In regards to this political discussion and all that, I want to maybe make people think about it in this way and maybe this will help everyone in the future:
First and foremost, this is a site dedicated to superhero movies. We have other topics which people can engage with on here, but when this site started as Spider-Man Hype, the intent was to foster a community where people who love superheroes could share in the hype and talk to others they may not know outside the forum.
We are not a politics forum. We have a forum where politics can be discussed, but at its core, this isn't a politics forum. That's not to say you have to have a certain opinion to post here, but that isn't the main purpose of the forum.
So, when we engage in topics such as transgender rights or various rights, when you get too far into the weeds on those issues, you're making someone potentially feel unwelcome here. That's never been the intended goal of the site. SHH has always been about fostering a community and being inclusive. Hence why the laws of the site have a low tolerance for discrimination and such.
I tend to follow this line of thought before I post (sometimes I get heated and don't follow my own advice, but I have apologized to several people when I have done so), but I also kept myself out of a lot of trouble by doing this: read your post out loud before posting. If it sounds bad when you hear yourself, you may want to reconsider how you're making your point.
Also, you have to remember you guys only see half the battle. You see the public posts. You don't see the reports people make. You don't know how many people maybe report a post you make and why. We see that in the reports. We have more information, and we discuss these things as reports come in. We don't just ban off the cuff unless it's an obvious spam situation or something.
Also as I said earlier, if you have a concern about how a situation was handled, PM someone. I have taken poster concerns to the mod team many times. As have other mods. I am always willing to discuss situations with yall. That doesn't mean I will side with you or be able to give you all the information. Depends on what's going on, but I am always willing to have these discussions with anyone who messages me.
We have a great staff here, and no ones goal is to ruin anyone's good time or anything. Our job is to try and make this a great place for everyone. I think the staff does an amazing job. We may not be perfect, no one is. But I also guarantee we're not plotting against anyone or building death stars to subjugate yall into mechanized slaves for Skynet either.
I hope this perspective helps people see our side a bit better
I found this to be
highly informative post. Also — and obviously — it’s composed in a patient and communicative (not defensive) voice. All much appreciated.
I think most of us are aware that, as ordinary members, we don’t have all the facts when it comes to a particular disciplinary action. But this, it seems, creates a kind of Catch-22 dilemma for the mods. On the one hand… the unsavory duty of banning someone should be a matter of internal administration. Moreover, and as a (final) curtesy to the banned former member, not all their dirty laundry needs to be aired. On the other hand… a series of invisible PMs and deleted public messages removes
context from the “public record.” As such, a ban sometimes comes across as sudden, capricious or vindictive. And, in turn, this engenders a certain “reputation” for the board. Again: Catch-22.
I’ve never been a mod, so I have no special wisdom to offer. But I’ve sometimes thought that a dispassionate, boilerplate “ban notification” might be the best option. Without necessarily getting into details, it would generically explain (as above) that much of the accumulated evidence for any ban often consists of many private messages and many since-deleted public messages. Therefore, don’t read too much into what’s left of the “public record.” But rest assured, a fact-checked administrative
process has occurred. Etc., etc. Whereas, a fiery post (with bold font, exclamation points and a “Hasta la vista” — you’re banned! — gif) doesn’t quite convey the same sense of cool, objective deliberation.
Generally speaking, plain communication is a good thing.
On the issue of SHH being principally a superhero message board (it’s in the title, after all :wink: )…
I agree. Especially lately, I tend to stay out of the political forums. (Sometimes I lurk; but I rarely comment.) For 95% of the posts, the board’s politically liberal stances are entirely in sync with my own. Which is nicely validating, I suppose. But not especially interesting. For the remaining 5%, expressing a contrary position (even in a careful and nuanced way) is just too fraught, too risky and not worth the personal anguish.
Passionately animated arguments are still possible. As long as they’re on “safe” topics. (Like a movie’s Rotten Tomato score or the proper shade of red for Superman’s cape. Etc.) And that would be my advice to others: stick to the safe places and avoid the risky ones.
