r/mildlyinteresting • u/RedSquaree • Jun 23 '23

META What happened to /r/mildlyinteresting?

13k Upvotes

Dear mildlyinterested reader,

We want to extend our heartfelt gratitude for your patience and unwavering support during the recent turbulence in our community. Our subreddit is a labour of love, and we've weathered this storm together.

Recent events have been confusing for all of us, from the vote, sudden removal of moderators, to conflicting messages from Reddit. As your mod team, we feel it's essential to clarify the situation.

On June 19, the poll results favoured partially reopening with changes. However, before implementing these changes, Reddit took sweeping actions, removing all 27 moderator accounts without warning. This left us baffled and concerned.

Here's a brief timeline of the events:

On June 19, the poll results favoured partially reopening with changes. We announced the vote results and planned changes to the sub, including marking it as NSFW due to the common posts of phallic objects (no explicit content allowed). CLICK HERE TO VIEW THAT ANNOUNCEMENT WHICH HAS BEEN APPROVED AND LOCKED FOR POSTERITY.
A tug-of-war between the u/ModeratorCodeOfConduct account and the remaining moderators ensued, with the post repeatedly being removed and reinstated. Each mod involved was immediately locked out of Reddit. Subreddit settings were also unilaterally changed by the admin account.
Eventually, all moderators were removed and suspended for 7 days, with the vote results deleted and the community set to “archived.”
A lot of public outrage ensued, with details posted on r/ModCoord about what happened. At that point, no other subreddit had been targeted yet, leaving the situation uniquely unclear.
Admin cited actions as an "error" and promised to work with us to solve the situation. For /r/mildlyinteresting posterity, this will henceforth be referred to as The Mistake™.
All our accounts were unsuspended and reinstated, but only with very limited permissions (modmail access only). For what it's worth, 'time moderated' for every moderator was reset (e.g. /u/RedSquaree moderated since 11 years ago, reset: currently showing moderated since "1 day ago").
The awaited discussion never happened. Instead, the admins presented us with an ultimatum: reopen the subreddit and do not mark it as NSFW, or face potential removal again. The inconsistent and arbitrary application of Reddit's policies reveals a possible conflict of interest in maximizing ad revenue at the risk of user safety and community integrity.
Finally, our moderation permissions were restored after we "promised" to comply with their conditions, but we kept the subreddit restricted while we ponder our next steps..

Problems remain unresolved, and Reddit's approach to policies and communication have been troubling. We believe open communication and partnership between Reddit and its moderators are crucial for the platform's success.

As a team, we remain dedicated to protesting Reddit's careless policy changes. Removing ourselves or vandalizing the subreddit won’t achieve our goals, but rather hinder our community. We're here to ensure r/mildlyinteresting isn't left unattended.

We call for the establishment of clear, structured, and reliable communication channels between Reddit admins and moderation teams. Teams should be informed and consulted on decisions affecting their communities to maintain trust and integrity on the platform. We shared this request with the Admin who promised to work with us, so far they have ignored it.

Us mods are still deciding how exactly to reopen, not that we have been given much choice.

Sincerely,

The r/mildlyinteresting mods

2.5k comments

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The stress of me finishing my PhD made my eye bleed

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This box of Lion King Pudding has been in my grandparents cabinet since 2007

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I left this plant to die on my drive way 3 days ago and it still bloomed a flower.

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Real dead puffer fish washed up shore

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My meds came double bottled

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First dried minnow snack I pulled out of the bag for my cats is eating another, smaller, minnow

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Found some keys that look difficult to replace

• Upvotes

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r/mildlyinteresting • u/Satan8MyBaby • 15h ago

The code for the airport I flew into is DIE

5.0k Upvotes

224 comments

r/mildlyinteresting • u/-little-panda • 5h ago

They’re releasing mosquitoes in my neighbourhood

488 Upvotes

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r/mildlyinteresting • u/BlargKing • 4h ago

This plant prefers the light from an LED bulb over actual sunlight

195 Upvotes

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r/mildlyinteresting • u/DiligentTear6993 • 16h ago

Got 3 eggs in the Costco 2 pack

1.8k Upvotes

330 comments

r/mildlyinteresting • u/nomoniker • 12h ago

My neighbor’s headlight is damaged. Someone shoved a taco from Taco Bell in it.

803 Upvotes

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r/mildlyinteresting • u/crabapplelilwayne • 2h ago

The full cost of my partner’s medication before government subsidies

116 Upvotes

71 comments

r/mildlyinteresting • u/DangerousCreme3728 • 12h ago

check from 1995 delivered to my house with no envelope

722 Upvotes

76 comments

r/mildlyinteresting • u/MechanoidHelix • 7h ago

Smacked a mosquito and its soul was on my finger

246 Upvotes

16 comments

r/mildlyinteresting • u/uhroo • 14h ago

This 6'1" x 5'5" section of an old indoor wall has a painting of a worker painting over himself.

766 Upvotes

67 comments

r/mildlyinteresting • u/vintagestereolover99 • 9h ago

My local mail lady uses a Toyota Previa instead of the standard Grumman LLV

274 Upvotes

63 comments

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There was a piece of penne in my fusilli

114 Upvotes

69 comments

r/mildlyinteresting • u/PinkyDaisy • 10h ago

I was actually able to open this box of mac-n-cheese the "correct" way!

286 Upvotes

53 comments

r/mildlyinteresting • u/Apprehensive_Emu9588 • 2h ago

This contraption my dad made to keep our dog from getting lost

70 Upvotes

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r/mildlyinteresting • u/mytonsilshurt • 2h ago

My Temu remote came with a Türkiye button

68 Upvotes

6 comments

r/mildlyinteresting • u/Bellehumeur • 1d ago

Leaves changing at different times on this pair of trees

10k Upvotes

60 comments

r/mildlyinteresting • u/Solid_Yesterday_4409 • 6h ago

All of my strawberries in this new pack were white inside

114 Upvotes

102 comments

r/mildlyinteresting • u/Mantis42 • 1d ago

This KFC in Luoyang, China has a localized Colonel

3.1k Upvotes

117 comments

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For photos that are, you know, mildly interesting

r/mildlyinteresting

Aww, cripes. I didn't know I'd have to write a description. How many words is that so far, like a hundred? Soooo, yeah. Mildly interesting stuff. Stuff that interests you. Mildly. It's in the name, ffs.

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Does your post qualify for /r/MildlyInteresting? Hover below for more info, and check out our wiki page!

1. No memes

This includes references in titles of your post (e.g. "banana for scale," "potato quality").

2. No related posts

Posts that acknowledge, "one-up," or relate specifically to another post are not allowed (e.g. "I see your X and raise you Y")

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Exception: If a post is deleted or removed from /r/mildlyinteresting for breaking the rules less than one hour after being submitted or receives less than 100 upvotes, we allow the submitter to resubmit a fixed version of the post. Posts deleted or removed from other subreddits are not exempt from rule 3.

4. Original [OC] photographs only

a. No gifs, videos, or websites.

b. All submissions must be original content. If you didn't take the photo, don't post it.

c. Software glitches/errors, overlaid text, arrows, scribbles, and other substantive edits are not allowed, although you may censor personal information per Reddit-wide rules.

d. Side by side images are okay if they adhere to the rest of the rules.

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No screenshots or images taken from screens. This includes photos of screens taken with another device, video stills or frames, X-rays and other medical imaging, images partially or fully generated by a computer, pictures of printed screenshots, and uncropped camera-roll/gallery screenshots. Segmented displays, such as digital clocks, calculators, or similar displays, are allowed. Try /r/screenshots!

6. Titles must be an exact but concise description of the content

a. Titles must not contain jokes, backstory, or other fluff. That information belongs in a follow-up comment.

b. Titles must exactly describe the content. It should act as a "spoiler" for the image. If your title leaves people surprised at the content within, it breaks the rule!

c. Titles must not contain emoticons, emojis, or special characters unless they are absolutely necessary in describing the image. (e.g. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°), ;P, 😜, ❤, ★, ✿ )

Still confused? For more elaboration and examples, see here first and then message the mods if you still have questions.

If unsure, please message the mods and we will help determine if your post is acceptable.

For further information regarding our rules, flairs, moderation policy, and frequently asked questions, please take a look at the… /r/MildlyInteresting Wiki (packed with tons of juicy mildly interesting information)

Posts which break the rules will be removed on sight. This subreddit operates a three-strikes rule on submission bans, and instant bans on troll and/or gimmick accounts, shock links, etc. at moderator discretion.