Why did "Why so many Atheists" thread got deleted?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:The biggest problem I see with the Religious forum is that posters who disagree with one another argue until one side feels that it’s losing and then reports the thread. I am then asked to clean up a mult-page thread. I’m not going to do it. Either report things earlier, get used to threads disappearing, or just give up on moderation all together.

If someone is derailing your thread, report it immediately. If you argue for 20 pages, the outcome may be disappointing for you.

It’s already possible to report derailments, and this isn’t working.

Do you really want to have to adjudicate every time somebody asks if they can leave Easter Mass early with their small kids and an atheist responds with “there is no God” or “I’m an atheist because...”? And religious people don’t want to have to hit “report” constantly for this nonsense. It’s the endless torrent of this abuse that derails, not the single episodes. And so far it’s not possible to report multiple incidents at the same time. Derailment can be cumulative rather than a one-time “aha” and it’s a slippery slope of determining when “I want to talk about my path to atheism instead of answering OP’s question” is really derailment. I don’t think a single person here objects to the occasional “there is no god.” When it’s on every.single.thread, though, that’s when all conversation grinds to a halt.

The atheist posters here know this well, to the point that this is going to be a non-policy.

+1

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BS. You all are just too dead-set on feeling persecuted. I report on trolling posts regularly and you know what? It works. Reporting posts that are insulting or off topic keeps threads from devolving.

Says the person who calls opposing comments "abuse." MMmkay.

Sorry. Where did PP say that? Are you making things up? Seems to be a common problem for you guys.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:The biggest problem I see with the Religious forum is that posters who disagree with one another argue until one side feels that it’s losing and then reports the thread. I am then asked to clean up a mult-page thread. I’m not going to do it. Either report things earlier, get used to threads disappearing, or just give up on moderation all together.

If someone is derailing your thread, report it immediately. If you argue for 20 pages, the outcome may be disappointing for you.

It’s already possible to report derailments, and this isn’t working.

Do you really want to have to adjudicate every time somebody asks if they can leave Easter Mass early with their small kids and an atheist responds with “there is no God” or “I’m an atheist because...”? And religious people don’t want to have to hit “report” constantly for this nonsense. It’s the endless torrent of this abuse that derails, not the single episodes. And so far it’s not possible to report multiple incidents at the same time. Derailment can be cumulative rather than a one-time “aha” and it’s a slippery slope of determining when “I want to talk about my path to atheism instead of answering OP’s question” is really derailment. I don’t think a single person here objects to the occasional “there is no god.” When it’s on every.single.thread, though, that’s when all conversation grinds to a halt.

The atheist posters here know this well, to the point that this is going to be a non-policy.

+1

+1

-1

BS. You all are just too dead-set on feeling persecuted. I report on trolling posts regularly and you know what? It works. Reporting posts that are insulting or off topic keeps threads from devolving.

Says the person who calls opposing comments "abuse." MMmkay.

Sorry. Where did PP say that? Are you making things up? Seems to be a common problem for you guys.

"You guys?" I'll say that you, personally, as an individual, seem to have severe trouble not painting many people with a broad brush.

Also, here you go: "It’s the endless torrent of this abuse that derails." So you're calling opposition comments "abuse," yet saying that Atheists "feel persecuted."

A mirror may be helpful. You, personally, as an individual, seem to call out others for the exact same things you are doing.

[Anonymous]

What’s getting lost here is that derailment isn’t simply a case of somebody posting “you suck” and somebody else reports it and the moderator deletes it.

DCUM’s trolls are much more sophisticated than that, including but not limited to the religion forum.

It’s a game of overt and less overt abuse that plays out across multiple threads. Reporting a single “you suck” or yet another “let me interrupt the thread to tell you why I’m an atheist” is going to make the moderator think this is hyper-sensitivity, because the reporting button can’t capture that this is the 6th time you’ve seen that today over as many threads. And the trolls and abisers know this very well.

I vote you delete the Religion forum. Or rename it the Atheist forum so your posters on that forum aren’t perpetually disappointed.

[Anonymous]

As an atheist I am so excited to see more topics that involve atheism! Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:The biggest problem I see with the Religious forum is that posters who disagree with one another argue until one side feels that it’s losing and then reports the thread. I am then asked to clean up a mult-page thread. I’m not going to do it. Either report things earlier, get used to threads disappearing, or just give up on moderation all together.

If someone is derailing your thread, report it immediately. If you argue for 20 pages, the outcome may be disappointing for you.

It’s already possible to report derailments, and this isn’t working.

Do you really want to have to adjudicate every time somebody asks if they can leave Easter Mass early with their small kids and an atheist responds with “there is no God” or “I’m an atheist because...”? And religious people don’t want to have to hit “report” constantly for this nonsense. It’s the endless torrent of this abuse that derails, not the single episodes. And so far it’s not possible to report multiple incidents at the same time. Derailment can be cumulative rather than a one-time “aha” and it’s a slippery slope of determining when “I want to talk about my path to atheism instead of answering OP’s question” is really derailment. I don’t think a single person here objects to the occasional “there is no god.” When it’s on every.single.thread, though, that’s when all conversation grinds to a halt.

The atheist posters here know this well, to the point that this is going to be a non-policy.

+1

+1

-1

BS. You all are just too dead-set on feeling persecuted. I report on trolling posts regularly and you know what? It works. Reporting posts that are insulting or off topic keeps threads from devolving.

Says the person who calls opposing comments "abuse." MMmkay.

Sorry. Where did PP say that? Are you making things up? Seems to be a common problem for you guys.

"You guys?" I'll say that you, personally, as an individual, seem to have severe trouble not painting many people with a broad brush.

Also, here you go: "It’s the endless torrent of this abuse that derails." So you're calling opposition comments "abuse," yet saying that Atheists "feel persecuted."

A mirror may be helpful. You, personally, as an individual, seem to call out others for the exact same things you are doing.

Why are you attributing multiple posts to one PP? There are different people posting.

Are you saying there is just one religious person who repeatedly makes things up? Not more than one? I didn’t want to assume...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Says the person who calls opposing comments "abuse." MMmkay.

You MIS-READ, and are now arguing with people who are not me. I was disagreeing with the "abuse" poster. You think that I AM the abuse poster, which is a really bizarre error.

[Anonymous]

I have found that when I stumble on the prostletizing trolling atheists derailing a thread, If I report the final post with and explanation that there are multiple posts like this, then go back and report the first appearance of the crazy person "trolling starts here" that the moderator seems to be able to clean things up more effectively. As a bonus I am not reporting 18 trolling posts on right after another.

It doesn't work all the time but it does help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What’s getting lost here is that derailment isn’t simply a case of somebody posting “you suck” and somebody else reports it and the moderator deletes it.

DCUM’s trolls are much more sophisticated than that, including but not limited to the religion forum.

It’s a game of overt and less overt abuse that plays out across multiple threads. Reporting a single “you suck” or yet another “let me interrupt the thread to tell you why I’m an atheist” is going to make the moderator think this is hyper-sensitivity, because the reporting button can’t capture that this is the 6th time you’ve seen that today over as many threads. And the trolls and abisers know this very well.

I vote you delete the Religion forum. Or rename it the Atheist forum so your posters on that forum aren’t perpetually disappointed.

OP here - I agree with your assessment and your suggestion. I initially suggested separate Atheism and Belief forums but now lean towards deletion of Religion forum all-together or renaming it Atheism forum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What’s getting lost here is that derailment isn’t simply a case of somebody posting “you suck” and somebody else reports it and the moderator deletes it.

DCUM’s trolls are much more sophisticated than that, including but not limited to the religion forum.

It’s a game of overt and less overt abuse that plays out across multiple threads. Reporting a single “you suck” or yet another “let me interrupt the thread to tell you why I’m an atheist” is going to make the moderator think this is hyper-sensitivity, because the reporting button can’t capture that this is the 6th time you’ve seen that today over as many threads. And the trolls and abisers know this very well.

I vote you delete the Religion forum. Or rename it the Atheist forum so your posters on that forum aren’t perpetually disappointed.

You have really twisted yourself into a pretzel to justify refusing to report posts instead of incessantly complaining about them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s getting lost here is that derailment isn’t simply a case of somebody posting “you suck” and somebody else reports it and the moderator deletes it.

DCUM’s trolls are much more sophisticated than that, including but not limited to the religion forum.

It’s a game of overt and less overt abuse that plays out across multiple threads. Reporting a single “you suck” or yet another “let me interrupt the thread to tell you why I’m an atheist” is going to make the moderator think this is hyper-sensitivity, because the reporting button can’t capture that this is the 6th time you’ve seen that today over as many threads. And the trolls and abisers know this very well.

I vote you delete the Religion forum. Or rename it the Atheist forum so your posters on that forum aren’t perpetually disappointed.

You have really twisted yourself into a pretzel to justify refusing to report posts instead of incessantly complaining about them.

OP here - like PP I reported abusive posts but that didn't bring any positive change over last 6 months on the Religion forum. The forum should simply be renamed Atheism forum.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:What’s getting lost here is that derailment isn’t simply a case of somebody posting “you suck” and somebody else reports it and the moderator deletes it.

DCUM’s trolls are much more sophisticated than that, including but not limited to the religion forum.

It’s a game of overt and less overt abuse that plays out across multiple threads. Reporting a single “you suck” or yet another “let me interrupt the thread to tell you why I’m an atheist” is going to make the moderator think this is hyper-sensitivity, because the reporting button can’t capture that this is the 6th time you’ve seen that today over as many threads. And the trolls and abisers know this very well.

I vote you delete the Religion forum. Or rename it the Atheist forum so your posters on that forum aren’t perpetually disappointed.

The "Report" form contains an area for comments. You can simply explain that you have seen the same comment on multiple threads -- and maybe even mention which threads so that I can find them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s getting lost here is that derailment isn’t simply a case of somebody posting “you suck” and somebody else reports it and the moderator deletes it.

DCUM’s trolls are much more sophisticated than that, including but not limited to the religion forum.

It’s a game of overt and less overt abuse that plays out across multiple threads. Reporting a single “you suck” or yet another “let me interrupt the thread to tell you why I’m an atheist” is going to make the moderator think this is hyper-sensitivity, because the reporting button can’t capture that this is the 6th time you’ve seen that today over as many threads. And the trolls and abisers know this very well.

I vote you delete the Religion forum. Or rename it the Atheist forum so your posters on that forum aren’t perpetually disappointed.

You have really twisted yourself into a pretzel to justify refusing to report posts instead of incessantly complaining about them.

OP here - like PP I reported abusive posts but that didn't bring any positive change over last 6 months on the Religion forum. The forum should simply be renamed Atheism forum.

Delete it or remove from Recent Topics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s getting lost here is that derailment isn’t simply a case of somebody posting “you suck” and somebody else reports it and the moderator deletes it.

DCUM’s trolls are much more sophisticated than that, including but not limited to the religion forum.

It’s a game of overt and less overt abuse that plays out across multiple threads. Reporting a single “you suck” or yet another “let me interrupt the thread to tell you why I’m an atheist” is going to make the moderator think this is hyper-sensitivity, because the reporting button can’t capture that this is the 6th time you’ve seen that today over as many threads. And the trolls and abisers know this very well.

I vote you delete the Religion forum. Or rename it the Atheist forum so your posters on that forum aren’t perpetually disappointed.

You have really twisted yourself into a pretzel to justify refusing to report posts instead of incessantly complaining about them.

OP here - like PP I reported abusive posts but that didn't bring any positive change over last 6 months on the Religion forum. The forum should simply be renamed Atheism forum.

I use DCUM more than I should and I have not noticed Religion threads getting derailed unless the OP is posting something that lends itself to derailment- i.e. a post that is more about "performing" Christianity (or some other religion, but it's pretty much always Christianity) than discussing it in a way that makes sense.

Here are some crazy threads that were just begging for derailment:

"Why my prayers were never answered" - this lady needed therapy as much as prayer
http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/707655.page

"The Goals of Satan" - this was about as sane as it sounds
http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/705239.page

"If it wasn't for Jesus we wouldn't be here today" - this guy was seriously asking for it
http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/691051.page

Most religion threads are actually brief questions with brief answers. It's a nice forum if you're not a conflict-seeker.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:OP here - like PP I reported abusive posts but that didn't bring any positive change over last 6 months on the Religion forum. The forum should simply be renamed Atheism forum.

If you report inappropriate posts quickly, I can keep threads on track. If you wait until the thread is several pages long, it is very difficult to do anything about it. It is very common -- I would say it is the norm -- for threads in the Religion forum not to get reported until the reporter has argued with the opposing poster for several pages. At that point, I can't make heads or tails out of the discussion without reading the entire thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s getting lost here is that derailment isn’t simply a case of somebody posting “you suck” and somebody else reports it and the moderator deletes it.

DCUM’s trolls are much more sophisticated than that, including but not limited to the religion forum.

It’s a game of overt and less overt abuse that plays out across multiple threads. Reporting a single “you suck” or yet another “let me interrupt the thread to tell you why I’m an atheist” is going to make the moderator think this is hyper-sensitivity, because the reporting button can’t capture that this is the 6th time you’ve seen that today over as many threads. And the trolls and abisers know this very well.

I vote you delete the Religion forum. Or rename it the Atheist forum so your posters on that forum aren’t perpetually disappointed.

You have really twisted yourself into a pretzel to justify refusing to report posts instead of incessantly complaining about them.

OP here - like PP I reported abusive posts but that didn't bring any positive change over last 6 months on the Religion forum. The forum should simply be renamed Atheism forum.

Jeff are you beaten into submission yet? Has OP stated her thoughts enough times?

Thanks for dealing with this.... crap.