Complaint about a moderator

Essentially, I’ve been targeted with a string of insults. Please feel free to review my history; I haven't insulted anyone, nor have my posts violated any forum rules.

The post (which the moderator refuses to delete or penalize):

Yet, I am the one being sanctioned and censored simply for quoting this gentleman and his insults.

notyourtype said:You don't have anything (...)
You have no clue (...)
you have no clue (...)
you have no clue (...)
you haven't even experienced (...)
To be even stupider (...)
you won't realize even 1% of this (...)
I am the one who chooses for myself (...)
unlike you, for example, I have lived through (...)
the idea that I'll ever bother with someone like you (...)
YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND (...) oh
you lack experience and knowledge (...)
you don't even have an opinion (...)
it's not an opinion, it's nonsense (...)
you have no clue what you're talking about (...)
I'm calling you an idiot (...)
Because you have no idea how limited you are (...)g
you have zero practical experience (...)
we don't live in your world, you live in ours (...)
Your examples are garbage (...)
none of them have any practical or real application
you are a pile of crap (...)
you will never understand (...)
you simply can't grasp it (...)
your backward idealizations (...)
you aren't qualified to discuss this at all(...)
which one of you is going to be the bigger idiot?! (...)

Whenever I comment on a post like that, I end up getting penalized or deleted. My response isn't an insult; it’s more along the lines of, "Your post is beneath any level of decency."

I am asking that the moderator who refuses to act against this, as well as the individual responsible, be held accountable. Instead, I am being silenced for responding civilly to such vitriol. We need to maintain some semblance of decent discourse here.

Personally, I find the moderator's bias quite embarrassing. It seems they are turning a blind eye to this outburst of insecurity and insults because I expressed my view that I wouldn't date a divorced woman with children. Surely I am entitled to my own opinion without being subjected to insults and biased moderation just because someone finds my stance disagreeable?

I’ve contributed far more to this forum than the entire moderation team combined. There are easily over 1,000 posts under my belt addressing tax, entrepreneurial, and accounting questions—usually stepping in when everyone else was stumped. In many cases, I’ve provided answers that even most professional tax consultants couldn't figure out.

So, I’m asking that this targeted harassment, seemingly coordinated with the "moderation" team, stops immediately. If it doesn't, then just go ahead and issue a permanent ban and delete all my posts if that's an option.

The moderator waited until after this thread was already live to post my entry and issue a warning about off-topic posting. It seems she's implicitly admitting I had a point.

Yet, she still refuses to take action against this post that’s nothing but insults directed at me. She’s acting like she didn't see phrases like "you're a pile of garbage" or "you're an idiot." Are these kinds of vulgar insults actually permitted under the forum rules?

Nathan Kelly5 said:The post (which the moderator refuses to delete or issue a sanction for:

For you to make such an argument, you really ought to report the post first, which is exactly what I advised you to do. Standard practice here is to click the report icon before filing a complaint with the moderation team; given your history on this forum, I would have assumed you were already aware of that protocol.

The specific post I removed contained insults directed at me personally, specifically attacking my role as a mother—something the administration can easily verify, so perhaps you should keep that in mind before insisting that your comments weren't offensive.

To make matters worse, had that post actually contributed anything meaningful to the discussion, I would have left it untouched, just as I did with your previous posts while they still served the conversation. Once the dialogue devolved into nothing more than petty bickering, I issued a warning (though, truth be told, I hadn't even noticed this thread at that exact moment, which is largely irrelevant).

Furthermore, any claims of moderator bias seem rather misplaced, considering I am the only one who actually backed you up in this thread, even stating that I had no issue with your views despite certain parts of them being directed personally against me.

To be honest, I don’t care whether you choose to delete my posts or censor me. What I want to know is why you’re refusing to sanction the post mentioned above, where I was called a pile of crap, an idiot, and a fool. You just responded by saying "some statements here are poorly phrased." Is that really how moderation works?

Go ahead and find the courage to admit the mistake and actually sanction the post. It shouldn't be that difficult.

Furthermore, don't try to claim I was the one being insulting. My post was simply a reaction to being insulted myself and to the way they were lecturing everyone about parenting (lest it look like I was the one bringing upbringing into the debate). I was targeted under the guise of their "parenting expertise," acting as if they are somehow superior or possess all the wisdom in the world just because they have children:

"It’s interesting how the moderator refuses to sanction this outburst of personal frustration and complexes. Instead, he just comments that 'some statements here are poorly phrased.' And that's while another mother is basically co-signing the post. Are these really the people raising children? People supposedly full of life experience, wisdom, and self-control that others should emulate? Really?"

I am waiting for you to report the post 🐔

In all seriousness, though, my role as a moderator involves gauging whether to steer the conversation or simply step in with a sanction to prevent things from devolving—essentially deciding if we can nudge the debate toward something constructive or if it’s about to spiral into a petty shouting match.
A significant part of that assessment relies on seeing whether the dialogue continues naturally after a controversial comment, and when I see reports coming in, it serves as a clear signal to me that participants no longer feel comfortable, which is precisely when my intervention becomes necessary.

Since you’ve admitted to having a bit of a penchant for posting provocations just to see how people react, I would strongly suggest that next time you encounter something that bothers you, you just hit the report button. If you choose to call someone out directly within the thread instead, you run the very real risk of finding yourself facing a warning or a penalty yourself.

I have no interest in participating in a community governed by this style of "moderation."

Please issue a permanent ban or delete my profile.

Thank you.

Don't mess with ruggedscout76.
We couldn't have asked for a better mod. 🎉

You've been on this forum long enough to know they don't just approve permanent ban requests like that, so you're clearly just hunting for attention.

Go over to the religion board and start a thread claiming you're the reincarnation of Jesus Christ.
Tell them you're looking for some sinful forum users to slide into your DMs and beg for forgiveness.

That’s exactly how I’m gonna play it when I finally decide to quit this place one day. ☕

Jeremy Johnson18 Asks:
You’ve been on this forum long enough to know that permanent ban requests don't get approved like this; you're clearly just looking for attention.

Go to the religion board and start a thread claiming you're the reincarnation of Jesus Christ.
Tell them you're looking for some wayward forum users to slide into your DMs and beg for forgiveness.

That’s how I’ll handle things, should I ever decide to move on from this group one day. ☕

There’s no way that was their call. Given that everything is tied to a private email and a specific IP address, you should have the right to request a total deletion of both your profile and all your posts.

I am requesting a ban for the longest duration possible under the forum rules. Additionally, please provide the appropriate contact information for deleting my profile and all associated data to ensure my privacy is protected.

Nathan Kelly5 said:I have no desire to remain on a forum governed by such "moderation."

Please issue a permanent ban or simply delete my profile.

Thank you.

I am sorry to see you making such a decision; an administrator will reach out regarding the ban and further details so you can settle things then.

ruggedscout76 said:I’m sorry if things ended on such a sour note. An admin will reach out regarding the ban and everything else so you can work it out then.

It’s fine, it isn't personally directed at you. It was more just the last straw. I simply don't see the point in engaging in debates that inevitably devolve into this kind of gutter behavior. Given that posts like that aren't sanctioned, it's clearly the policy of the forum and the "moderation" team. That's your prerogative, of course—you get to decide what level these discussions take.

There has to be some standard for me. If we're going to communicate at a "you're a piece of trash" level, then I have no interest in participating. It's just a waste of time.

I find a good "mind battle" entertaining, provided there are at least some basic ground rules. Without them, you're just reducing the forum to low-level insults, and I honestly don't see the value in any of it, aside from helping certain people vent their frustrations.

Jeremy Johnson18 said:Don't mess with ruggedscout76.
We couldn't have asked for a better moderator. 🎉

You've been on this forum long enough to know they don't just approve requests for permanent bans—you're clearly just fishing for attention.

Go join the religion sub and start a thread claiming you're the reincarnation of Jesus Christ.
Tell them you're looking for sinful forum users to slide into your DMs and beg for forgiveness.

That's probably how I'll act when I finally decide to walk away from this place one day. :kav a:

Trolling is fine, I suppose—but what happens when the mods decide to troll you back? 🍿

For the sake of the joke, I agree.
Google, hit the button.
I can handle doing that—it keeps my conscience clear.
And I'm always hoping for a swift, decisive response. 🧐

Anthony Nguyen81 said:Trolling is fine and all, but what happens when the mods decide to troll you back? 🍿

If I actually go through with it, it means I’m looking for a ban.

The only way they can mess with me is by nuking my posts without even leaving a strike on my record. 🤣

Jeremy Johnson18 said:If I actually decide to follow through with that, it means I’m looking for a ban.

The only way they can troll me is by deleting my posts—without even leaving a permanent mark on my record. 🤣

Don't underestimate human ingenuity.😬

What if they just take you sideways instead? 🍿

It'll be a full-blown exorcism squad on my doorstep.🙂

ruggedscout76 said:I'm just waiting for you to actually report the post, 🐔

But in all seriousness, as a moderator, I’m constantly trying to gauge how to steer the conversation—deciding whether stepping in with some bans will actually help get things back on track if they're heading toward being productive, or if it'll just blow things up into a massive flame war and petty bickering.
A huge part of that judgment call is seeing if the discussion keeps flowing naturally after a controversial comment, or if people start hitting that report button. To me, those reports are a clear signal that the participants aren't feeling comfortable anymore and that it's time for me to step in.

Since you mentioned yourself that you enjoy dropping provocative posts just to see what kind of reaction you can stir up, I’d really suggest that next time you see something that bugs you, just report it. Seriously, just hit that report icon; if you try to call people out directly within the thread, you run the risk of getting a warning or a penalty yourself.

Everything looks perfectly fine to me, and I think we’ve pretty much wrapped this discussion up. We don't share info upon request, and we definitely don't delete profiles. If anyone has an issue with that, feel free to reach out to Microsoft, who owns Reddit.