Open Request for Ideas on Cambridgema Can Be Made a Better Community

Submitted by taylorhayward_boston t3_yje899 in CambridgeMA

Hello all,

Over the past twelve hours I've been bombarded by insults in response to my attempt to deminish the toxicity around the pro and anti bike debate here, which illustrates pretty well why I did what I did. The moratorium I put in place is a temporary measure while a new process is found regarding discussions involving controvertial topics on the sub, like bicycling.

I would like for the sub to be a safe and civil forum where we can make progress on really important issues, such as bike safty, and I would love hear your thoughts on how we can best make that happen, without insulting each other from the comfort of internet anonymity. Toxic comments are not necessary, they're counter productive, and are representative of lot of the problems that social media has caused in our world at large. I don't want CambridgeMA to contribute to that.

Several people have metioned that I haven't been going through the mod backlog very well and I'm open to suggestions around how to improve that, such as bringing in people to help. I agree, there is definitely room for improvement there and would like for us to work on solutions to problems not tearing each other down.

Please post your thoughts in the comments below.

As a side note, you may want to check out r/camberville as they seem to be open to discussions on controvertial topics in a format you might like.

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akanefive t1_iuncdq0 wrote

Add additional moderators, and seek community input before adding new rules.

95

gizm770o t1_iunbrhn wrote

Start by unbanning everyone you’ve banned in the last 24 hours and then maybe a conversation about moving forward can happen.

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hopefulcynicist t1_iuoehl8 wrote

I was part of the initial wave of permanent bans on this sub after publicly disagreeing with this rule.

I few minutes ago, I was (seemingly?) unbanned and “temporarily muted” on this sub. Please let me know if this post is visible as I am unsure what the mechanics of a mute are.

Receipt: https://ibb.co/pxKcspt

I look forward to discussing a path forward towards restoring a degree of trust in the moderation of this community.

That said, until at he abuse of power demonstrated here in the last day has been meaningfully addressed, I will be remaining unsubscribed and will work to contribute to r/camberville

As things stand currently, I believe that the mod here should work with the community to onboard a mod team in line with the ethos of Cambridge and then gracefully step down.

Edit: Mechanics of a mute: https://www.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/205269739

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defenestron t1_iupm8l7 wrote

This is great news. Thank you for sharing.

Let us hope that others who have been similarly banned for appropriately expressing themselves are similarly allowed back.

I remain skeptical of our singular Mod who so far has not apologized, accepted any responsibility, or shown even a modicum of self-awareness. Even as he works along the edges to undo the damage he has wrought, he should still step down.

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akanefive t1_iuohzjj wrote

I can see this comment. Thanks for sharing the messages.

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taylorhayward_boston OP t1_iuo67k9 wrote

The bans were put in place to limit toxic posts while a new path forward is created.

−29

defenestron t1_iuoa3ux wrote

You created the toxicity by banning all posts about cycling because a cyclist spit on you.

Meanwhile, you ignored your moderation duties for years, including plenty of pretty toxic posts on this and other topics. Dat moderation backlog…

But no! Someone outside of Reddit does something bad so now the people you have power over get punished! Yes, this is a normal and totally healthy reaction. You also banned many people who were respectful but challenged your arbitrary decision even when you asked them for feedback… It’s only healthy, right?

Your lack of self-awareness is only matched by how totally unqualified you are to have power over anyone else. You cannot even control yourself.

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gizm770o t1_iuo7eb0 wrote

Your toxicity meter is broken.

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Hyperbowleeeeeeeeeee t1_iuol5ac wrote

Are you sure that yours isn't? Reading these posts as someone who has no idea what's going on or what the conflict is seems surreal.

−13

akanefive t1_iuoo2tj wrote

Context is important then, isn’t it?

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Hyperbowleeeeeeeeeee t1_iuotk5j wrote

Or maybe it's worth stepping out of your shoes and seeing whether your high intensity flame war would make sense to an outsider? Because I don't know that it would.

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akanefive t1_iuow24m wrote

I’m happy to summarize: this sub, which has 17,000 members, only has one moderator. That moderator made a new rule based on an interaction he had outside of the sub (according to his own explanation), and has removed posts and outright banned people based on that rule. People are upset about it.

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Hyperbowleeeeeeeeeee t1_iupbx9w wrote

Yeah, a single mod, or even a sub with one dominant mod, isn't ideal. That said, maybe there's a good argument to be made that the great bicycle wars need a ceasefire? This is clearly a really serious topic to some, but to others it seems like a bizarre over-the-top caricature of activism.

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defenestron t1_iupn8to wrote

I’d suggest you read the room (and the clear distribution of karma). This is an important issue to the majority of active users.

If you believe that most of the active users are an “over the top caricature of activism” then perhaps you should make your own subreddit where you can ban your neighbors and live in a happy safe space with no stated rules and a singular and totally arbitrary moderator who only shows up to moderate when they are angry about something.

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Hyperbowleeeeeeeeeee t1_iuqqcx6 wrote

This seems like the toxic kind of response that's at issue. I agree with your observation that the room seems to want to engage in this toxicity, which is kind of a better argument against your point than for it. We're talking about bicycles here folks. Maybe a little perspective is in order.

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No_Dance1739 t1_iusidzi wrote

All this talk of toxicity and you don’t realize you’re a part of it. Yikes

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Hyperbowleeeeeeeeeee t1_iuss1c3 wrote

Sorry, I'm just trying to understand the intensity of the conflict. Is that toxic? If telling some people that they might be losing their bearings in an argument is toxic, I don't know really how to apply a reality check. The trouble is that I haven't heard any actual argument of substance about this stuff. It's just some kind of bicycle identity group with whom some of us don't feel kinship. Maybe if you could help us understand why this is such a motivating aspect of your identity, we'd get it. I use a bicycle to commute for part of the year. The bike lanes are dramatically better now than 10 years ago, when none of them existed at all. Seems good?

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akanefive t1_iut4zmx wrote

The conflict is not actually about cycling, it's about how the sub is moderated. Banning people for voicing dissent to a rule that was arbitrarily added, deleting posts about it, deleting and shutting down the comment section, is not a good way to run a discussion forum. People are rightfully upset about that. Once the sub is properly managed I'd be happy to talk to you about infrastructure and traffic safety issues.

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No_Dance1739 t1_iutmaiy wrote

If those were your intentions, then your strategy is flawed. Jumping in an calling folks toxic is indeed not “just trying to understand the intensity of the conflict,” nor is it an effective strategy for discovering the nuance of a situation.

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Hyperbowleeeeeeeeeee t1_iuv2wc5 wrote

Wait a sec, now calling out toxicity is toxic? Come on. I think you just don't want to hear any dissent. If there's nuance here somewhere, I'm not hearing it. The toxicity I replied to was a bunch of sarcasm and snide for no purpose. People genuinely don't understand why there is so much bicycle anger. I myself am deeply upset about climate issues, but I know who my enemy is on that. They're not for the most part my fellow Cantabrigians.

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No_Dance1739 t1_iuvub43 wrote

If those were your intentions, then your strategy is flawed.

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blackdynomitesnewbag t1_iuovfu8 wrote

My post wasn’t toxic. It was a poll. In the past 12 hours, you’ve been the most toxic person here

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taylorhayward_boston OP t1_iuow8jd wrote

Unfortunately I needed to stem the flow of the many bike related posts as they were coming in and the net was wide.

As with the other post, thank you for your feedback.

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Gram-GramAndShabadoo t1_iuqz1ze wrote

Why do you think there was such a high influx of bike posts?

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taylorhayward_boston OP t1_iuqzoa8 wrote

There are many who feel strongly about biking, bike culture, and the freedom of expression on social media. They were protest posts. I get it, and they weren't helping the discussion of next steps.

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Gram-GramAndShabadoo t1_iur0gk2 wrote

A few things need to be answered. And I'm giving you a chance right here to better explain and clarify your thinking.

What type of discussion were you hoping for?

Why did you share the story of a biker spitting on you?

Most importantly. Why did a biker spitting on you mean bike related posts had to be banned from the sub?

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taylorhayward_boston OP t1_iur3per wrote

What type of discussion were you hoping for?

A: How the animosity on and off of reddit, specifically in Cambridge can be lowered among groups who don't necessarily agree with one another on different topics.
Why did you share the story of a biker spitting on you?

A: As an example of how bad things have become between two groups I've seen regularly argue in an unproductive way on here, bicyclists and those who prefer other types of transportation, like cars.
Most importantly. Why did a biker spitting on you mean bike related posts had to be banned from the sub?

A: This was a temporary ban (see the original post, "Taking a break from bike related posts") while a plan was figured out as to how best to handle the tribal mentality that was witnessing spilling out of local forums, like CambridgeMA into the world outside of Reddit.

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Locksmith-Pitiful t1_iuqzutf wrote

Should all topics that even have the scent of politics be banned?

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taylorhayward_boston OP t1_iur29mi wrote

There's a threshold. It's no secret that social media has caused a lot of discord and instability across the country, so much so that other countries have been actively leveraging it to create divisions here. Divisions between races, genders, political ideologies, etc. The concept of divide and conquer is as old as time and we're heading deeper and deeper down that hill.

It isn't the things that are obviously evil that trip up a society, it's issues on the cusp of "right or wrong". For the right reasons, people stand firmly behind what they believe to be the best for society, and when they see someone who is threatening to undermine progress towards the realization of their belief fighting can occur. Insults, hostility. Often time the result of the perpetual fighting is war which is typically worse than the original issues that created it. People know war is hell but can find themselves caught up in one for "the right reasons". Progress can be made without it.

Cambridge is arguably one of the most knowledgeable cities on earth. I don't want us to get sucked in by our baser nature. I think to some extent I was and now I'm attempting to put things in place where that kind of mistake will be limited in the future. If the world starts to crumble as a result of social media feuds I don't want CambridgeMA to be remembered as part of the problem. That's the goal.

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akanefive t1_ius8fcf wrote

Please just level with everyone: you don't like bike lane expansion and are annoyed that you're in the minority on this sub and in Cambridge.

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taylorhayward_boston OP t1_iusb41l wrote

I don't have strong opinions on it, I'm not a civil engineer. Apparently some here do have strong opinions and I would like for people to be able to talk them through in a constructive way, without the name-calling, etc. that I've been seeing.

−2

Locksmith-Pitiful t1_iundbgs wrote

Have a moderator team that doesn't institute odd topic bans over personal events or circumstances.

For example, if I was a mod here: A car driver tried to kill me. I also read that many motorists can be violent and that cars are controversial. This doesn't mean that as a mod that I'd limit posts around it.

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CKF t1_iunprk9 wrote

>>A person threatened me while I was walking around my neighborhood today. People are inherently toxic. As such, all discussion that revolves around, or even tangentially refers to, a human will be banned.

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FunnyMoney1984 t1_iuq03ki wrote

Does this guy even have a reason for being a tyrant? Like did a cyclist kill his dad or something? Or was he worried about "spam" even though I assume all the bike posts were legit?

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projektmayem t1_iung0ts wrote

At this point I have no faith in you as a moderator, and believe you view yourself as the "owner" of this sub. In order to allow for healthy discussion, there needs to be accountability through diversity of moderation. Without additional mods here, I'll be sticking to /r/camberville

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taylorhayward_boston OP t1_iunzzwn wrote

Thank you for your feedback. I look forward to coming up with a solution to some of the concerns on the sub over the next several days.

−13

zepporamone t1_iung8o0 wrote

My tone is entirely civil when noting that your takeaway from the events of the last twelve hours just sort of demonstrates that you are not fit to be a mod - let alone the only mod in a community without any posted rules or guidelines. Based on what's being written (and quickly deleted) here and elsewhere, people are less upset about their ability to speak on the specific (entirely pertinent) topic of bicycling and more concerned about the idea that one single power-tripping mod believes that they should be allowed to dictate what the community can and cannot discuss and how on the basis of their how their day is going.

You've behaved like something of a petty tyrant. You've made unilateral decisions without first either setting any reasonable/appropriate expectations or guidelines (community rules) or engaging the community for stakeholder feedback before making said decisions. When dissent has been raised in the forum (some of it obnoxious/toxic, most of it perfectly levelheaded and direct), you've responded by simply muting and/or banning members.

It's not about the issue of bikes. It's about the fact that you are not r/CambridgeMA**.** You are a mod. If this sub is meant to be an open and engaging resource for folks in and around Cambridge community to connect with each other about topics relevant to life in the city, it needs to better reflect the input of the actual users and not just be subject to the whims of one single middle-aged guy who may or may not have had a bad encounter with another single person who happened to be riding a bike.

Establish and publish rules and guidelines after allowing stakeholders/members of the community to contribute to their development in a meaningful way.

Add at least 2-3 other mods and consider turning the keys over.

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taylorhayward_boston OP t1_iuniqac wrote

Good ideas. Thanks for sharing them.

−9

NefariousnessNo7535 t1_iunpgd0 wrote

Honestly I think the abuse of power should not be tolerated. We need to demand a new moderator team for this subreddit.

You have shown very clearly that this small amount of power is too much for you to handle.

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defenestron t1_iunre3c wrote

You’re not going to ban them too?

/u/iheijoushin shared their message to you and was far more generous with you and you muted them.

You need to step down. Why are you suddenly OK with people critiquing you? Personally, I think it’s because you showed your true colors and are afraid of losing the keys to your castle because /r/camberville is trying to be the community you never cared enough to moderate except arbitrarily and for your own benefit.

Do you really want to change? Start by unbanning everyone from the last 24 hours. You are clearly incapable of having power over others but that’s one hell of a good start. But the fact your making excuses for what is transparently a decision you made because of a personal issue points to how you just need to go.

Despite “being bombarded”, you still can’t be wrong. Step down.

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SmashRadish t1_iundx5q wrote

Trying not to be hostile: Don’t be a tyrant and promise not to do so in future.

In 2000, Saparmurat Niyazov was advised to quite smoking by his Doctor. Being the president of a dictatorship, he banned smoking outright in the country of Turkmenistan. Don’t be Saparmurat Nayazov - post and let post* in spite of what is happening in your daily life.

*especially something so basic as bicycle themed posts. We’re not talking about neo-nazi how-to literature or legit Kanye quotes. We’re talking bicycles.

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xXyeahBoi69Xx t1_ixjvqdy wrote

I don't get what the example guy did wrong.

Edit: haha you blocked me so I couldn't read ur comment or respond, what did I do to you? Don't be childish.

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SmashRadish t1_ixkj7fu wrote

He banned smoking tobacco in his country because of his own personal feelings towards tobacco that day. Imagine having smoked your entire life and suddenly going cold turkey. Now imagine a country where 3/5 people went cold turkey all at the same time.

Can you see why making a decision like that is wrong? A decision that affects everyone (ban on smoking, ban on free discussion) is more dramatic and selfish than just taking care of yourself (quitting smoking without banning smoking for your whole country/not commenting on posts that make you upset)?

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taylorhayward_boston OP t1_iunzwya wrote

Thank you for your feedback. I look forward to coming up with a solution to some of the concerns on the sub over the next several days.

−24

defenestron t1_iuo3m4m wrote

> I look forward to coming up with a solution to some of the concerns on the sub over the next several days.

You don’t get it. We don’t want or trust you as a moderator. Why on Earth would we believe you’re suddenly going to hold yourself accountable next time? At least tell us what changed as you continue to not accept responsbility and deny wrongdoing. Why are you now asking for feedback and not banning people when they do?

You need to apologize and unban people. Full stop. This shouldn’t be something you need to think over.

It’s clear the most active members of this community no longer trust you. So why will we be at all interested in the rules you alone make after not moderating consistently for years and showing up just to abuse your power? Try and see this from our perspective.

Your comment should be:

> I’m am sorry to this community. I let my emotions get the better of me and ask you give me the opportunity to make things right and make our community better. I will be unbanning everyone who did not violate Reddit’s TOS. And while I’m not ready to step down as the sole moderator, I will be soon accepting applications for a moderation team to assist me with creating new community guidelines allow for more active and consistent moderation of /r/CambridgeMA going forward.

We all make mistakes. We all have moments where we would do things differently next time and what happened to you can be legitimately traumatizing. But you have yet to admit any fault or take accountability so you really cannot be trusted to do better next time.

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taylorhayward_boston OP t1_iuo5vsj wrote

Thank you for your feedback. Sometimes solutions to problems take time. Thanks for being patient.

−20

gophergun t1_iuqhgmy wrote

Taking responsibility and apologizing doesn't take any time at all.

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Milo_Xx t1_iur9ohg wrote

Stick that solution up your ass mate

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Lentamentalisk t1_iutez9w wrote

>Sometimes solutions to problems take time.

And sometimes all it takes is banning everyone who disagrees with you.

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SmashRadish t1_iuu5okj wrote

This thing got buried, but your post just put a huge smile on my face. Thank you for that, len

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Magroo t1_iunikdq wrote

Add additional moderators.

Unban any accounts that were removed (but didn't violate say, the reddit code of conduct).

Realize that moderators have a responsibility above and beyond that of a normal user and consider using alt accounts if you have to post about personal issues into the future (if it's something contentious at least, I'm not trying to chase you off, please don't think I'm insinuating you shouldn't post at all)

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taylorhayward_boston OP t1_iuo0215 wrote

Thank you for your feedback. I look forward to coming up with a solution to some of the concerns on the sub over the next several days.

−11

defenestron t1_iuo11am wrote

/u/taylorhayward_boston you were spit on and that’s inexcusable behavior and I’m truly sorry that happened to you regardless if there was a reason. I’ve experienced my fair share of road rage and it is a truly awful experience. There’s a reason why spitting is considered assault.

But everything you’ve done in the last twelve hours is all on you. It speaks volumes about how you see your role here on /r/cambridgeMA, and to many, your idea of moderation is completely out of sync of what most of this community expects and from generally established Reddiquette.

Put simply, you have abused your power and done so arbitrarily and without transparency.

  • You invited people to PM you with concerns then banned or muted them even when they were constructive.
  • You’ve banned others for posting their disagreement with your decisions as a Mod even when they were not abusive.
  • You’ve continued to lie and make excuses for the reasons you’ve lashed out at the community and some of its best contributors. We’ve all had a bad day, but instead of apologizing and making things right, you’ve continued your abuse of power and made frankly laughable excuses

All this is enough for you to have shown yourself unable to handle having power over others. It’s hard not to see this attempt at damage control as a means to hold onto power when there is now a credible alternative subreddit who is promising a fair and transparent moderation team.

But the last 24 hours is only the tip of the iceberg. This subreddit has suffered for years without an adequate Moderation Team, the reason for which I believe is illustrated by the last 24 hours and how you have chosen to conduct yourself: a person who is bad at wielding power, rarely wants to share it.

One doesn’t have to search hard to see complaints of a long Moderation backlog, or compare how posts at /r/boston are helpfully filtered by flair by the strong (albeit perhaps overly sarcastic) Mod Team. Here there’s not even any rules except for the ones you make up on the spot.

The fact is you don’t moderate /r/cambridgeMA and when you do so, it is self-serving, opaque/lacking community input, and arbitrary. As one of the few city employees here, I am not afraid to speak plainly and honestly even though you have shown to ban those for doing far less. I’ve helped countless people here publicly and privately here and on /r/boston with animal-related concerns. It’s your loss if you choose to add me to the long list of those you’ve banned because you lack the maturity and integrity to have the power you do.

TL;DR: I’ll say it again: **Step down. ** That is the only way to save face after years of barely moderating and then showing up only to abuse your power because of something shitty that happened to you outside of Reddit and your decision to turn around and hurt those you have power over. It’s just pathetic and just shows how far away you should be kept from any kind of power or responsibility since you are simply not up to the task.

Spare us all and don’t reply with your faux high road ‘I’m listening to all feedback’ bullshit. You fucked up and I’m far more interested in an apology and an unbanning of all those you abused while on your butthurt power trip*. Frankly, I think this is all an act to hold onto power…but prove us wrong and start to make things right.

*My empathy for your horrible experience being spit on has run dry watching you try desperately to hold onto power while refusing accountability or undoing the abuses you have done to this community. You took your pain and used it to hurt others and this community and that tells us all we need to know about the type of person you are.

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taylorhayward_boston OP t1_iuo5lfy wrote

The moderating over the past 24 hours was to limit the flood of toxic posts so a civil discussion could be had over the next few days regarding how to move the sub forward. Everyone who's been banned will have their banning reconsidered if they want to be part of the solution.

When a new plan is rolled out over the next several days, all the ideas I've heard will be considered with the intention of 1) diminishing the toxicity in general, 2) making it clear what the rules of the sub are, and 3) providing resources for more timely moderation of questions, concerns and abuse.
I get that people are frustrated, but I also see a world outside of Reddit, Facebook, etc. that's becoming more and more contentious due to unbridled social media. It's no secret that social media creates division, and while my reaction to it has created more division still in the short term, my hope is that the long term benefit to Cambridge, and the sub will be made apparent.

At its core, although it may be hard to see in all of this, the wellbeing of people although the city is my primary goal.

−15

gizm770o t1_iuo7pgh wrote

You blanket banned anyone that mentioned bikes. That had everything to do with your personal position and opinions and nothing to do with effectively moderating the sub.

>Everyone who's been banned will have their banning reconsidered if they want to be part of the solution.

Don't reconsider. Immediately reverse all bans. Appoint new moderators. Step down.

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zepporamone t1_iuom4se wrote

Yeah, your responses continue to illustrate that you just don't get it/appreciate the fact that this is a problem of your own design. It's not on everyone else to demonstrate to you that they want to be part of whatever sort of solution it is that you imagine yourself being at the center of... appoint new mods and step back.

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defenestron t1_iuo5u4z wrote

Be accountable. Stop making excuses. Do better.

The “toxic” posts were a scenario entirely of your own making. You continue to just dig yourself deeper.

> At its core, although it may be hard to see in all of this, maintaining my total control over this subreddit, escaping accountability and responsibility, and not losing members to /r/Camberville is my primary goal.

Fixed that for you. Prove me wrong.

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akanefive t1_iuo8f8l wrote

You created a rule based on something that happened to you OUTSIDE the sub. And now you're trying to solve a problem that wouldn't have existed in the first place if you hadn't done that.

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crazicus t1_iunejoj wrote

The fact of the matter is that street safety is a contentious topic no matter where you go. Vulnerable road users are growing in number and visibility, and are understandably frustrated with the status quo of car dominated planning which makes everything more dangerous for them. Putting a ban on discussing this is not going to help that whatsoever.

If you’re seeing uncivil things happening in the comments, and you think it’s overwhelming to moderate it all alone, that’s a clear sign that you need to expand the moderation team, not that the (very relevant) topic shouldn’t be allowed at all.

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akanefive t1_iunjl95 wrote

I'm not trying to be argumentative here, but it's worrisome that you're continuing to remove cycling related posts. Are you also banning the people who make them?

Seriously, asking for recommendations about where to ride a bike in Cambridge is not a hostile post or an attack.

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taylorhayward_boston OP t1_iunvc94 wrote

The steps I've taken are temporary until I've sorted through the ideas and a path forward is determined.

−9

akanefive t1_iuo01qg wrote

Restoring on-topic posts about bicycling seems pretty uncomplicated to me.

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taylorhayward_boston OP t1_iuo0l9v wrote

That will happen when a better moderation and policy framework has been put in place.

−4

mrbob312 t1_iuqnel2 wrote

Lmao just accept that you're a shit moderator lol

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berlage1856 t1_iuox5ax wrote

Is it possible than answering these comments in the first person is part of the problem here? that you are moderating this sub on your own and are really badly in need of some advice and assistance? You need to hear other voices, other concerns and not be making decisions that affect so many others on your own.

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johnisburn t1_iundmvi wrote

I don’t mean this to be a dig, but I do think at least one more active moderator would be a good idea. I sympathize with the reasoning behind the temporary moratorium on bike related posts and I agree that the toxicity surrounding the issue is a problem, but I also sympathize with people who are upset and I think that having a team of moderators make decisions about stuff like that goes over a lot easier. It lends a degree of consensus to what at the moment is not an inherently transparent or democratized decision making process.

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akanefive t1_iuneqjr wrote

Also, this exact scenario has played out in discussion forums since the beginning of the internet. Mod institute rule changes based on his or her own personal preferences, gets negative feedback, then offers to listen to the community to make things better without actually changing the rule or apologizing.

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defenestron t1_iunqote wrote

Step down and seek out moderators with the integrity, maturity, and time to moderate properly and transparently.

You’ve done too much damage in the last 24 hours to ever recover your reputation as a Moderator in the eyes of many of the most active members of this community. For example, you already asked for feedback and then banned or muted anyone who critiqued you.

This is “too little too late” damage control.

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taylorhayward_boston OP t1_iuo09cu wrote

Thank you for your feedback. I look forward to coming up with a solution to some of the concerns on the sub over the next several days.

−4

defenestron t1_iuo19bl wrote

I don’t believe you.

The right thing is apologizing, admitting your mistakes, and unbanning those you punished during your power trip.

Then and only then can this community determine if you have the right to rule over us without any accountability.

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t1s2r3d4 t1_iunqk2h wrote

No, the insults do not illustrate why you did what you did.

My suggestion is for you to relinquish control of this sub or shut it down so another one can be created in its place.

I think the time for civility has passed. You need to go away.

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taylorhayward_boston OP t1_iuo0akg wrote

Thank you for your feedback. I look forward to coming up with a solution to some of the concerns on the sub over the next several days.

−1

SlamwellBTP t1_iuo1we1 wrote

Add additional moderators. Do not institute a blanket ban without some feedback from the community.

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elcornholio420 t1_iuosx34 wrote

Allow posts about cycling

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taylorhayward_boston OP t1_iuov0s3 wrote

Once a moderation framework that limits toxicity around controversial subjects is in place the subject will be available to discuss.

−11

elcornholio420 t1_iupn7ca wrote

How is the concept of cycling controversial? Bikes are about as controversial as coffee, deciduous trees and the color orange. Controversial discourse can occur over any topic.

13

KatinkaVonHamhof t1_iuoxwnk wrote

Please run a program to transfer responsibility to at least three other moderators with the patience, EQ and organizational skills to run a small subreddit like this.

13

blackdynomitesnewbag t1_iuovzc0 wrote

You want advice, here’s mine. The community at large has clearly lost faith in you to be a good moderator. Conduct a search, select a new top mod, and step down

10

TheDeafGuy8 t1_iup4zr1 wrote

It’s generally not a good idea to say ‘yea don’t talk about that’ when there’s nothing inherently toxic about bikes, only the people who may ride them. If you want to limit toxic comments, I’m all for that, but banning a topic of conversation outright will only make people more upset then if you try to foster a conversation about it. I know you’re upset over the biker spitting in your face, and that’s fine and understandable, but there is no need to apply rules on the subreddit based off who has wronged you

9

bostonsuperfun t1_iupcvjm wrote

I don’t know, maybe actually moderate impartially and not be a shitty driver?

9

_ThankU-next t1_iuqp3w0 wrote

It's crazy how they allow moderators like you to even be a mod lol

8

brianapril t1_iuqj4ul wrote

now mate, please explain how bicycles are controversial. no one's ever been killed by a bicycle itself. i'd get angry about cars if i were you, because they're hella controversial.

also please unban the people, that's not cool

7

Azr431 t1_iuqr6tp wrote

Doubling down on a bad decision and trying to rationalize it is an interesting move.

7

daking999 t1_iuramfg wrote

If you're such a shitty driver that it drove [sic] someone to spit on you, I suggest that as well as stepping down as a moderator you also take a driver's ed class. Or just stop driving, even better.

5

vhalros t1_iunzlxl wrote

My thoughts:

While I don't t think this was a good moderation decision, I think I do somewhat understand the reasoning behind it. I am pretty much in favor of a rapid roll out of a complete network of bicycle infrastructure as rapidly as possible, removing whatever minimum amount of parking is necessary to achieve that. But, even as a supporter, many of these bicycle related posts are very repetitive. People supporting the change bring up the same points they brought up last time a similar change was rolled out; opponents trot out the same objections, which are then disputed in the same way. I feel like I could write a computer program to have these conversations for me.

On top of that, many times these discussions get sort of nasty. Like, even though I think the status quo is bad, I recognize that many people have adapted to it in various ways and it probably has some upsides for some one. There's no need to castigate some one because they prefer to drive for some trip or another. And it's not like the other side of the debate is any better; its a lot of useless "Some one using mode of transportation X did something bad once!". This being the Internet, some one will always read a post in the worst possible way, and they are the most likely one to reply.

So, those are the reasons I can imagine for implementing this policy. I think trying to justify it with an anecdote about an expectorating cyclist was not a very good explanation, however personally enraging that might have been.

Now, why I don't think it is a very good policy: Changes to the roads and infrastructure more broadly are news. Its important for people to, firstly, be aware of the specific changes. And I suppose if this is a discussion site, to have the option to discuss them.

That said, I'm not sure what is the best way to have a less repetitive and mean discussion. Maybe a weekly or bi-weekly mega-thread?

4

Adju29 t1_iuqvopv wrote

How can bicycling even be controversial lmao

4

taylorhayward_boston OP t1_iuqwa88 wrote

It shouldn't be, but there have been personal attacks on members of the community with differing opinions on the topic.

It's a hot topic among many in the area and when they hear a differing opinion things can go downhill fast. It's unfortunate, but it's become common on the internet and has lead to a lot of the division we've seen in the U.S. at large.

−4

Dodo_lord333 t1_iuv302h wrote

You are the only one making personal attacks by banning active members and making a simple discussion into a one way conversation if you wanted to be less toxic you should have banned everyone mentioning cars.

1

Victor_Korchnoi t1_iusq82z wrote

You should step down as mod. And you should go for a bike ride.

4

YoureHereForOthers t1_iurrb84 wrote

And I thought my city’s sub was bad sometimes. Turns out we got it pretty damn good after seeing this mod.

3

ako_0 t1_ius2s96 wrote

>dEmInIsH tHe ToXiCiTy ArOuNd ThE pRo AnD aNtI bIKe DeBaTe

mission failed, we'll get'em next time

2

coldsnap123 t1_iunm4j0 wrote

Don’t let members of the DSA bully you or the way you moderate. They’ve grown accustomed to having the loudest voice in online local forums.

−28

TomSwirly t1_iuqs9n8 wrote

> Don’t let members of the DSA bully you

See a therapist for your clinical paranoia.

9

coldsnap123 t1_iur96ax wrote

Ty for the comment techbro. Your voice has been silenced for too long.

−5