Jiro’s argument is, in effect, that if the moderators can threaten to ban someone if they don’t justify the holes in their analogies then they can threaten to ban anyone. That’s true, but no truer than the fact that they can (in any case) threaten to ban anyone. In either case, the scenario to worry about is unreasonable moderators; and if we have unreasonable moderators they can threaten to ban, or ban, as they please even without this precedent.
(I should maybe remark that Nancy didn’t in fact threaten to ban anyone; she didn’t make any specific threat. I’m not sure that actually makes anything better, but this discussion is developing somewhat as if she’d said in so many words “answer or I ban you”, which she didn’t say.)
The issue isn’t whether a threat to ban was made explicitly or not (the only moderator powers are to ban and to delete posts, as far as I know, therefore “I ask as a moderator” implies “I have a gun in my hand, give me a reason to not use it”). The issue is whether moderators are in charge of policing posts and comments on the basis of “does it offend my sensitivities”.
The EphemeralNight’s post was compared, justifiably in my opinion, to bad adolescent goth poetry. Do you think that “I want an answer for how you could think it was reasonable to leave out female preferences” is, in any way, an adequate response to bad goth poetry?
“I have a gun in my hand, give me a reason to not use it”
It could also be “I have a gun: you might want to consider keeping on the right side of me lest I use it later”.
does it offend my sensitivities
As you can see from (e.g.) Richard Kennaway’s comment, the votes on Nancy’s question, etc., it is by no means only Nancy’s sensitivities that are at issue here.
an adequate response to bad goth poetry
Whether something is as badly written as bad goth poetry is an entirely separate question from whether it should be judged as if it is bad goth poetry.
Jiro’s argument is, in effect, that if the moderators can threaten to ban someone if they don’t justify the holes in their analogies then they can threaten to ban anyone. That’s true, but no truer than the fact that they can (in any case) threaten to ban anyone. In either case, the scenario to worry about is unreasonable moderators; and if we have unreasonable moderators they can threaten to ban, or ban, as they please even without this precedent.
(I should maybe remark that Nancy didn’t in fact threaten to ban anyone; she didn’t make any specific threat. I’m not sure that actually makes anything better, but this discussion is developing somewhat as if she’d said in so many words “answer or I ban you”, which she didn’t say.)
The issue isn’t whether a threat to ban was made explicitly or not (the only moderator powers are to ban and to delete posts, as far as I know, therefore “I ask as a moderator” implies “I have a gun in my hand, give me a reason to not use it”). The issue is whether moderators are in charge of policing posts and comments on the basis of “does it offend my sensitivities”.
The EphemeralNight’s post was compared, justifiably in my opinion, to bad adolescent goth poetry. Do you think that “I want an answer for how you could think it was reasonable to leave out female preferences” is, in any way, an adequate response to bad goth poetry?
It could also be “I have a gun: you might want to consider keeping on the right side of me lest I use it later”.
As you can see from (e.g.) Richard Kennaway’s comment, the votes on Nancy’s question, etc., it is by no means only Nancy’s sensitivities that are at issue here.
Whether something is as badly written as bad goth poetry is an entirely separate question from whether it should be judged as if it is bad goth poetry.