Criticism of US Foreign Policy

The Outside Agency

I've received infractions from Black Swan on discussions about US foreign policy and for very little IMHO.

Although I've only been registered a short time, no other moderator has infracted me on this site to date.

This is the post I was infracted for

Apparently I insulted another member but I think it's a highly subjective decision considering the nature of the topic and where Black Swan lives.(US)

If you read through the entire thread, I was insulted initially yet the offending poster received no infraction at all.

How can a moderator act impartially on a subject which they may be sensitive to?

This moderator isn't capable of acting reasonably on such topics.

I've never received any infractions from other moderators on this site, just Black Swan and it's always been around the topic of US foreign policy.

I am not anti-american whatsoever just because I'm critical of US foreign policy, there's a huge difference between culture and politics.

OS119 insinuates I read "conspira-loonery websites" but he doesn't receive infraction.

What's the difference in what OS119 says and me saying to JustinDee "love to moan about how evil muslims are."
Is saying a poster is childish and lazy not an insult either? Where is the limit to what can be said or is just up to the moderator what's acceptable?

Dades

Am not sure why this is in Helpdesk, rather than the DR forum, but I'm looking into this.

Also the post you reference was warned, not infracted.

The Outside Agency

Sorry, you're right, it was a warning but the people arguing with me had called me "lazy", "childish" and "Anti-US" all the same tone as me accusing JustinDee of hating Muslims.

Don't see any difference in what we both said to one another yet JustinDee escaped any warnings.

I think Black Swan is sensitive to topics which concerning the US, specifically foreign policy and therefore abuses privileges on the forum to attack anyone critical of it.

As I said, I'm in no way Anti-US whatsoever but I do recognise problems in their foreign policy and don't connect criticism of foreign policy with hatred for America or American people.

Dades

Okay, I've had a chance to look at this and have talked also with Black Swan.

Let's get the issue of your yellow card out of the way first. If I'd had the luxury of monitoring and moderating that thread from the beginning, I would have handed out at least one other yellow on top of your own. But what you need to understand is that moderators cannot read every post on every thread, which is why they are frequently reliant on Reported Posts to direct them to trouble. And your post was the one that received the reports.

So on the face of it there seems to be a consistency issue, however this is unintended and is in reality down to time constrainsts. That said, rather than go down the practical route and simply retroactively issue a couple of more cards in the thread, Black Swan and myself are happy to lift your yellow card if we can agree to move on.

And moving on is linked to the second point.

I reject wholly the contention that Black Swan is incapable of acting impartially or is some way singling you out because or your stance on US Foreign Policy. You have had two previous interactions which resulted in cards - both completely deserving - even by your own admission.

The latest card which we have agreed to lift is as a result of, not because of anything to do with Black Swan, but down to your continuing combative posting style. If there is something that needs to be fixed it is the way you approach posting in Politics.

I want to draw your attention to this ongoing Feedback thread where many people have come to bemoan the decrease in quality posting in the Politics forum. Your style of posting is a case in point of the type of posting that is driving people from the forum.

Clearly you have opinions on issues, and I don't doubt you have more to offer the forum than you currently give. I put it to you to step back from ad hominem posting, and if provoked report the post. By all means continue to post, but try and respect the Politics charter more than you have been doing and everybody - although they may disagree with each others views - will get on a lot better.

Dades

The Outside Agency

Can this be moved to dispute resolution please.

I'd like to have it addressed in some way because I'm convinced it will happen again or result in infractions/banning by Black Swan.

Spear

nivekd wrote: »

Can this be moved to dispute resolution please.

I'd like to have it addressed in some way because I'm convinced it will happen again or result in infractions/banning by Black Swan.

DRP is for contesting the warning/infraction/ban. So far you haven't made any attempt to contest your own warning, but instead focussed on what others did/said and the moderation of them. Given that, it doesn't fall under the DRP, and can be, and has been addressed here anyway. If you did wish to contest the warning, I'd normally suggest starting a DRP thread on that, but Dades has already offered to remove the card anyway, so it'd be redundant.

The Outside Agency

@Spear,

My last response was posted before Dades responded.

@Dades,

Combative style ?

Too many members on boards.ie get emotional about the views of other people.

They're just words.

Spear

nivekd wrote: »

@Spear,

My last response was posted before Dades responded.

I know, I just thought it best to give it a clear answer, and not leave it as if you were being ignored.

Dades

nivekd wrote: »

Combative style ?

Too many members on boards.ie get emotional about the views of other people.

They're just words.

It's words that derail threads when people allow themselves to be sucked into exchanging jibes.

I'm not exactly sure what you want out of this.
We've offered to lift the last warning, leaving you with your existing two cards which you readily admit were deserved.

So, are we done here?

The Outside Agency

Dades wrote:

I'm not exactly sure what you want out of this

Yes, we're done.