Diversity among mods

Tell us how you think the forum can be improved. We will listen.
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lyndon taylor
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Re: Diversity among mods

Post by lyndon taylor »

Coëmgenu wrote: Wed Jan 17, 2018 6:23 pm
Meezer77 wrote: Tue Jan 16, 2018 12:01 pm
Coëmgenu wrote: Tue Jan 16, 2018 5:45 am

This is a scary trigger word for many people: diversity.
How so?
Some time I will innocently work the word "diversity" into a post in a specific way, just the word itself, completely innocuously and apolitically, then I will PM you. We will see how many people are triggered by something utterly non-triggering.

Being triggered transcends political divisions. I can think of various talking heads on stations like Fox News who are constantly triggered about something. I wouldn't say its just a liberal thing, though young ideological liberal university students are most famous for becoming "triggered" for certain, in my experience.
Well our moderators went out of their way to explain how diversity is not one of their goals in the moderation team.
18 years ago I made one of the most important decisions of my life and entered a local Cambodian Buddhist Temple as a temple boy and, for only 3 weeks, an actual Therevada Buddhist monk. I am not a scholar, great meditator, or authority on Buddhism, but Buddhism is something I love from the Bottom of my heart. It has taught me sobriety, morality, peace, and very importantly that my suffering is optional, and doesn't have to run my life. I hope to give back what little I can to the Buddhist community, sincerely former monk John

http://trickleupeconomictheory.blogspot.com/
binocular
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Re: Diversity among mods

Post by binocular »

lyndon taylor wrote: Wed Jan 17, 2018 6:40 pmNo, I'm not into the idea that enlightenment or the forum has to be complex and is outside the ability of simple monks.
Like I said: Feel free to become enlightened.
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lyndon taylor
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Re: Diversity among mods

Post by lyndon taylor »

binocular wrote: Wed Jan 17, 2018 6:43 pm
lyndon taylor wrote: Wed Jan 17, 2018 6:40 pmNo, I'm not into the idea that enlightenment or the forum has to be complex and is outside the ability of simple monks.
Like I said: Feel free to become enlightened.
you also said the forum has to be complex and we don't need simple Asian monks to participate.
18 years ago I made one of the most important decisions of my life and entered a local Cambodian Buddhist Temple as a temple boy and, for only 3 weeks, an actual Therevada Buddhist monk. I am not a scholar, great meditator, or authority on Buddhism, but Buddhism is something I love from the Bottom of my heart. It has taught me sobriety, morality, peace, and very importantly that my suffering is optional, and doesn't have to run my life. I hope to give back what little I can to the Buddhist community, sincerely former monk John

http://trickleupeconomictheory.blogspot.com/
SarathW
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Re: Diversity among mods

Post by SarathW »

>Hi Sarath. I wrote the OP as a bit of a joke. Not seriously at all. But it became a huge topic of discussion much to my surprise :lol: >

Forums are all about making a mountain out of mole hill. :D

>I was unfairly punished by DW Mod/Admin for not being liberal enough previously. Not by Paul. >

Yes, I can relate to you. But it is the past.
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Re: Diversity among mods

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings,

Just to clarify a couple of points, since these matters have come up in the conversation:

- No, there has been no disciplinary action against Alan in recent times.

- No one is discriminated against by staff on account of their political views. Once upon a time this would have happened (as per Sarath & No_Mind's experiences), but it doesn't happen now. The present team are very much against partiality in their acts of moderation, and for this reason, the Terms of Service state that...
At Dhamma Wheel, we respect your intellectual and spiritual autonomy. As such, the staff here will not enforce reverence to anyone or anything, nor censor speech gratuitously. In keeping with this respect for your autonomy, we expect you to be personally responsible for your own emotions and responses.
This isn't just a "soundbite" or a "gimmick"... it's a value which is strongly ingrained in the culture of the moderating team, and the very ability to do this is currently a non-negotiable prerequisite for being on the team.

Metta,
Paul. :)
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
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Re: Diversity among mods

Post by Meezer77 »

Coëmgenu wrote: Wed Jan 17, 2018 6:23 pm
Meezer77 wrote: Tue Jan 16, 2018 12:01 pm
Coëmgenu wrote: Tue Jan 16, 2018 5:45 am

This is a scary trigger word for many people: diversity.
How so?
Some time I will innocently work the word "diversity" into a post in a specific way, just the word itself, completely innocuously and apolitically, then I will PM you. We will see how many people are triggered by something utterly non-triggering.

Being triggered transcends political divisions. I can think of various talking heads on stations like Fox News who are constantly triggered about something. I wouldn't say its just a liberal thing, though young ideological liberal university students are most famous for becoming "triggered" for certain, and afaik invented the term's current usage.

"Triggered" used to refer to triggered flashbacks of extreme trauma, like an assault or a rape.

Now it seems to refer to "being upset".
Yes, I guess this thread has been a trigger. Not just the word though, but the context in which it has been used has stirred up some emotions.
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No_Mind
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Re: Diversity among mods

Post by No_Mind »

retrofuturist wrote: Wed Jan 17, 2018 9:11 pm
- No one is discriminated against by staff on account of their political views. Once upon a time this would have happened (as per Sarath & No_Mind's experiences), but it doesn't happen now. The present team are very much against partiality in their acts of moderation, and for this reason, the Terms of Service state that...


Metta,
Paul. :)
Absolutely correct :thumbsup:

There is full freedom of speech in DW now which was lacking when I was banned.

:namaste:
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Re: Diversity among mods

Post by SarathW »

we expect you to be personally responsible for your own emotions and responses.
This is a good point Retro however unaccepted post may be bring to the attention of the poster not as a warning buy as a reminder so they can get back to the track again.
Some times we all have the tendency to carry away with our feelings so we end up with falling on our own swards.
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Re: Diversity among mods

Post by Coëmgenu »

SarathW wrote: Thu Jan 18, 2018 2:56 am
we expect you to be personally responsible for your own emotions and responses.
This is a good point Retro however unaccepted post may be bring to the attention of the poster not as a warning buy as a reminder so they can get back to the track again.
Some times we all have the tendency to carry away with our feelings so we end up with falling on our own swards.
I was moderated on SuttaCentral once for calling the government of China Daesh due to their shared proclivities for bulldozing and dynamiting valuable cultural and archeological information pertinent to our shared human heritage (in relation to the renewed demolition of Larung Gar).

It was a pretty dirty comparison, I get why they moderated it.
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Sublime & free, what is that obscured Eternity?
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Re: Diversity among mods

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings Sarath,
SarathW wrote: Thu Jan 18, 2018 2:56 am Some times we all have the tendency to carry away with our feelings so we end up with falling on our own swards.
Hopefully less so if we practice the brahma-vihara of equanimity, and aspects of the path such as Right Effort, and Right Mindfulness.

That said, we don't expect anyone to be perfect... just for them to do their best to operate within the Terms Of Service. We have a much greater tolerance for one off lapses by well-meaning members, than we do for the systematic, brazen and wilful disregard for the Terms Of Service demonstrated by a (thankfully very) small minority.

Metta,
Paul. :)
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
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Re: Diversity among mods

Post by Mr Man »

No_Mind wrote: Thu Jan 18, 2018 2:19 am
There is full freedom of speech in DW now which was lacking when I was banned.
Hi No_Mind
No there is not full freedom of speech in DW now. The forum is moderated.
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Re: Diversity among mods

Post by Sam Vara »

Mr Man wrote: Thu Jan 18, 2018 8:22 am
No_Mind wrote: Thu Jan 18, 2018 2:19 am
There is full freedom of speech in DW now which was lacking when I was banned.
Hi No_Mind
No there is not full freedom of speech in DW now. The forum is moderated.
Maybe No_Mind means that he is able to express anything that he wishes to express on DW. This is a reasonable and workable form of negative liberty in such circumstances, as it would be difficult to consider how it might be improved upon by changing the platform, ToS, moderators, and so on.

Is there something that you would wish to express here on DW that you feel unable to express, Mr Man? If so, then you might well need to allude to it rather than state it in responding to this question. Or are you just making a general philosophical point about the impossibility of absolutely free speech under any circumstances?
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Re: Diversity among mods

Post by Mr Man »

Sam Vara wrote: Thu Jan 18, 2018 10:38 am
Mr Man wrote: Thu Jan 18, 2018 8:22 am
No_Mind wrote: Thu Jan 18, 2018 2:19 am
There is full freedom of speech in DW now which was lacking when I was banned.
Hi No_Mind
No there is not full freedom of speech in DW now. The forum is moderated.
Maybe No_Mind means that he is able to express anything that he wishes to express on DW. This is a reasonable and workable form of negative liberty in such circumstances, as it would be difficult to consider how it might be improved upon by changing the platform, ToS, moderators, and so on.

Is there something that you would wish to express here on DW that you feel unable to express, Mr Man? If so, then you might well need to allude to it rather than state it in responding to this question. Or are you just making a general philosophical point about the impossibility of absolutely free speech under any circumstances?
Hi Sam Vara

I'm sure No_Mind is perfectly capable of communicating/elaborating on what he means.

What I said above is a statement of fact that is all.
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Re: Diversity among mods

Post by lyndon taylor »

My comments get censored quite often, though less lately than a couple months ago, seems the moderation team is trying to actually stick to more freedom of speech, I used to have comments censored for what I thought were purely political reasons, less so now.
18 years ago I made one of the most important decisions of my life and entered a local Cambodian Buddhist Temple as a temple boy and, for only 3 weeks, an actual Therevada Buddhist monk. I am not a scholar, great meditator, or authority on Buddhism, but Buddhism is something I love from the Bottom of my heart. It has taught me sobriety, morality, peace, and very importantly that my suffering is optional, and doesn't have to run my life. I hope to give back what little I can to the Buddhist community, sincerely former monk John

http://trickleupeconomictheory.blogspot.com/
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Re: Diversity among mods

Post by Sam Vara »

Mr Man wrote: Thu Jan 18, 2018 10:54 am
Hi Sam Vara

I'm sure No_Mind is perfectly capable of communicating/elaborating on what he means.

What I said above is a statement of fact that is all.
I'm sure he is, too. I'm not so interested in what No_Mind means, as in what you mean. In what sense is there not full freedom of speech here on DW? You are saying that there is not full freedom of speech because of moderation, so could you explain how moderation affects what you (or indeed anyone else) wishes to say?
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