Bullying on Athletics/Running

Spirogyra

It appears to be dominated by a 'gang' who lynch anyone who expresses a different opinion,Moderator, PConn062, never intervenes, except to lock a thread and side with the guilty party . I draw your attention to this thread http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=94577162#post94577162 .

Here I asked a question which would be relevant to many people across the nation. But it was hijacked by people who forcing their point home, not respecting different opinions, acting in a most vitriolic and tribal manner and yes I regard it as bullying. It became a waste of time, not through my posts, or the comments of pink, but due to these 'jungle' like replies, which respected nobody. Even if somebody doesn't know much about running , they have a right to be heard and have their opinions respected with being lynched.

The fact that the moderator Pconn062 does nothing, At the end he locks it, saying that the thread has become a waste of time, ignoring the cause of it having become a waste of time, ie these vile responses, to which he did not intervene. He accused me of 'insulting others' by calling them 'bullies' when this is precisely what they are, and he does nothing to curb them, on this and on other threads where I have posted. That this is his response demonstrates that the (presumably) man is unfit to moderate. He doesn't follow Boards.ie guidelines of ensuring respect for individual opinions and allows personal insults, not just on this thread I stress.

The vast majority of runners in Ireland are recreational , amateur, not that knowledgable or good probably . They are learning, naieves even, they will ask basic or even silly questions. But they have a right to do so without being lynched or lampooned as happens on this forum. Is it a forum for the elite, and dominated by a tribal, bullying mentality? or a forum for all, where all are respected? I hope the latter . If so then I feel that a new moderation team is appropriate as the current one's are clearly failing in their duties and colluding with the oppressors.

Spear

Moved from DRP since this isn't DRP related.

Beasty

Sorry for the delay in getting to this but I've been away for a couple of days. This site takes accusations of bullying very seriously and I wanted to give some time to reviewing the thread you linked to, particularly given I am not a regular within the forum.

You started the thread and what I'm seeing particularly early on is some very constructive comments. Yes one or two posts may have been a little dismissive but certainly could not be construed as bullying in any way

Now it appears to me that there are a lot of very knowledgeable posters in the forum who were simply telling it as they saw it. I'm not seeing anyone "ganging up" on you or the other poster you mention. Again without spending a lot of time in the forum I may be speculating based on what I've seen elsewhere on the site, but perhaps there is a clique there - that's almost inevitable when a lot of posters know each other in real life which can happen with forums like this where they can be turning up to the same events on a regular basis. That can be a little intimidating to posters who are not on the "inside" but is certainly not evidence of bullying

Looking further into the thread I am continuing to see constructive posts until the other poster makes the following statement:

Pink11 wrote: »

Quite honestly the negativity on here is staggering.

I think the following response best sums up my own view on the matter:

Enduro wrote: »

Everyone here is trying to push themselves further. But people on here are mostly not going to give trite feelgood advice. You're more likely to get useful realistic advice. It's up to you whether to listen or not. Having read every message on this thread I can't see anyone here being negative. Good advice won't always be what you want to hear. Sometimes the best advice will be hard to hear, but then that's often what makes that advice so good.

Now we see a situation where posters had, in their view, provided constructive comments, being accused of "negativity"

Again a follow up post perhaps highlights this:

dublin runner wrote: »

This thread has been completely derailed. Hilarious stuff.

Wash, rinse, repeat. The forum sees the same debates week in, week out.

So now we have a situation where a thread that started off in a very constructive manner is starting to descend with posters starting to have digs and suggesting that perhaps the expectations of one or two in the thread were unrealistic. Again though I am seeing nothing that could be considered bullying

Then you decide to take things into your own hands with this post:

Spirogyra wrote: »

There's a lot of nastiness on this forum, have noticed it before.....

compounded with this:

Spirogyra wrote: »

How very condescending. Everyone has a right to follow what they feel is right,to think and feel as they do. There seems to a 'culture' of bullying on this forum and a lot of pretty obnoxious personalities. You might be knowledgable in the field of running but you are certainly not mature people.....

So having contributed to dragging the thread down you had decided to take things into your own hands and accuse others in-thread of bullying. That is at clear back-seat modding.

The mod steps in and tells you to report stuff rather than make such accusations in-thread, closing the thread at the same time.

In my view the mod did exactly the right thing.

You then reported a number of posts including one you claimed was bullying. I have looked at that post and it was certainly abusive but equally was certainly not bullying. The local mods have acted based on that report and I am satisfied with that.

Now as I have already said I am not a regular in the forum, and I note your comments in one report

Bullying is rife here and it's happened before

I am though not seeing any other reports from you suggesting that is the case. If you have other examples to back up your claim please forward details via PM if you wish, as I am seeing absolutely nothing in that thread when looked at in isolation to support your accusations.

Spirogyra

-So having contributed to dragging the thread down you had decided to take things into your own hands and accuse others in-thread of bullying. That is at clear back-seat modding-Here you accuse me of dragging the thread down, but you neglect to speak of the comments before which caused me to say such? Were they not aggressive, highly disrespectful and in breach of boards.ie charter? You need to look beneath the surface and ask what would make someone say that, feel that way? rather than judge me for saying it. I felt like I was attacked and shown no respect.

See how I was clobbered here http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=93670973 I was clearly mocked and made a joke of.

If you or the Moderators regard this as acceptable conduct,then I or a large number of others have no place on the Athletics Forum.

Beasty

Spirogyra wrote: »

See how I was clobbered here http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=93670973 I was clearly mocked and made a joke of.

If you or the Moderators regard this as acceptable conduct,then I or a large number of others have no place on the Athletics Forum.

Thanks for that link

I acknowledge that posters in that thread went too far and agree there was inappropriate mocking at the root of it. I do not see it as something to support your claims of bullying in the thread you originally linked to.

I note you did report various posts in that earlier thread and will have a word with the local mod team, as I do think someone should have stepped into that thread to call a halt to those inappropriate posts.