/dev/chat

Tim

2:41 AM

Could someone enlighten me please

an abusive moderator suspended an innocent user.

then suspended another innocent user for accusing them being associated with the previous one.

How could a moderator be so sure about that

Please advise if you know something.

Does the system detect that? Does the system not allow multiple users to share the same IP?

Or do some malicious users actively police other users and report anything they smell suspicious?

Tim

3:10 AM

How can I avoid another innocent user using the same IP from being banned?

Thanks in advance!

terdon

8:11 AM

@Tim Praying for something, presumably bad, to happen to people is not OK.

terdon

8:24 AM

@Tim We have tools at our disposal that can help us be pretty sure. In all of the years I have been here, I have seen no cases of "abusive" moderators suspending "innocent" people. I guess it must have happened, mods are not perfect in any way, but the vast majority of suspensions are absolutely justified. You have no idea what kind of crap mods need to deal with. Especially on the larger sites.

Faheem Mitha

9:27 AM

Currently waiting for the Cyclone to arrive.

Someone should make that the title of a play: Waiting for Cyclone

It's possible the Cyclone won't arrive at all, which would actually be quite appropriate.

Michael Homer

One person's not ok is another's obligatory religious devotion

Recently I learned that there is a fake Bombay Cyclone from 1882 that keeps being reported over a century later

terdon

@MichaelHomer I don't care what your religion is, I don't see how praying for harm to befall someone else can ever be acceptable.

Stephen Kitt

9:43 AM

@terdon “I hope the (perpetrator of some crime) is arrested” ;-)

Michael Homer

I suppose one isn't called upon to accept other people's religious practices, but only to tolerate them

terdon

@MichaelHomer If you have something to say, please come out and actually say it. I don't care about religion here, I do care about people wishing harm on others, something I consider against the CoC.

Michael Homer

I don't, particularly, but if you like

1) Tim did not express a wish for anyone to be harmed, unless one is seeking to read it that way. 2) If you're really keen we could take a look at that code of conduct and see how it feels about "any language likely to offend or alienate people based on [...] religion".

terdon

9:58 AM

@MichaelHomer Thank you. 1) OK, I don't know that I "chose" to read it that way, I don't really see how else you could read "I pray that something happen to abusive moderators and users", that clearly implies the "something" is not something nice. So yeah, that came across to me as a very clear wish for harm to befall others. If that's not how Tim meant it, then great.

2) Sure. If you feel that folks in here have used language likely to offend or alienate others based on their religion, please do let me know. Especially if I have been guilty of that, which is very likely. I grew up in a very religious society and have very strong views on the matter which sometimes escape me in ways that are not very friendly. I often don't realize it and would appreciate it if you'd correct me. I don't mean to cause offense.

Michael Homer

"I pray that they receive a revelation and see the error of their ways"

terdon

@MichaelHomer That would have been a very different statement to "I pray that something happens to abusive users".

Michael Homer

As you wish

Faheem Mitha

Still very quiet here. I was expecting... something.

This reminds of 2000 in Chapel Hill. A big hurricane was supposed to arrive, but didn't. All classes were cancelled in anticipation of the hurricane's arrival.

I remember I woke up to bright sunshine, and a professor sent an email with the words "in view of the hurricane that wasn't".

The East Coast gets hit pretty badly on a regular basis. The Outer Banks gets so much regular damage I wonder anyone builds there.

Transcript for