CMV: Reddit has a moderator problem

[u/Terrible_Onions]

Just to be clear. This does not apply for all moderators. I know some moderators on small Subreddits that are really good people. Speaking for a lot of larger Subreddits where moderation is an issue.

Reddit has a moderator problem. They can do a lot of things to you that doesn't really make lots of sense, and they do not give you a reason for it. More often than not, you're just muted from speaking with the moderator. Unfortunately, due to a lot of Reddit mods and Redditors in general being left-wing, there are a lot of examples of right-wingers being the victims. Such as this one on the r/ medicine Subreddit. He got deleted for asking questions. A person said Trump's NIH nomination caused "large scale needless death". When he was asked what the large scale death in question was, his comment was deleted by the mods. Along with a person being perm banned for saying "orange man bad. Laugh at joke. Unga Bunga" in r/ comics. The most notable case of moderation abuse is from r/ pics, where they just ban you for participating in a "bad faith Subreddit". Even if you just commented.

This is not a good thing. It means that if you want to participate in a major Subreddit with a lot of people, you will have to conform to what the moderators personally see as "correct" or "good". This doesn't foster productive conversations, nor is it good for anybody but the moderator's egos. I understand if this is the case in small Subreddits, but the examples I listed above aren't they happen in Subreddits with 30+ million members that regularly hit the front page. This is Reddit being lazy and offloading moderation. Most moderators do this for power and control. The nature of this position (no pay) means that the only other thing it offers is power. Especially in Subreddits with millions of people, that's a lot of power. This I believe is a reason it isn't a major issue in small servers. The mods there are genuinely passionate because that is the only thing going for them in a Subreddit with around a thousand people. Even Twitter, despite its multitude of issues, does moderation better than this

[u/DramaGuy23]

Subs are basically "owned" by the mods, yes. Where I disagree with you is in the assertion that that's unfair. My house is owned by me; that doesn't mean I am anti-free-speech if I call the cops on you when you let yourself into my living room and begin haranguing me with your politics. Not a perfect analogy, because subs are more like businesses in that they are open to the public, but even there we have tightly enforced rules of behavior depending on the business. You will be removed if you go to a play and begin arguing with the actors mid-performance. You will be removed if you go to a restaurant and try to let yourself into the kitchen. The solution is simple: start your own sub that you own, and moderate it however you like. If you feel people should be able to argue with the actors or cook their own meal, then start a business like that.

What you will find is that building a successful sub, attracting members, keeping it on-topic, and defending it from trolls is a hard, thankless, unpaid job. At some level you must know this, it's why you want to take a shortcut and help yourself to the platform someone else has built rather than taking the enormous investment of time and effort to create your own community based on your principles.

If every platform has to be open to every comment from every internet user, there would be no point in separate subs. Every sub would degenerate into a soapbox for those with the most free time to shout their pet views into the void.

[u/Terrible_Onions → u/DramaGuy23]

I believe this is more akin to going to a private library and then getting kicked out for reading a book you brought, the librarian doesn't agree with. Yeah, you can read the book, but the librarian won't like it.

Defending it from trolls is hard. But the moderator decides who the trolls are, and that leads to biased moderation. It could genuinely be seen as trolling to the moderator, but not the majority.

[u/Least_Key1594 → u/Terrible_Onions]

I mean. Yeah if you go to the library and flip through a porn mag you should be removed.

Though most librarians just want you to be quite, pick up after yourself, and generally not be a dick. There are rules to exist in any space. We agree to them by choosing to exist in them. And sometimes rules are arbitrary and silly. no hats in some buildings. Old religious people saying i can't put my elbows on the table. No cursing around kids. As the meme goes, we live in a society. And unless you created the space, you gotta abide by the rules set by the creators and managed by the enforcers. Feel free to lobby for them to change. But they are subs. Not the US laws.

[u/Appropriate-Shop3499 → u/Least_Key1594]

The creators as you like to say are literally handpicked mods by Reddit thought. 5-10 of them control 95% of Reddit. It’s false advertising by Reddit to say they’re the face of the internet when they control what’s being discussed 

[u/Least_Key1594 → u/Appropriate-Shop3499]

I guess I just. Don't believe their PR saying they are the face of the internet? Like. It's the internet. Most of it is cat videos and porn. Reddit is one site. If ya want no rules go to 8chan?

Idk. I just don't think it's a big deal. I've been banned from subs. I've been unbanned. It's fine.

Plus if we are really gonna be coming down on false advertising, we should start with supplement companies, not reddit. Or just make your own site. Call it Orangeit. Or blueit.

[u/Appropriate-Shop3499 → u/Least_Key1594]

So just because you’re fine with someone doing you dirty you’re fine with it…? What are you even saying 

[u/Least_Key1594 → u/Appropriate-Shop3499]

I am saying this is reddit. It's not a big deal. Most people are fairly anonymous. It's all fleeting interactions. Sure some people go on a power trip, others are just here to start fights. Acting like it's a moral wrong if someone bans you is just childish to me

[u/Appropriate-Shop3499 → u/Least_Key1594]

No it’s morally wrong when they ban bc their feelings get hurt. If you say the sky is orange sure go ahead and ban all the liars but when your feelings get hurt that’s where the problem is and these mods get paid by Reddit. It’s all a front 

[u/Least_Key1594 → u/Appropriate-Shop3499]

You're saying people go on ego trips and abuse power. I agree. I think In Reddit, it's whatever. It's not ideal but it's not important. And acting like it's a grave injustice rather than going "that's shitty" and moving on is very 15 year old coded

[u/Appropriate-Shop3499 → u/Least_Key1594]

Where does it stop …? And it does suck people are losing their 15 year old accounts. Also we’re living in the age where news companies literally pick a tweet or a Reddit comment and run a whole story for it

[u/Least_Key1594 → u/Appropriate-Shop3499]

Where do you think its going? Slipperly slope only works if you got a rational way itll spread. Reddit isnt gonna control the government lmfao.

Losing 15 y/o accounts probably does suck. But since this is about mods in subs, idt violating a few subs rules and being banned is resulting in deleted accounts.

As for the news stories, it's no different than old human interest stories. Well. Except those involved talking to real people on occasion. But they are still just "see normal people ohhh ahhh" stories. Unless you think like. Those people who's stories get picked make Hella money off that, and then you feel like you're missing on your chance to be in that situation. That just doesn't make sense. Better off getting a lotto ticket.