| RolStoppable said:
Are my threads fun or not? That's something that everyone has to decide for themselves. What I've noticed in all these years though is that the fun factor for quite a few people depends on which company or fanbase the joke is on. I saw people up in arms in one thread only to see the same people congratulate me in another, because I panned Nintendo instead of Sony, for example. Lastly, are joke threads per se a problem on this site? No, only bad threads are a problem. A good joke thread might actually help some people who take the whole console wars thing too seriouly to wisen up. Once people realize how silly some of the issues that are being fought over are, they will be more open to discussions that don't degrade into us vs. them immediately. |
I actually agree with a lot of what you said from an objective point of view. The problem, however, is that you're basically setting up new users for moderation. They come in with no understanding of the context, or even that context exists, they engage in what they believe is the same level of discourse, then the next thing they know is that they're sitting out a ban and wondering how such a double standard (from their perspective) can be allowed to exist. I understand that you've asked people not be banned in certain situations but the problem does continue to exist.
I'll be honest--and I mean this as really-happened, actual truth--I almost left this forum as quickly as I joined because of Galaki. I was going through different threads, noticing the under-currents of tension that seldom spilled over, except that this one guy seemed to be able to say anything he wanted under the guise of extremely thin sarcasm. It's kind of a "WTF is going on here" moment for a newbie.
After being here awhile, the conclusion I've arrived at is that certain people know how to game the system by blurring their intent. All you really have to do is create a certain level of doubt. Be funny at times, be reasonable at times, and you can cross the line far more often than someone who is blunt and direct. I'm not saying that's necessarily wrong but I'm also not entirely sure it's right, either, at least not when newer users might eat a ban right off the bat.
That's where the "intent" part of the rationale really breaks down. You've got mods who have been here for years judging posters who have been here for years, which is fine, but the current system seems to expect newbies to be able to judge that intent, as well, or be punished for what would otherwise appear to be an equal response. How can that possibly be a reasonable expectation?
