GuitarBizarre

Can I also suggest by the way - I think the mod team need to re-establish some measures of respect. I can honestly say that before the big "member bans" thread that Dirty started way back when, I don't recall the mods ever getting this much complete **** from people.

After Dirty started that bandwagon however, the mods have seemed to recede from the forum and almost sought out a non-existence, where Janszoon the mod, and Janszoon the member, are two different people, and Janszoon the mod is some sort of alter ego brought out only to fight crime, and be hidden away at other times.


I suggest that the mods be less afraid to take their own moral stances on things in a semi-official capacity.

I mean, take for example occurences in the past where Hermione has, after working as a dominatrix, taken to the shoutbox to mock her clients preferences or gloat over their willingness to give her money.

Personally, I find that particular behaviour somewhat abhorrent - at the very least unprofessional, to mock an innocent person's extremely private life in a public forum, if not outright cruel, and/or betraying a lack of respect for others.

Now of course, this sort of moral judgement isn't within a mod's purview - or is it? Let's consider this - if I go into the shoutbox and express the opinion that Hermione doing that is abhorrent or unprofessional, I don't think I'd ever be a million miles away from the truth to expect an insult, a haranguing, or simple offensive language being tossed my way with abandon.

If, Janszoon the member shows up, honestly, very little stops Hermione from doing the same thing, since he's not portraying himself as anyone with the power to have a say.

On the other hand, if Janszoon the mod shows up, Hermione suddenly has to carefully consider whether she resorts to that same offensive or dismissive or confrontational language - not because Janszoon, with his mod hat on, has chosen to tell Hermione that he will moderate based on what he finds distasteful, but because Janszoon with his mod hat on, is someone where Hermione can't just give both barrels without a care as to the consequences.

Has Jansz in this instance moderated based on his opinions or morals? No. What he's done is he's laid down a line of respect between himself and that member that can be used as a measuring stick for how respectfully that member should treat OTHERS, who are NOT mods, in future. It makes plain that an acceptable level of argument or debate between Jansz and Hermione, is one that remains civil, respectful, and hopefully results in a mutual understanding of boundaries.

If in future then, Hermione oversteps that boundary significantly, with a non-mod member, Janszoon can, quite rightly, say "Hermione, you'd never treat me with this kind of disrespect, and if you continue to treat this other member with that disrespect, I will be forced to take action".

Is Jansz moderating based on his morals or beliefs there? Again, no - but his willingness to put his morals and beliefs against Hermione's informally, but with his mod hat on, has informed a situation where a more clear cut judgement can be made in a situation where a moral debate is occuring.

Mods, I'd really like your input from this perspective - do some of you feel that in aiming to be as close to the members as possible, or in the interests of avoiding heated debates or argument in order to seem professional yourselves, you have given up your ability to directly reference from personal experience, the levels of argument and respect that all members should use the moderators as a yardstick to determine? Is that sort of lack of defined mod example, perhaps a reason why some members can at times take a mile, from the inch of leniency you intended to give?

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