The Human Touch
Let's not beat around the bush. Here's the thread in question:
Illegal Aliens Killing 25 American Citizens Per Day
Some of the posts
mrwupy made in that thread were definitely warnable, and if he weren't a moderator, he probably would have received one or
more warnings for them.
But mods can't slap red-flag warns on other mods (probably to prevent warn fights, which actually sound kind of fun). Instead, we do our best to keep
an eye on each other and let each other know when we've done something wrong.
We're not machines, just people who like to discuss various alternative topics on the Internet and also want to help keep the forums running
smoothly.
Being human, we all have our hot buttons and some things -- often unexpectedly -- can set us off.
It happens all the time with members in our community, and we try to deal with it as best we can.
The Mod Behind The Badge
Moderators are members too, and we are welcome to share our opinions on the issues like anyone else. However, we are still moderators, and as such we
are expected to serve as good examples to our fellow members.
Also, no matter how much we try to distinguish between personal opinions and official duties, everything we post has the word "Moderator" next to
it, and let's face it: if a mod goes off on you, that is intimidating as hell, and disturbing.
Just as with police officers or anyone else in a position of trust, there will always be a concern that a person with moderator powers may abuse that
trust and use their powers inappropriately.
I haven't seen any evidence of abuse of moderator powers in this case.
Rather,
mrwupy's misbehavior was that of a member lashing out at a fellow member.
Closing Ranks
The ATS staff operates as a team. We back each other up constantly, and are always consulting each other for advice and assistance as we do our
jobs.
This can lead to the perception that we will tend to "close ranks" and try to cover things up when one of us makes a mistake.
That may be true in one sense: when one of us makes an honest mistake, we try to work things out without a lot of fanfare. If a mod accidentally hits
the wrong button on a member, for example, we'll go out of our way to make things right -- and try not to make a big public production out of it.
In a case like this, we would also normally tend to prefer to not make a big deal of it publicly. However,
mrwupy knows he was out of line, and
has taken the step of saying so publicly.
It's his call. Maybe a bit dramatic, but I support it.
Our Best
Moderators are falsely accused of all sorts of heinous crimes all the time, and we get used to it. But when we really do something wrong, the measure
of our integrity is how we handle it.
I am very comfortable with
mrwupy's integrity. He may not be perfect, but he's an excellent moderator with a solid track record of acting
with the best interests of the community at heart.
So I see this as an incident to learn from and move on, not a sign that a good mod has gone bad.
It's not easy being a mod. The stress can build up in strange and unexpected ways, and find an outlet at the most unexpected times.
So once in a while, a mod may lose it. But as long as that doesn't involve abusing moderator powers and doesn't become a habit, I don't see that as
anything to lose sleep over.
mrwupy screwed up. He apologized. And I'm confident that he has not and will not abuse his position as a moderator.
We may not be perfect, but we do our best, and though any of us can stumble now and then, our best has to be good enough.
I think it is.
P.S. ATS takes all allegations of staff misconduct seriously. If you believe that any staff member has behaved inappropriately, please be sure to
submit a
complaint. The senior staff reviews all such complaints and if we
determine that a staff member has been acting improperly, we
will take action. ATS cannot function if members don't have confidence in the
integrity of the staff, and we know it.
[edit on 8/22/2006 by Majic]