Coronavirus Forum & Scurrilous Remarks

Degag

Firstly let me start by saying that i totally understand how difficult it must be to mod this forum. I think i saw on some thread a while back that it is (unsurprisingly) one of the most popular forums while also (again unsurprisingly) having lots and lots of reported posts.

I also understand that people have suffered hugely in the pandemic and viewpoints, opinions differ wildly and lead to tension and arguments. I've been there.

However, something that i don't really understand are the often disgusting remarks left by some posters that are often left unpunished by moderators even after they have been reported (For balance, i know that some are punished). And i'd like to know why. One can easily describe their dissatifaction with the government, NPHET, any other organisation or indeed any individual person within said organisation without resorting to vitriol that is very evident in this forum.

Indeed, i know that in the Soccer forum, any slur or insult directed towards any individual is punished. Why is it not the same in this forum? One may not like the person, may think their decisions are terrible, may think they are ruining the economy but is the below really necessary? These people are just doing their jobs, perhaps badly, thats a matter of opinion.

Micheál "The Gimp" Martin

That stuttering bumbling gobshyte Mehole

Pathetic ****ing morons in government

Micheal Martin is quite litereally David Brent

As thick as he is, as health minister Harris

Sham "50,000 deaths by last October" McConkey. Naturally Sham is paranoid,

It wouldn't surprise me if Tony is a recovering alcoholic

And i've seen worse. Do we really need to steep so low? And should it be condoned?

Beechwoodspark

Just to come in on this I noticed those remarks earlier and felt they were way out of line also

Tork

At times those threads read like people trying outdo each other with the insults and smartarse comments they come up with. Then they all clap each other on the back and the cycle continues. I can understand why these forums are hard to moderate and that it is a thankless job. But I think many have gone too far and the forums have become bitter, vitriolic echo chambers.

Beasty

Thread moved from Feedback (which deals with site-wide Feedback)

Forum specific issues are dealt with in Help Desk

Beasty

I've just had a quick look at the posts you have reported over the past couple of weeks. 2 of the comments you mention above are very clearly carded. 2 others are not. One today I did not consider warranted further action.

When modding we take into account various factors, including the wider behaviour of a poster. In one example where you have repeatedly reported a poster I have actually taken action behind the scenes. You will not see that though. Equally public figures, and in particular politicians, often raise the ire of posters, who can react, sometimes out of character, in a way you may consider offensive. However that does not mean we will take action. Some forums specifically prohibit abuse towards anyone. There is no such rule in Current Affairs or the Coronavirus forum.

We will exercise discretion and act if we see wider issues, either in the context of a specific thread, or perhaps a specific poster. You will not always see that action though.

Degag

Beasty wrote: »

I've just had a quick look at the posts you have reported over the past couple of weeks. 2 of the comments you mention above are very clearly carded. 2 others are not. One today I did not consider warranted further action.

When modding we take into account various factors, including the wider behaviour of a poster. In one example where you have repeatedly reported a poster I have actually taken action behind the scenes. You will not see that though. Equally public figures, and in particular politicians, often raise the ire of posters, who can react, sometimes out of character, in a way you may consider offensive. However that does not mean we will take action. Some forums specifically prohibit abuse towards anyone. There is no such rule in Current Affairs or the Coronavirus forum.

We will exercise discretion and act if we see wider issues, either in the context of a specific thread, or perhaps a specific poster. You will not always see that action though.

Thanks for the response Beasty. I didn't realise two of the posts i quoted had been carded - thought it was one and quoted that as i just wanted to point out the level of vitriol that is posted regularly.

My post was not intended to "bash" mods in any way and i hope that didn't come across at all. It is actually reassuring that you guys put quite a lot of thought into taking action because i do know that it's easy to react "out of character" as you say. I called a soccer player a "clown" when he missed a penalty in that forum last week. It wasn't meant to be offensive but could have been construed that way. I promptly edited the post as soon as i posted it when i remembered the rule there.

It is just something that i felt deserved to be pointed out as i don't feel that some of the comments are any way fair towards the people involved even if, as public figures and public representatives they do need to be closely scrutinized.

Beasty

Soccer forum rules are very specific on abuse of anyone, be it players, managers or officials. Basically it would otherwise be another "weapon" of rivalry between certain teams

Those rules were established based on user feedback

Is there any argument that online politics discussion is pretty much exactly that context by now

Beasty

We have a Politics forum for serious political discussion. CA was deliberately set up to cater for more laid back posting. Getting prescriptive with rules in a forum like that does not work. Politics Cafe was tried twice and failed twice

And even if we did introduce such a rule, where do you draw the line? Is Kim Jong-un fair game? What about Boris? Trump? Unless posters are using terminology knowing it's going to wind up a large cohort of users ("Sleepy Joe" being a case in hand), then why would we censor? Posters should consider how they come across when posting such stuff.

gozunda

Adding to this - any chance the attacks on posters disguised as group comments such as referring to posters as misfits, on the pup, lovers of doom or wtte - can be reined in?

I'm aware the charter specifically does not permit direct insults or purposely inflammatory remarks. However what seems to be increasingly creeping in are remarks directed at anyone with a different pov. And tbh some seem to be barely disguised attacks on specific posters. This is now fairly endemic on a number of the threads in the forum. Unfortunately all it does is derail and inflames any chance of decent discussion.

Beasty

Again I've just looked at your recent reports. Two of them have red cards issued. Another was deleted. There was no visible action on another, but the mod noted the thread had moved on.

Of course we do not act on everything, but I think you will find there are many examples of posters being sanctioned for attacking other posters, sometime specific ones and sometimes generic attacks.

gozunda

Beasty wrote: »

Again I've just looked at your recent reports. Two of them have red cards issued. Another was deleted. There was no visible action on another, but the mod noted the thread had moved on.

Of course we do not act on everything, but I think you will find there are many examples of posters being sanctioned for attacking other posters, sometime specific ones and sometimes generic attacks.

Just to note I made no mention of reported posts. I'm aware of the couple which were actioned btw. The comment is a general one. The point being is that these type of posts are set to paint all those with any opposing pov as a group with a whole host of negative connotations. Generally references are kept vague. Unfortunately such comments frequently inflame and derail discussion. And frankly there's way more than are ever reported imo.

The point is these types of comments seem to have become a means to get around the no abuse / attack rule. And from what I've seen they've originated in one or two threads but are now fairly endemic across the forum and for sure there's plenty which have not be actioned. And I know comments should to reported but quite often by the time other posters have seen them - as you said the thread has moved on. Often nothing happens and the cycle repeats itself.

I do know a few moderators who have actively stopped these comments in their tracks but unfortunately it looks like they frequently fall into a grey area between personal abuse and generalising so they also often get overlooked.

Not sure what can be done tbh. But imho its certainly something which has changed and become a noted feature of the forum and with that more akin to the old AH class of commentary.