Wow.
What a lot of words.
But at the end of the day “so what?”
OK - I am editting this because I realise I contravened the rules with my own tone - and am probably in danger of getting my own post supporting the mode deleted by the mods from a post discussing deletions by the mod, so the ironies pile up!
I’ll admit, I have had posts deleted (in fact, most recently by Donny, who is labouring hard in this thread) where I have internally rolled my eyes and muttered an expletive or two to myself. But I don’t let it spoil my day, because: “so what?”
No-one got hurt* and ultimately I’m glad we have this fabulous resource with all its quirks and occasional inconsistencies. The mods work hard and keep the ship afloat so we can interact with a fascinating multitude of people from different backgrounds and experiences. The adverts are minimal and unobtrusive, WR basically a VERY GOOD THING. That bigger picture is more important than my tender spots.
So, if occasionally, a moderator is a annoying me for one reason or another my personal response is to take a few days off. Simple as that. I remove myself from the source of my irritation.
The mods aren’t robots or algorithms, they can be tired or irritated or at the edge of their patience sometimes which can lead to inconsistency, but “so what?” I don’t know what’s made one of them seem more “trigger-happy” or inconsistent than usual. It’s a strange view of the world to expect perfection in any sphere of it, especially one that’s essentially fuelled by goodwill, I certainly don't expect it in here.
* hurt: More on “hurt”: It seems that one or two of the contributors to this thread have low pain thresholds. Obviously their giving a few minutes of time to an issue signifies a great lot to them. It's hard for me to share that sentiment about theirs, or any individual's post, tbh.
Of course, this sarcastic and caustic edge of mine (since editted slighty to keep within the rules!) is the biggest reason why I am NOT moderator material. Trying to engage politely about such, ultimatrly, trivial matters would
never get from me the patient understanding and tolerance that the mods engaging in this thread have shown.
The idea that if you get one response deleted you should then remove all your others really made me LOL. Really? Well to be honest, so what if you did? None of us make any contributions that are so unique, in my many years of being in here, when I take a break and come back there are NEVER any questions that have been left with no answers awaiting some precious gem from me.
In English Only I know there are at least twenty other contributors who could give “my” answer to any question I answer. We’re worker ants with a great range of skills but it’s very, very rare that I have something to say that a colleague couldn’t equally say. Ultimately this thing is much bigger than any of us.
If you really don’t like it, LEAVE. And the rest if us will go “so what”? You are in control of your own responses. It’s a philosophical thing. You cannot control everything and everyone else. You can
only control your own response. Your choice. Really.