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  • 37
    "None of us have the full details of the demodding, but it certainly sounds like it was not handled well". Considering how she doesn't seem to have done anything egregious it wasn't handled well by definition: if it were handled well she wouldn't feel the way she does and the timeline she wrote in her question would be different (and there would be no meta question of hers to begin with). The company owes it to the moderators to handle them with respect even when taking a diamond back. Commented Sep 30, 2019 at 20:47
  • 24
    @AndrasDeak she flat out refused to comply with the CoC, People can dress it up in whatever way they want. There was fall out from her POV. It hurt many people. People left the site. The irony is, she was supported by many mods then as she is now. Maybe it's good that they leave. The mods owe it to also be respectful. Commented Sep 30, 2019 at 20:48
  • 69
    I thought the CoC she refused to comply with wasn't even in effect nor public yet. Commented Sep 30, 2019 at 20:49
  • 25
    @YvetteColomb I would certainly argue with the "flat-out" characterization. Commented Sep 30, 2019 at 20:50
  • 74
    So you’re OK with punishing people for saying that they might have to resign if some hypothetical policy came into being? That’s messed up. Whoever had the bright idea of breaking this news in a chat room where the tension was already high from previous drama around it should be reprimanded, because even the people who were there have an emotionally tainted perspective on what actually happened. Commented Sep 30, 2019 at 20:52
  • 118
    Forcing people to believe and think like the company does is very much dystopian. It's interesting to note that, when in position of power, trans folks will act in very similar ways to that of the patriarchy system they say oppresses their existence. Looking at how the board of directors and employees are acting in the past months, they're acting in the same paradigm, only the members of the tribe changed. Commented Sep 30, 2019 at 20:53
  • 80
    The reaction to this is outrageous, frankly, when we have other moderators who have left the site feeling marginalised and hopeless. These people were respected members of these communities, but bowed out silently much of the time, feeling marginalised and dehumanised. Where is the support for these people? How come only some of us seem to be aware of this? @Yvette. You're confusing the main issue. Monica didn't resign, she didn't leave, she was kicked out, without warning, without an appeal. That's a huge difference. Commented Sep 30, 2019 at 20:58
  • 65
    Yvette, we probably are all deprived of information here, but Monica's account of the events clearly suggest that she was blindsided by the demodding. You can't tell me there were warnings and she had it coming and that she had no idea it would happen. Commented Sep 30, 2019 at 21:01
  • 105
    While us non-mods don't know the details yet, I don't buy for a second that the views Monica expressed were a "stance of intolerance towards minority groups" and that the purpose of the resignations of the many mods who've resigned was to "support" that stance. Commented Sep 30, 2019 at 21:06
  • 60
    @YvetteColomb You’re conflating what Monica’s personal views are with how she would act as a mod. You’re remembering the conversation imperfectly. It’s understandable that you disagree with her. It’s unreasonable to accuse her of hurting people just because she holds that view and expressed it out loud, but has never acted on it in a way you could detect. The only reason you know she might avoid pronouns in some situations is because she told you she might. Commented Sep 30, 2019 at 21:20
  • 86
    @MarkAmery Most mods don't know all the details either. I have only read parts of the transcripts. But I've seen enough to see that a “stance of intolerance towards minority groups” is completely inconsistent with everything I've read from her, and I don't mean about her character in general but when discussing the very issue that is at stake. The fact that others have suffered and are suffering from intolerance does not excuse what happened here. Commented Sep 30, 2019 at 21:42
  • 28
    Thank you for having the courage to post what was clearly going to be such an unpopular post. I can't attest to your veracity any more than anyone else's but I respect you for giving more insight to an already fraught discourse. Commented Sep 30, 2019 at 23:59
  • 22
    @YvetteColomb: Regarding your questions in #9, as a generic (though longtime) member of SE: "Do we select who we deem worthy of mod support?" Yes, of course. I have no idea what other mods you're talking about, but it's pretty damn simple to me. The better the mod, the stronger the support. The more visible & well-known the mod, the more widespread the support. So yeah, if you were a jerk of a moderator, and end up resigning, then good riddance. Whereas if you were the most kind and compassionate mod online everyone looked up to, yeah, people will mourn your leave. Why are you surprised? Commented Oct 1, 2019 at 6:49
  • 33
    @YvetteColomb: I never said these were jerks either; I merely gave examples of lots of factors besides community bigotry that could explain the effect you're seeing. So like, are you sure these mods you're talking about were known to just as big of a cross-section of the community as Monica? Was their moderation as well-regarded by the community beforehand? Is there REALLY nothing else you could use to explain the differences you're seeing? And before you respond, realize that Monica was seen as the exemplary role-model moderator by so many people in the community. Commented Oct 1, 2019 at 7:03
  • 70
    Your characterizations of me are wildly off-base. We might disagree about how to express respect, but I am not intolerant, seeking to marginalize anyone, or making semantic excuses. I engaged in good faith with "one true way" arguments on the teams post; if they haven't nuked everything I wrote there, review my answer and comments. The situation is much more nuanced than you are painting. (Also, while you're there, review the bullying comments I received.) Commented Oct 2, 2019 at 1:13