Thread:Obi the LEGO Fan/@comment-25625534-20150419010713/@comment-4552817-20150422073440

I'd like to say I'm quite glad to see mods (especially Spider being fairly new to the position and Ava who takes more than a fair share of ridicule) still willing to mod, willing to try and minimize the severity of arguments. I know mods who have given up because of all the heat they get these days over the silliest little things, and to be honest, I don't blame them one bit. I know the feeling all too well myself.

Well I see some pretty unfair and strong biases going on here... Some of you are getting distracted with the content of the chat conversation, others can't get over their perceptions of chat at the time, and still others clearly have feelings of contempt toward Nehp from the past that should not be related to this case at all.

I think you should know I feel like a pretty unbiased user here because I have really good friends on both sides of this situation and I was not on chat at the time and so do not have any emotional ties to how I felt in the heat of the moment. I'm also a seasoned mod and have encountered this kind of thing countless times. In real life I'm known for my ability of understanding two completely differing perspectives as if each were my own.

All that being said, it's crystal clear to me that one side is correct. This is not an inconclusive case where neither side is right, nor is it a half and half kind of thing. In fact I disagree with all the statements about "some wrong on both sides." There was wrong on one side only. And that's saying a lot for me. Normally I find both sides to be at fault in just about everything.

I still completely hold to the fact that Nehpets did nothing wrong in the slightest. In fact I'd say he did quite a lot right! He was possibly even too lenient. One of the calmest mod jobs I've seen in a long time in the midst of one of the many hot and very challenging situations that unfortunately pop up so often these days. That's one cool, levelheaded, under appreciated, quality mod you've got right there. We are privileged to have hime willing to serve on the mod team. To demote him or even issue a warning of some sort would be a great loss and huge blow to the peace and quality we work so hard to keep in chat, the importance, relevance, and authority of the rules and policies, the entire mod team, and all the users of this community, including you.

It sounds to me like there are three problems people have with Nehp here.


 * One is that he didn't remain all the way silent after being told not to speak again.


 * The second being that he offended people by referring to controversial words to describe a certain way users were acting.


 * And the third is they disapprove of his nonaggressive modding style. (saying he should have given stronger warnings or something instead of contributing his opinion)

Now, I get what people see in all that but I suggest to you there are several flaws with the reasoning behind those matters.

1. Nehp did not have to be quiet because he was in the right and he was one of the only ones actually following the rules. Even so, when asked, he actually was quiet. People kept rudely saying "ignore the troll" and "drop the issue." But if you take a look, you'll see Nehp wasn't even speaking at the time. Other users were the ones continuing to defend themselves at the same time as telling Nehp (who was silent) to shut up. First of all, mods shouldn't be modding each other, but rather working together as an effective team. ZXSpidermanXZ, to answer some of your questions, I fully understand what you are saying, and I am really pleased to see you trying to be the best mod you can be. You've got great potential as a mod. But take a minute to look at this from a different point of view.

I know you tried to stop the argument, which is good. However, you actually ended up trying to stop the wrong one. I know what kind of an awkward position you were in too. There are a few things you could have done better.

Remember, we've already agreed Nehp is allowed to have opinions, and the problem wasn't that he stated them, but rather that he didn't remain silent when you and others in charge said to. Well you could have listened to what Nehpets pointed out and realized how users had broken and continued breaking rules left and right. You could have said something like "Nehp is right guys. Some people are uncomfortable and this has gone far enough, It's time for a new subject in main chat." Anything after that, you and Nehp could have worked together with formal warnings, kicks, and potentially bans.

If you couldn't bring yourself to agree with Nehp, then you should have remained quiet and let him do his job his way (even accounting for the fact that you had the majority in your favor). Mods need to support each other even when they disagree. Since Nehp was the one taking action, you and others should have been the supporters or silent opposers. If you strongly oppose any actions he took, I would suggest you pm him about it.

The only time I say it's alright to contradict a fellow mod in main chat is if it's blatantly obvious they have lost their senses and are swearing, personally attacking someone to an unquestionable extent, or purely outright beyond a shadow of a doubt breaking policy. Even if the mod "abused their rights" by banning unfairly, I would leave the issue alone and talk about unbanning with the mod privately. Also, if even one user, but especially several as seen in this case, complain about the chat content, then for sure without question, it needs to change. Nehp was one user who was working to do just that.

Hope this helps. I'd love to talk with you more on chat sometime about modding techniques if you have questions. Also please note that neither scenario I listed is explained here in full details, I just put the basic ideas.

So no, both sides were not at fault. The one side was at fault for not listening to Ava and Nehp and fellow users (along with other issues), and the other was simply not at fault because the people telling them to stop were in fact, wrong. If you ask me, I say Nehpets did show exemplary  behavior and maturity as mods should. It was the other mods who did not.

2. It is your own fault if you were offended with what Nehpets said. If you have a problem with those particular words, then start a movement to get them blocked. He did not use banned words, and the words he did use were not used as personal attack, but instead to accurately describe the feeling of conversations and how users sometimes act. Ha didn't say anything inappropriate for a moderator. I could quote many a time when other mods and admins (even the ones in this situation) said things far, far worse in a way that actually does break policy.

I am strongly opposed to many of the recent word unblockings and quite frequently uncomfortable and unhappy with what people say and how they use words around here. But why does it matter? You don't see me making a huge fuss and getting all offended.

3. How on earth can you expect Nehp to do a more traditional modding style with official warnings and kicks and whatnot when you can't even handle his simple requests?

Someone said if he had just given warnings and said be civil or something instead of "arguing," everything would have been fine. ...Really? You mean if he reworded his cautions as official warnings, you would have changed your mind and agreed with him? I highly doubt that. You would have reacted even worse saying how he was abusing rights and being too strict and all the rest. Besides, do you really expect him to dish out warnings when mods and admins were mixed up in the whole thing too (and sometimes were the worst...)? I mean they would have shot shot down the warnings in an instant. Really, give him a break. He /was/ doing his job just as properly as he should have. The only feasible way he could have done better is if the other mods did their jobs properly and helped out.

Relax people. You're pulling at strings to find any excuse possible for an argument against Nehp. Seriously you need to get over it. It wasn't even a big issue to begin with. I don't mean to start countless debates here, just want you to see some points from another perspective.

Also, Star and Keps made some excellent points worth considering.

So yeah, I've typed long enough. I'll be quiet now. My iPod can hardly even load this thread anymore anyway.