Rhetoric and the art of Collaborative Discussion

[Burnt Hill]

These accusations of "bullying" are complete and utter bullshit, as anyone can see, and it's always the worst abusers of this board (and the worst wasters of its' members' time) who keep bringing up that bullshit complaint again and again and again. It's nauseating. Stop whingeing. You are adults. No one has stolen your lunchbox or given you a chinese burn. What people have done is to respond to posts you posted on a Discussion Board.

Belligerent Savant got it precisely right upthread: There is a horrible subsection of whiners on this board (precisely two of them, plus one hanger-on) who regard every disagreement as a personal affront and every actual refutation as an act of unpardonable lese-majeste. It's very American, and it's tres 2018, that attititude of arrogant entitlement, that rage at being challenged, questioned, or (horror of horrors) actually laughed at. How very dare we? Who do we think we are? Weep pitesously, then send in the Marines. It's the American Way.

This thread is called "The Socialist Alternative", not "The Fragile Feelings of Americans", so let us remember Karl Marx, who was born 200 years ago today, and let us consider how tat witty and embattled man would have responded to the bullshit complaints of "bullying" so typical of this board since the reign of King Wombat.

Jenkum for bullies.
Whats next? Calling us all cucks and snowflakes?

Its simple - when you direct your venom toward issues, you are a good read - right or wrong.
When you direct it towards other contributers here - you are just a run of the mill pissant.

[Rory]

These accusations of "bullying" are complete and utter bullshit, as anyone can see, and it's always the worst abusers of this board (and the worst wasters of its' members' time) who keep bringing up that bullshit complaint again and again and again. It's nauseating. Stop whingeing. You are adults. No one has stolen your lunchbox or given you a chinese burn. What people have done is to respond to posts you posted on a Discussion Board.

Belligerent Savant got it precisely right upthread: There is a horrible subsection of whiners on this board (precisely two of them, plus one hanger-on) who regard every disagreement as a personal affront and every actual refutation as an act of unpardonable lese-majeste. It's very American, and it's tres 2018, that attititude of arrogant entitlement, that rage at being challenged, questioned, or (horror of horrors) actually laughed at. How very dare we? Who do we think we are? Weep pitesously, then send in the Marines. It's the American Way.

This thread is called "The Socialist Alternative", not "The Fragile Feelings of Americans", so let us remember Karl Marx, who was born 200 years ago today, and let us consider how tat witty and embattled man would have responded to the bullshit complaints of "bullying" so typical of this board since the reign of King Wombat.

Jenkum for bullies.
Whats next? Calling us all cucks and snowflakes?

Its simple - when you direct your venom toward issues, you are a good read - right or wrong.
When you direct it towards other contributers here - you are just a run of the mill pissant.

Lol

[seemslikeadream]

These accusations of "bullying" are complete and utter bullshit, as anyone can see, and it's always the worst abusers of this board (and the worst wasters of its' members' time) who keep bringing up that bullshit complaint again and again and again. It's nauseating. Stop whingeing. You are adults. No one has stolen your lunchbox or given you a chinese burn. What people have done is to respond to posts you posted on a Discussion Board.

Belligerent Savant got it precisely right upthread: There is a horrible subsection of whiners on this board (precisely two of them, plus one hanger-on) who regard every disagreement as a personal affront and every actual refutation as an act of unpardonable lese-majeste. It's very American, and it's tres 2018, that attititude of arrogant entitlement, that rage at being challenged, questioned, or (horror of horrors) actually laughed at. How very dare we? Who do we think we are? Weep pitesously, then send in the Marines. It's the American Way.

This thread is called "The Socialist Alternative", not "The Fragile Feelings of Americans", so let us remember Karl Marx, who was born 200 years ago today, and let us consider how tat witty and embattled man would have responded to the bullshit complaints of "bullying" so typical of this board since the reign of King Wombat.

Jenkum for bullies.
Whats next? Calling us all cucks and snowflakes?

Its simple - when you direct your venom toward issues, you are a good read - right or wrong.
When you direct it towards other contributers here - you are just a run of the mill pissant.

so true ...thanks

[Burnt Hill]

Could the mods clarify the use and response process for the alert button?
I kind of have the expectation that with 2 moderators everything new here gets read by them.
If a moderator encounters a transgression do they react if there is no alert?
Do moderators attempt to read all posts with a moderators eye?
Just some basic stuff I am a bit confused about.

[Rory]

Could the mods clarify the use and response process for the alert button?
I kind of have the expectation that with 2 moderators everything new here gets read by them.
If a moderator encounters a transgression do they react if there is no alert?
Do moderators attempt to read all posts with a moderators eye?
Just some basic stuff I am a bit confused about.

I'm pressing the alert button and the mods aren't responding to my drama IMMEDIATELY!!

I demand to see a manager!

[seemslikeadream]

Why are you characterizing his question that way?

[Burnt Hill]

I'm pressing the alert button and the mods aren't responding to my drama IMMEDIATELY!!

I demand to see a manager!

I have used the alert button exactly once in 10 years here, and that was by accident when copying my own post.

Think again without your predetermined bias.

[Burnt Hill]

Like perhaps a line like - "this post has recieved 3 alerts from ..., ... and .... "
Just looking for more transparency from the moderators, and the entire site.

[MacCruiskeen]

These accusations of "bullying" are complete and utter bullshit, as anyone can see, and it's always the worst abusers of this board (and the worst wasters of its' members' time) who keep bringing up that bullshit complaint again and again and again. It's nauseating. Stop whingeing. You are adults. No one has stolen your lunchbox or given you a chinese burn. What people have done is to respond to posts you posted on a Discussion Board.

Belligerent Savant got it precisely right upthread: There is a horrible subsection of whiners on this board (precisely two of them, plus one hanger-on) who regard every disagreement as a personal affront and every actual refutation as an act of unpardonable lese-majeste. It's very American, and it's tres 2018, that attititude of arrogant entitlement, that rage at being challenged, questioned, or (horror of horrors) actually laughed at. How very dare we? Who do we think we are? Weep pitesously, then send in the Marines. It's the American Way.

This thread is called "The Socialist Alternative", not "The Fragile Feelings of Americans", so let us remember Karl Marx, who was born 200 years ago today, and let us consider how tat witty and embattled man would have responded to the bullshit complaints of "bullying" so typical of this board since the reign of King Wombat.

Jenkum for bullies.

I had to look up "jenkum". Thank you for sharing that with us. . But your sentence is still indecipherable. I have no idea what you're actually trying to say there.

Whats next? Calling us all cucks and snowflakes?

No, obviously not. Like "jenkum", those stupid epithets are not and never have been part of my active vocabulary. (I even went out of my way to put "snowflake" into the dustbin, where it belongs.) They're clearly part of yours, though. That's just the way your mind works, I guess. Mine not to reason why.

You are very confused. I am not the one flinging insults here. I did not call anyone a bully. Bullying is a loathsome thing. So "Bully!" is an insult when it is directed -- again and again and again -- at someone who is not in fact bullying anyone, but simply responding to posts publicly shared on this Discussion Board, of which I too am a member. Posting on a Discussion Board is a form of publication. It is no one's human right to be given uniformly postive reviews, regardless of the quality and content of their work (not only, but most especially, when it's not even their own work, but square acres of text plagiarised from other authors and then indiscriminately regurgitated here.)

Its simple - when you direct your venom toward issues, you are a good read - right or wrong.

Well, that's nice of you to say so. But it is not in fact my mission in life, or my responsibility, to entertain you consistently.

When you direct it towards other contributers here - you are just a run of the mill pissant.

You just flung an insult there. You directed venom at me. (And note that I have neither insulted you nor directed venom at you.) But since it's becoming increasingly and depressingly apparent that this board is still moderated according to blatant double standards, I have very little doubt that you'll get away with it.

[seemslikeadream]

Like perhaps a line like - "this post has recieved 3 alerts from ..., ... and .... "
Just looking for more transparency from the moderators, and the entire site.

a post can only be alerted on once

[Burnt Hill]

I know right? Jenkum is an advanced form of "arse biscuits".

You just flung an insult there. You directed venom at me. (And note that I have neither insulted you nor directed venom at you.) But since it's becoming increasingly and depressingly apparent that this board is still moderated according to blatant double standards, I have very little doubt that you'll get away with it.

Absolutely. I agree with you. It gets ugly doesn't it?

And I did qualify my insult, it applies to all of us. When we suck, we suck.
We can point it out in a witty way when there is a sense of camaraderie.
Otherwise it is more "arse biscuits".
We all do at some point or another.

[Burnt Hill]

Like perhaps a line like - "this post has recieved 3 alerts from ..., ... and .... "
Just looking for more transparency from the moderators, and the entire site.

a post can only be alerted on once

So if a comment offends 10 people and they all hit the alert button, only the first alert makes it to the mods?

[Burnt Hill]

Could the mods clarify the use and response process for the alert button?
I kind of have the expectation that with 2 moderators everything new here gets read by them.
If a moderator encounters a transgression do they react if there is no alert?
Do moderators attempt to read all posts with a moderators eye?
Just some basic stuff I am a bit confused about.

Bumping and wondering if this thread could be an considered open communication with the mods.

[stillrobertpaulsen]

Could the mods clarify the use and response process for the alert button?
I kind of have the expectation that with 2 moderators everything new here gets read by them.
If a moderator encounters a transgression do they react if there is no alert?
Do moderators attempt to read all posts with a moderators eye?
Just some basic stuff I am a bit confused about.

Bumping and wondering if this thread could be an considered open communication with the mods.

Thanks Burnt Hill, I meant to answer that yesterday, but it was a busy day at work.

Seemslikeadream is correct, a post can only be alerted on once.

Every moderator is different. I'm not Wombaticus Rex. 82_28 is not Project Willow. We all have our own way of responding to infractions, so I'll speak for myself and if 82_28 wants to respond here he can, though I will say we do try to coordinate our actions, but we are human, we have our own jobs, our own lives, so it doesn't always work out that way.

I try to read every new alert, unless 82_28 gets to it first. I do not read every single new post on RI, if that's what you're asking. If I read the alert and agree that the post violates the rules, I respond. If I read the alert and decide the post does not violate the rules, I don't respond. If I saw a flagrant violation of the rules occur before someone posted an alert, I would probably respond, though I certainly don't have the time or energy to read all posts, so AFAIK I have only responded to alerts. I simply don't have the time to read every post on RI. Lately, I have just been reading through the alerts that 82_28 and I are sorting through.

Hope that answers your questions, but if you have any more, I do consider this thread a place for open communication about moderation.

[Burnt Hill]

Thanks for responding SRP. Seems like you guys should have a process that assures all posts are reviewed, but i suppose that is why we have the alert button.
I am not personally comfortable with an alert button, I would prefer open discussions on in house issues, so thanks also for considering this thread as a go to place for such concerns.
Maybe we could make this thread stick, or put it in the Announcements section above?