My authoritie

[muckefuck]

Sooner or later, I'm going to get banned from the language forum I'm most active on these days. It's not that I'm trying to, it's just that they have one of the most insanely restrictive moderation regimes I've ever seen. It's forbidden to make any open reference to moderator actions, so it's not even possible to discuss the issue with other forum members. My latest run in with a mod came from simply suggesting to another poster that we move our discussion of Ferguson to a more appropriate thread; for this I was publicly censured for "backseat modding" and told I should've reported the comments as off-topic instead.

I'm beginning to wonder if there's a basic underlying cultural conflict. Most all of the mods are Western Europeans (although the one I've had the most trouble with is Francophone Canadian), which might help explain why what seems insultingly paternalistic to me strikes them as perfectly reasonable. (Why on earth would I "report" someone for a minor issue we're capable of working out civilly on our own?) I'm not disputing that, at the end of the day, it's their sandbox to run as they please, but still I'm used to mods (and I am one, on LJ and elsewhere) acting more like primi inter pares and less like tinpot dictators. Strange how little authority it takes to bring out the authoritarian in all of us.

Comments

[bitterlawngnome.livejournal.com]

Some people's cultural distinctiveness amounts to nothing more than being perpetually offended. And if there's nothing to be offended at, fights will be picked until something suitable comes along.

[mollyc-q.livejournal.com]

Yup, pretty much....