Politics · Advice & Questions · Oct 18

I removed a rude reply to my own political post but left a similar reply to someone else's

Politics

The other moderator sent two screenshots and no commentary. The insults were almost the same. One was aimed at my proposal about the town centre, and I'd deleted it. The older one was aimed at someone else's proposal, and I'd left it up.

I help run a residents' discussion page. Our rule bars personal insults but allows criticism of ideas. I told myself the first reply was especially disruptive. Seeing the two side by side, I'm not sure that's true.

The member whose comment I removed wants it restored. I don't think a personal insult becomes useful because I applied the rule unevenly. I also don't want to defend my decision while ignoring the comparison that exposed it.

How do I repair inconsistent moderation without turning every old comment into a fresh argument or treating my own proposal as something the page needs to protect?

Discussion

2 community replies

@softfocus

The screenshots have shown a consistency problem; they haven't shown that the insult should stay. Ask the other moderator to review both decisions against the written rule. You can acknowledge your uneven response while still supporting removal of personal attacks where that rule actually applies.

@JulesAfterDark

Your own involvement matters. When you're the author being criticised, another moderator may be better placed to make the decision. That would be a practical arrangement for this page, not a claim that you can never participate in a discussion you help manage.

I removed a rude reply to my own political post but left a similar reply to someone else's

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