https://www.reddit.com/r/ModSupport/comments/ghn9be/inappropriate_reddit_community_awards_used_for/
created by DubTeeDub on 11/05/2020 at 13:11 UTC*
218 upvotes, 24 top-level comments (showing 24)
I know this has been brought up in this subreddit before, but we just had this issue occur on /r/BlackPeopleTwitter.
One of our moderators sticked a serious post about the lynching of a black man, Ahmaud Arbery. In response, a troll gifted a Reddit Community Award of "Im Deceased" on the post. The award is a skull laughing and the text says "Call an ambulance, I'm laughing too hard."
Screenshot - https://imgur.com/a/0DAxnRX
This is highly inappropriate behavior and it is appears that the user in question gifted several simillar awards to other users and mods.
Why is it that the admins are not letting moderators have any say in what awards are allowed to be used on our subreddit? It has happened time and again that the community awards are being used to harrass users and moderators on different subreddits.
Comment by WarpvsWeft at 11/05/2020 at 14:44 UTC
112 upvotes, 1 direct replies
The admins have been driving faster than their headlights for awhile now on these "features."
The best sites slow down and learn from their mistakes. That does not appear to be part of the reddit management culture.
Comment by [deleted] at 11/05/2020 at 14:28 UTC
90 upvotes, 2 direct replies
This reminds me of the time they applied "categories" to a bunch of the more popular subreddits, and r/aww's was "animals". So a flair of "animals" was applied to every post even though the sub isn't limited to animals; we allow cute objects and people.
So when a gif of some black kids dancing around made it to the front page, we got a bunch of angry modmails asking why the gif was flaired as "animals".
Also for some reason r/pics gets flaired as "pics and gifs" even though we don't allow gifs at all.
Comment by O-shi at 11/05/2020 at 14:40 UTC
36 upvotes, 2 direct replies
I also got I’m Deceased[1] on my sticky post about the late Little Richard passing. Checking it today and it looks like the award from the post has been deleted.
1: https://imgur.com/a/aaYkl7O
Comment by BuckRowdy at 11/05/2020 at 16:08 UTC
26 upvotes, 3 direct replies
This is one of those right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing things. The guys on the award team think the only subs on Reddit are gaming and meme subs. Even if they said that was wrong their actions prove it.
They’ve devalued the entire award system by gamifying it. But as if that wasn’t enough they are allowing this to continue even after a dozen posts about it.
Comment by [deleted] at 11/05/2020 at 18:39 UTC
22 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Just got another one. Someone awarded this with the "yikes" award that looks like a monkey.
https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/ghq1n2/armed_black_panthers_show_up_to_the_neighbourhood/
Comment by PlatypusOfDeath at 11/05/2020 at 16:16 UTC
18 upvotes, 3 direct replies
Have the admins responded to any of the posts about this reoccurring issue?
Comment by wickedplayer494 at 11/05/2020 at 19:00 UTC
19 upvotes, 1 direct replies
As I said yesterday: reddit lost the plot with awards months ago. Gold worked *great* for years on end. Then we got the split to silver/gold/platinum, which while "platinum" is now a more accurate analogue of the old gold (since gold was nerfed to just a week of premium), was still for all intents and purposes alright.
Now, we've got these badges that are better suited as profile trophies doing fuck-all productive on posts. But hey, it somehow prints money for the site, so it's allowed to become the absolute mess it is.
I had gold/"premium" for years on end from other people, and if it remained the old system, I probably would've coughed up my own money to keep it going. But I didn't bother, so I let my streak lapse, and I don't regret it.
Comment by maybesaydie at 11/05/2020 at 23:27 UTC
9 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I've had the feeling for a long while that very few of the admins actually use the site or are familiar with where problem users originate.
Comment by strolls at 12/05/2020 at 00:21 UTC*
11 upvotes, 2 direct replies
There have been a number of previous threads about this, one of them only yesterday.
You're better off compiling as many examples as you can find, if you care about this issue, into a press release. Make 'em bullet points, so the examples are easy to read, and then another set of bullet points showing all the threads on here where Reddit should have noticed them. Title your press release "New Reddit awards and flairs are a cesspool of racism" and send it to every news publication and journalist you can find an address for.
Reddit doesn't give a fuck until they have to face bad publicity.
Comment by ultradip at 11/05/2020 at 23:56 UTC
10 upvotes, 2 direct replies
Can you imagine using that laughing skull on a suicide prevention sub? :-/
Comment by RIPDODGERSBANDWAGON at 11/05/2020 at 19:38 UTC
12 upvotes, 0 direct replies
r/teenagers and many other subs have this issue specifically with the I’m deceased award. Go on any (blank) died thread and it’s there.
Comment by [deleted] at 11/05/2020 at 13:37 UTC
15 upvotes, 1 direct replies
[removed]
Comment by pappy at 11/05/2020 at 15:24 UTC
12 upvotes, 2 direct replies
Flairs are also being used for harassment and false claims about users. I complained twice using /report/, and nothing was done.
Well, the first time they said the problem was addressed, but the harassing flair remained. The second time they didn't bother replying.
Automoderator was/is also being used to harass with messages being attached to specific users as automoderator replies. I got no response to that complaint, too.
Good luck getting anyone to listen. The wolves are guarding the hen house.
Comment by PotRoastPotato at 12/05/2020 at 21:50 UTC*
4 upvotes, 0 direct replies
/u/spez et al, today's Ahmaud post on /r/news was gifted with the "wholesome" award, and the "take a bow award", whose icon is a monkey (A FUCKING MONKEY). You guys have to acknowledge you didn't think this through sufficiently, and you need to give mods the ability to preemptively hide these awards on the subreddit. I've seen them used to mock and attack others much more than I've seen them used earnestly.
Comment by [deleted] at 18/05/2020 at 01:48 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
The award abuse has increased to a ridiculous extent. Yikes
Comment by LuckyBdx4 at 12/05/2020 at 23:19 UTC*
3 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Both /u/sodypop and /u/redtaboo have been active in other threads here today, seem to be avoiding this one like the plague.
And /u/redtaboo has been active 7 hours ago, 3 hours after this comment.
----> Is avoiding this thread like the covid 19/Wuhan flu/China flu plague!
Comment by itsaride at 11/05/2020 at 18:31 UTC
4 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Yes and you can hide them, what do you think you don’t get paid for ?
Comment by InspectorPraline at 13/05/2020 at 11:16 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
That's pretty hilarious to be fair
Comment by GetOffMyLawn_ at 11/05/2020 at 15:45 UTC
3 upvotes, 1 direct replies
That is disgusting.
BTW I love that sub. I hope this gets fixed for you ASAP.
Comment by Tymanthius at 11/05/2020 at 16:13 UTC
0 upvotes, 0 direct replies
My thought on these? B/c they earn revenue. Coins cost someone real $. So anything that uses up coins is good.
Comment by [deleted] at 12/05/2020 at 20:54 UTC
-1 upvotes, 1 direct replies
[removed]
Comment by [deleted] at 12/05/2020 at 11:54 UTC
-3 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Stop complaining, I trust admins on this
Comment by YannisALT at 11/05/2020 at 13:15 UTC*
-32 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Assuming you're the mod of that sub, I notice you still have not hidden the award. I giggled, but if it's bothering you so much, then Hide it.
EDIT: I showed the guy how to hide it because he didn't know how to do it. The award has been hidden from the post.
Comment by ZippyTheChicken at 12/05/2020 at 10:58 UTC
-3 upvotes, 0 direct replies
can't you just remove the post and then repost it and then the original post has the award on it.. i mean idk how much that person is willing to pay to award awards over and over .. maybe they have deep pockets.
