Valid thread closed for no valid reason

darkman2

Hi all,


I was hoping a moderator could take a look at this thread which has been closed over in the LBGT forum

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056700717


I have a couple of complaints. Firstly I was aware that there would be bias over there against the point I was trying to make which I acknowledged in the thread. However that should not extend to demeaning or insulting the OP which is essentially the way it evolved from the start.

The OP, to my mind, is perfectly reasonable as is the thread. I insulted nobody and in no way whatsoever did I show any prejudice toward anyone which one poster just appeared and accused me of and than others join in of course. The problem with that thread was not my doing but the work of a type of subtle group mob mentality supported as far as I can see by the moderators. I made reference in the thread that I felt I was being snapped at for simply bringing up an issue that is of concern to me (it might not be to them but it is to me).

What I can't understand is the thread was closed for apparently me not "engaging" with them. That could not be further from the truth. I try to answer as many as I can when I have the time. That is surely reasonable? Instead I get an avalanche of questions (most of which bizarrely are the same and I already addressed) and then I am criticised for simply not being there to be able to reply.

But it is the allegation of prejudice before the thread was locked that I thought was disgraceful and went unchallenged by the moderators. In fact I was labelled a troll aswell by the moderator to top it all off. The end of the thread is akin to "join the character assassination today!"

I should not have to defend myself against that because I did nothing wrong but there is no evidence at all in that thread of me being prejudiced or engaging in trolling. Nor am I prejudiced in any way. It occurred to me that alot of posters just did not bother reading the OP properly.


Here is my PM to the moderator

Hi, I intend to take a complaint to feedback.

You are calling me a troll and I have been labelled prejudiced and then you lock a perfectly valid thread started by me? I find your attitude biased and disrespectful of views that might not conform with your own. There is nothing whatsoever inappropriate about that thread.

And fyi I was going to reply to every single post. But I am not going to be insulted either by other posters and let that go either.

Regards.

Here is the reply

Thanks very much for your feedback.

By all means make a complaint about me and my modding, I welcome constructive criticism.

However, you have repeatedly ignored requests to engage with specific questions and elements of your debate by members of the forum whom are taking the time to respond.

Within the thread you have stated an opinion, backed it up with nothing more than your own personal (limited) experience, without taking on board what others are saying. That to my mind is very close to soapboxing, which you can see from our charter is not tolerated.

We as mods have given you every chance to engage with the other debaters, but you have chosen not to.

I stand by my decision to lock the thread, as I have received a number of complaints from other members of the forum stating they felt upset, angered and trivialised by that thread. I won't allow that to happen in a forum I moderate.

All the best.

Within the thread you have stated an opinion, backed it up with nothing more than your own personal (limited) experience, without taking on board what others are saying.

Yes I have stated my opinion. What is the problem with that? I did back it up with my experiences - why wouldn't I? This is the patronising thing. How do you know my experiences are "limited"?

"However, you have repeatedly ignored requests to engage with specific questions and elements of your debate by members of the forum whom are taking the time to respond."

That is a complete and utter fabrication. How can I reply when I am not there for a start? I replied several times. Secondly you claim some "felt upset, angered and trivialised by that thread" - really? A thread about bullying and they felt that? There is nothing wrong with the thread. Nor is there anything wrong or inappropriate with the wording of the OP. How can anyone be "offended" with that? That's ridiculous nonsense and you know it is. There is far worse elsewhere on boards.ie.

"I won't allow that to happen in a forum I moderate." - This is the best part of it here. You, the other moderators and most contributors are clearly biased (I acknowledged that in the thread) so much so that you seemed to miss the subtle bullying and innuendo in the thread directed toward me from the start. In fact I showed good restraint to just ignore it. But how you could not see that actually upsets and angers me because you read the thread and contributed to it.

What really grates with me is that I was labelled prejudiced and then accused of trolling with not one of you there to challenge that blatantly false assertion for anyone who read the thread. As a poster being demeaned like that it is your job as a moderator to protect me and to moderate the thread properly. Instead you continued the group session that suited your bias.

You have handled this really badly. Your not the only one. The others too.

That thread was perfectly ok. Nothing wrong with it. And certainly not offensive from me as the OP - far from it. And the excuse at the end for closing it - that I was not "engaging" - that is, I don't what that is, worst mod excuse for closing a thread in recent times anyway if not the most petty I have seen.

Any help in this regard would be appreciated - thanks!

Spear

Moved to the right place and prefix corrected.

baby and crumble

I'd like to just point out that the moderator in question here is me. The other moderators on the LGBT board had nothing to do with my decision to close the thread, which I stand by.

You refused many times to engage with the points made by other posters- in fact you ignored other first hand evidence from them which contradicted your points. You did not make any real effort that I could see to take on board their points. That is not in the spirit of the LGBT forum, and indeed is specifically adressed in our charter:

9. While posting of controversial questions to stimulate debate is acceptable, soap boxing, i.e. constant repetition of a single viewpoint while refusing to entertain discussion on it, is both disruptive and annoying, and will not be tolerated. You are expected to contribute something other than placard proclamations

My opinion that you were dangerously close to trolling in informed by this point in our charter:

6. No trolling or flaming. This means posting something that you feel will incite anger and/or abusive posting. This is usually thinly veiled insults. Starting up threads for the singular purpose of inviting such flames is also discouraged. It is the moderators discretion to decide whether a poster is trolling or flaming.

The thread was going around in circles, mostly because you refused or were unwilling to really take on board evidence that contradicted your opinions.

Again, I stand by my decision.

Annasopra

I'm not sure what the problem is.

You started a thread. Many of us came in with reasonable things to say. You ignored what we said apart from once or twice where you felt comfortable addressing something. You went off on tangents. You called everyone on the thread basically ignorant and prejuduced. You even suggested that gay parents were insane. You refused to answer questions put to you. When you did answer the answers were completely evasive and still not answering.

Basically you were soapboxing which is against the charter.

9. While posting of controversial questions to stimulate debate is acceptable, soap boxing, i.e. constant repetition of a single viewpoint while refusing to entertain discussion on it, is both disruptive and annoying, and will not be tolerated. You are expected to contribute something other than placard proclamations.

darkman2

mango salsa wrote: »

I'm not sure what the problem is.

Of course your not.

You started a thread. Many of us came in with reasonable things to say. You ignored what we said apart from once or twice where you felt comfortable addressing something.

And I didn't have reasonable things to say?

You went off on tangents.

This is the pot calling the kettle black.

You called everyone on the thread basically ignorant and prejuduced.

No I did not.

You even suggested that gay parents were insane.

Complete and utter misrepresentation of what I said. I did NOT say gay parents were insane. Don't be so daft. What I said was "any sane parent would agree" - how in the name of god do you equate that with me saying gay parents are insane.

You refused to answer questions put to you. When you did answer the answers were completely evasive and still not answering.

I answered the questions when I had the chance to do so. You did not like the answers. That's not my problem is it?

Basically you were soapboxing which is against the charter.

Are you being serious?


[/QUOTE]


You could not hack the narrative of the question in the OP. It must have made you uncomfortable or something. But it is a perfectly reasonable question about bullying of children in school whose parents might gay. What could possibly by wrong with that?

Also don't say I was not answering or acknowledging posts. I said in the thread I was reading all posts and that I would respond. I thanked a number of posts from gay parents aswell. So stop engaging in fiction to gloss over shoddy modding.

Annasopra

What exactly do you want us to do?

darkman2

Nothing. I am just highlighting an instance of poor modding and a lynch mob mentality evident in the forum you moderate which you ignored. I won't lose sleep over it.

Annasopra

darkman2 wrote: »

Nothing. I am just highlighting an instance of poor modding and a lynch mob mentality evident in the forum you moderate which you ignored. I won't lose sleep over it.

There was no lynch mob. Anyway - that's fine we'll just move on then. You are welcome back to the forum anytime. Perhaps if you want to come back in you could learn how the forum works. When we have discussions we expect people to engage in discussion not just say something again and again without listening to us.