Since this is two pages back by now, here‘s my initial proposal for context:

I share your concern, but I think this thread has shown already that a civil conversation can be sustained if most parties are indeed willing to have one.

And when it comes down to it, I like to think that this forum matters quite a bit to quite a few of us, so I maintain that my idea or perhaps another, better one in a similar spirit would certainly be worth a try. Not immediately, but at some point in the not-too-distant future, once this thread has run its course and we have all had time to think on it a bit. It‘s not like the collapse of DLP is imminent (have to agree with @Erotic Adventures of S here), so we have both time and options.

Lightly edited for typos.

 

On that note, having lost a fair number of Prestige Mode members to permabans in a relatively short period of time, let me take the opportunity to plug the Prestige Mode Application thread (which I guess is no longer stickied because Scott won the 'contest'?).

The last application was May 2018. It's time to replenish our ranks. Sacrifice your high post counts to the Post God and you too can strive to set a positive posting example for your fellow DLPers. You too can have a get out of jail free card. You too can make everyone insanely jealous with your gloriously pink user name and custom title.

The Order of the Flamingo wants YOU for a new recruit! Be better. Be pink.

 

I'm really glad this thread was made; it's a testament, if nothing else, to the fact that this community cares about staying healthy and that our mods are sensible, reasonable people that care too. It's great that, even though people seem to disagree on how to improve this forum, no user is saying, "Fuck this, fuck you, I'm out." and that the staff aren't saying, "Fuck you, we can do what we want, you can suck a dick."

It feels good knowing that everyone cares about nurturing this community.

 

I had the lagswitch applied to me once like 8 or 9 years ago. I figured I'd just suck it up and take the punishment for whatever the perceived infraction was. Might have been my reward for having a troll account, I don't remember. What I remember was that it lasted for a month. Though, as it turned out, it was that long simply because the mod forgot he had turned it on on me. Obviously that shit is stupid, but I can't help but look back at those times in fondness, as the fandom was still quiet healthy back then and growing. The fandom is not that anymore, the times have change, and that should be taken into account.

 

To all the staff pointing to the mechanisms to report or complain: Please Lord above DO NOT.

It reads like a Corporation PR statement. You know, they just got caught doing something they shouldn't, then put out "We have the highest industry standards that we uphold. We thank everyone for their valuable feedback and promise to" Blah blah blah. But nobody in management is ever held responsible for the clusterfark. The underlying source never gets fixed. That is what these statements read like.

Because lets face it, Xiph0 being held responsible is most likely not going to happen. Something would have already happened given the complaints being leveled now. If not for causing this Shitnami then for opening the gates holding it back, before going all "Shocked Pikachu Face".

Need Pikachu face emoji. So badly.

Edit: And yes, I realize NMB acted like an idiot. A fearful idiot unwilling to give away his only leverage from being retroactively punished again weeks or months from now. Yet still, an idiot considering the influence he wielded as C2 owner. Several different ways he could have resolved this better.

Also while I'm editing, I voice support for those fearing something they say will get them banned. It's why I usually don't say anything at all outside of story-subsections. One wrong word, one un-knowing faux pas, and BAM! Years of talking, making online friends, discussions that last for days and intellectually stimulate you. All gone. And you don't have back-ups to keep in touch, you don't have alternatives, you can't argue usually with the mods. It's just OVER. I've had this happen IRL with a childhood friend. It's real, it's not hyperbole.

 

I think the point people have been trying to make quite kindly is that they're concerned over the complete lack of consequences moderators appear to face for abusing their power. Transparency about meting out punishments to Joe Average is all well and good, but there should probably be some transparency beyond "staff has agreed that moderator Z's actions were less than ideal".

 

Multiple members have stated they've had similar issues with him in the past. That's a pattern of behavior, not an inquisition.

I'm going to be the lone voice of dissent and say that if NMB's forum details were messed with, his actions with the C2 could be seen as reasonable from his perspective. His account was messed with - his account, no one else's. That's his identity on the site, it's like someone defacing your driver's license or something. In response to this loss of control over something that anyone would deem to be their's exclusively, he exerted his one guaranteed form of control to get back at the person defacing his identity. This is natural human behavior, and I'm not sure that in the moment I would have the maturity to step back from the situation and act rationally. I think that NMB acted so far over the line is proof of how much he cares about DLP and his place in the community. He was personally and grievously attacked for what I think anyone would view as an unjust reason, and he responded passionately. if anything, I think this should be taken as good faith of his commitment to the community.

It's telling that even though we have one side of the story, @Xiph0 still comes across as the one who instigated the problem and escalated it if NMB's forum details were messed with. That this is apparently far from the first time he's behaved similarly and this is just now coming to light because of the C2 reeks of corrupt upper management ass covering.

 

I don't see how this is an Inquisition against @Xiph0 if he is directly responsible for what many perceive as Staff members abusing their powers are.

I think most people on this site are generally happy with the admins and accept that Enembee went to far and should have resolved this matter in a different way.

But from my time on this site it was apparent that XiphO did not often act in a civil way towards many and seeing this thread makes his abuse of power ridiculously apparent messing with someones account just to win a petty squabble or have a laugh at someones expense is definitely crossing the line which he did again and again.

What I am saying is that like some members mentioned who were obviously calling out XiphO but possibly fearing negative consequences.

That if someone abuses their power they shouldn't have it which XiphO obviously repeatedly did.

 

This is not to excuse abuses of power but I would throw out there that Xipho does have the unenviable job of managing politics. As a result he does have to ban more people.

That said...I think there is obviously issues and lack of moderator accountability is one of them.

 

Yeah there's a fine line between taking the piss with someone and shitting on them from great height. A few of the stories do sound like that line has been stepped on a few times.

I don't think we should make this about the C2 side of things tbh @Zansa - that was a dick move and consequences have been handed out. As things stand, the more important topic is the potential misuse of mod power, and whether that is going to have consequences of any sort.

 

Oz I love you like the sugar daddy I never had but "talk to literally any other mod" has never worked. If you think that has ever solved anything then I don't know what to tell you.

And no one is clamoring for DLP to suddenly be SV levels of retarded rules and councils. All I personally want is an affirmation that everyone just do their best to not be an asshole. That's all. That's all the rules we need. The rest will work itself out without stuff like this happening.

I don't think saying that power should be used only in the areas it is meant to be used is trying to make DLP into a democracy.

 

DLP is not a democracy

It’s an aristocracy

 

Don't start. #BanArthellion

 

I think I speak for most everybody here in that when I signed up for the site, I put my faith in the basic common human decency that, whatever I did on the site, my personal settings to my account which are attached to personal details will not be messed with. The fact that it's been a recurring issue where accounts have been messed with (even if it's just a lag switch or whatever) is something that makes me question my desire to be a part of this community. I think that, no matter the punishment that enembee ultimately received by nuking the C2, this is an issue that must be addressed and, quite frankly, should have been addressed a long time ago.

If this is the full story, then this feels like an extraordinarily tame reason to be muted for days and to have account settings messed with.

This also makes the situation worse. Sree mentions that he (and I presume this extends to the rest of the staff) treats all member issues equally and fairly, no matter their post count, thumbs, or any other marks of recognition. But clearly, there are different standards (or at least different privileges when it comes to moderation) for members with Prestige than everyone else. Others have also brought this up, but, essentially, does that mean that had this situation happened to someone other than enembee/another person in the Prestige group, would it have even been noticed? And if it wouldn't have been noticed, then how does that foster a community that welcomes newer people into the fold?

 

When I'm elsewhere on the 'net and DLP comes up, it's always mentioned as an "old boys club". That's a huge part of why I like DLP to be perfectly honest - the fact that whenever I meet someone from DLP on the 'net we have a connection, and though I haven't been active on IRC in quite some time now, it happens every now and then, because DLP is much more closely connected to the users than something like Sufficient Velocity or Spacebattles. When I was in my teens, the DLP IRC was my favourite place, and when I pop in every now and then these days, it often feels like I haven't left at all.

However, as anyone who has ever opened a history book will tell you, old boys clubs, whether oligarchies or feudal nobilities, are notoriously bad at self-policing.

In many ways, I don't disagree at all. The problem is that that's exactly what people are wondering about. You don't think a demotion solves the problem, but you're sure you're for transparency and accountability. I have to ask, in what exact fashion? What should be the consequences for repeatedly misusing moderation powers? You need to expand on this for it to not sound like buzzwords you've just thrown in to make people calm down.

The ordinary user aren't seeing the consequences when moderators misstep, so that's a clear way to improve transparency, and if there aren't any consequences, maybe it's time to add some so you can have accountability. That's my two cents on how to better the community.