Well, I finally have my Badge of Honor like you other Cool Kids! Judge Marssy has suspended me from Chowhound, allegedly for being “aggressive” and “name-calling”. In obvious reality, my crime has been calling specific attention to the dismal rate of postings there since the site was “improved”.
I’ve been invited to beg Her forgiveness in a week’s time, confess my apostasy, and promise undying fealty.
Frankly, I’d prefer to suffer the Pear of Anguish…
I had to look up Pear of Anguish too. There's certain knowledge we're just fine without. Pretty good nickname for Chowhound, though!
I was clearly on the CH fecal roster for repeatedly suggesting the removal of the Q/A format and replying to newbie posts there by recommending they ask to have their Q deleted, then re-post as a discussion. Early in June, a newbie posted to an extant thread on favorite food movies to praise a family member's contribution to a TV cooking show. I flagged it (twice, if memory serves) for moving to any of the several threads about that series, but after several days if was still there. I then posted, welcoming the newbie to CH, congratulating her relative, then pointing out that it was a movie thread but that there were several other threads about the TV show. I got a prompt e-mail wrist-slap (beginning with "Hi there"), telling me to flag but not tell other posters where to post (I hadn't *told* her, just suggested the appropriate place for her comments.). I e-mailed back, to point out that "Hi there" is a dismissive way to start a message, and to say that if they really thought a post about TV belongs on a film thread, I quit. (It really was the last straw.) In response to that, I received the following:
“We are aware that we’ve requested you on different occasions to please abide by the guidelines which unfortunately you’ve failed to do so. Unfortunately, because of your latest behavior we had to suspend your account.
We really want to give you another chance, but we won’t be able to do so if we don’t see a commitment from you to follow the rules. Please think about it and give us an answer on or after June 23rd. If you agree to abide by the guidelines, we will reactivate your account.”
Marssy’s execrable writing abilities aside, I had already told them I was quitting. Apparently her reading comprehension grades aren’t stellar, either.
Marssy's execrable writing abilities aside, I had already told them I was quitting. Apparently her reading comprehension grades aren't stellar, either.
What you got is virtually verbatim to what I received:
Hi kaleokahu,
We have asked you on several different occasions to avoid aggressive interactions with other members of this community including, but not limited to name-calling and personal attacks. Your recent behavior was brought to our attention by members of the community as creating a hostile environment on Chowhound.
We’re asking to take some time away from the site. This is not a permanent suspension, but we’d like you to reach out to us next week if you’re willing to change your behavior. Your contributions about food are greatly valued, and we’d very much like to see you stay an active member of the community.
I went back to Chowhound a few times and each time I noticed that many Chowhound posts were originated from really old posts, like people digging up 8 years old and 5 years old posts. Like people don’t have good idea to discuss anymore?
I’ve been reading your posts, and they were indeed aggressive and name-calling. It sure looked like you were trying your damnedest to get suspended so…congrats, I guess.
there seems to be a almost religious denial of facts on that thread - no CH is robust everything is cool whatever it’s a bottomless pit with a ECI wok at the bottom.
Was this over the short sarcastic post you made that got you called out and reported by one of the chief defenders? How ridiculous!
There seems to be a coordinated campaign, by a small group of posters, to ‘shame’ others into ending the complaining. I’m not usually a conspiracy theorist, but it feels a bit contrived to me. Like they all got the same talking points memo.
That is the standard verbiage for “go sit in the corner and think about what you’ve done” that has been used since long before Marssy came onto the scene. The ‘naughty toddler’ implications are really annoying.