was pulled because one of the moderators saw herself in it... maybe.☕

I think the site admins need to start cracking down on moderators who treat users like punching bags. It’s bad for the brand. If this place becomes known as a spot where having a different opinion gets you banned or insulted, it's dead. A forum should be a melting pot of ideas and unique voices. This kind of blatant suppression of free speech is the kind of thing you only see in third-world dictatorships...

I'm calling on the leadership to take a hard look at their mod team. Look at how they treat people, why this forum even exists, and what criteria they’re actually using to hand out punishments. I'm specifically talking about this recent mess.

driftinggull13 said:There you go. Using just a couple of links on this thread, I managed to dig up the real names for Morgan Hernandez5 and dustyharbor18... didn't realize it was that easy. Not that I even know what I'd do with that info, but still...

That’s easy for you because certain mods are buddies with specific people and leak that data publicly. When they're fighting with them, they drag them through the mud, and when they make up, they start attacking someone else. It's all just playground politics for forum drama.😉

Karen Perez44 said:I think the site admins need to start cracking down on moderators who treat users like punching bags. It’s bad for the brand. If this place becomes known as a spot where having a different opinion gets you banned or insulted, it's dead. A forum should be a melting pot of ideas and unique voices. This kind of blatant suppression of free speech is the kind of thing you only see in third-world dictatorships...

I'm calling on the leadership to take a hard look at their mod team. Look at how they treat people, why this forum even exists, and what criteria they’re actually using to hand out punishments. I'm specifically talking about this recent mess.

😁😁 And honestly, with a signature like that, you're just your typical Alternative crowd... man, you guys are something else. Just open an encyclopedia and you'll see how much of that documentary is total fiction—especially all that stuff about religious founders being born on December 25th and whatnot. You're never going to learn. I guess that's just the kind of Alternative lifestyle you need.👍