General Moderation Topic

Oh, I’m glad I missed out most of this, as you apparently took the work to clear the mess up.
However, I found several posts in the Did Cory leave BB very interesting, and was hoping for civility to return and the Russia-thread to dry out in a different topic.

Clearly my hopes were … misguided. Shit.
Still hoping for Cory to return (at least every now and then), for BB to stay a happy place, and for general sanity to exist.

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User shaunoneil anonymized at user request.

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While one can find “good things” in almost any action “Hey, air pollution from airlines was down 90% after 9/11! Woo!”, stating such does little more than to downplay and minimize the vastly, vastly more negative effects such tragic actions have.

The same holds true for COVID-19. Posts suggesting that “at least this will come out of this outbreak” will be eaten with prejudice. Don’t go there.

Thank you.

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discovery-saru-thank-you-capt

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It’s a damn shame that it even needs to be said; still, thank you.

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Further to the above, user TheGreatParis hs been given a brief timeout for making light of the COVID-19 situation.

We’re not fooling here. Making light of folks dying isn’t going to end well for anyone choosing to do so.

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This is so, so true. Constant griefing and axe grinding is not cool – and should not be tolerated.

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There are only two other things that have scared me as badly as Covid-19. Nuclear war, and global warming.

Unfortunately, there does not seem to be a way to talk about these fears in a way that doesnt bring out the worst in somebody.

It’s the silence that bothers me more than any of those things.

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User Headache removed for coming here to complain that apparently we should be reporting less on pandemics, or making more money from it, or something.

If you don’t want to read out coverage of COVID-19, don’t read it. Coming here instead to tell everyone how they shouldn’t be reading it, or we shouldn’t be posting it, or that we have an agenda beyond, you know, posting information about a pandemic, help no one, derails everyone, and has no place here.

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At least we’ll lose a few trollies.

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User flapjack has been given a timeout for celebrating the COVID-19 situation and the personal gains it offers for them.

ETA: This has been rescinded after noting the context of the remarks. Moderators are human, too, and I regret the error here.

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I’m afraid my Like for your original comment can’t stand given the recision and the clearly stated rule you made 12 days ago:

I will now assume that discussing secondary outcomes from the pandemic which benefit some people (e.g. those who carry large credit card debt balances or supporters of President Biff who want the economy to improve as a way of getting him a second term) while negatively affecting an equal or greater amount of others (e.g. retirees living on fixed incomes or those who want to see Il Douche out of office) – all other conditions remaining the same (i.e. the economy is going into recession and we’re in the midst of a contentious campaign season) – are excepted from this rule.

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And wishing trolls to die, too.

I think @jlw meant that waggishly, and in the sense of tr0lls getting banned from the site rather than literally dying from COVID-19.

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You will find this axiom to be true of any discussion of anything in almost every case. There is a difference between applauding policy decisions, however belated, that attempt to deal with the effects of the pandemic versus applauding the pandemic itself. I can approve of actions aimed at helping businesses affected by the pandemic while also recognizing that, was with almost everything else, such help will not be evenly distributed, and more specifically, does not make light of, nor applaud, the pandemic itself.

I hope that differentiation is more clear to you now. Thanks for the opportunity to clarify.

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Suspended user stevethewelder for raging out in a post he didn’t like. Personal attacks against Boing Boing editors, contributors or the publisher result in permanent bans.

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User jeddak given a 24 hour suspension wherein it is hoped said account learns to point out typos politely.

We always appreciate corrections. Smarminess may result in suspended accounts.

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User Tracian asked not to return after actively trolling in COVID-19 topics. Finding joy in, or mocking the misery of others isn’t going to buy you any friends here.

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User Keith_McClary has been given a timeout for posting “fair and balanced” “It’s just the flu” idiocy.

You don’t amplify idiots who are pretending hospitals aren’t filling up with cases, that it’s just “The flu”. Clearly it isn’t, otherwise, why did are hospitals being overrun? A few credentialed idiots do not rise up to scrutiny any more than a dozen climate change deniers do, yet allowing their posts to stand makes them appear to have “equal weight” as a result.

As we’ve already said, we will remove misinformation with extreme prejudice.

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does telling the software to alert me when this thread is updated count, because tbh come here mostly for the schadenfreude

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