https://www.reddit.com/r/SubredditDrama/comments/1xof5i/recap_the_great_xkcd_modsidebar_blowup/
created by larrylemur on 12/02/2014 at 03:45 UTC*
193 upvotes, 14 top-level comments (showing 14)
This was meant to start with a cute xkcd reference, but it's been a while since i read all of them and none could come to mind. For those of your unaware, xkcd[1] is a webcomic drawn by Randall Munroe that bills itself as being about romance, sarcasm, math, and language. Recently, it had some mod drama.
/u/soccer, head mod of /r/xkcd (after taking over via reddit request[2]) has long been a lightening rod of controversy thanks to his insistence on including /r/MensRights, /r/TheRedPill, and /r/conspiracy in the sidebar's list of related subreddits. He has also been shown as a holocaust denier. These "related" subs run counter to the views of Monroe, who has drawn comics showing him as against PUA culture[3] and against conspiracy[4] theories[5]. His choices have caused drama[6] in the past[7] , but due to reddit's lax policies on firing moderators nothing has come of it except the creation of the alternative /r/xkcdcomic.
2: http://www.reddit.com/r/redditrequest/comments/i9hdw/requesting_rxkcd_moderator_gone_for_2_years/
3: http://www.http://xkcd.com/1027/
soccer was never that active of a mod, and when /u/Wyboth messaged him a while ago requesting moderatorship the request was granted. All seemed well. Until Wyboth made his move and deleted the three offending subs, then it was not. This post[8] is the main SRD post concerning the events and can be browsed as a mini-summary. User /u/anonymous123421 started a petition thread[9] to reinstate Wyboth as moderator. This thread was signed[10] by /u/xkcd, Munroe himself. Nothing came of the petition, but Munroe's opposition to /r/MensRights did not[11] go unnoticed[12].
/u/Flytape, erstwhile moderator of /r/conspiracy and known lunatic[13], accused Wyboth of being an SRSer[14] and trying to use the ~~NWO shill Jew~~ media to rally his cause. The media post in question was a Daily Dot[15] about the kerfuffle. Flytape was rewarded with a moderator position for his efforts, and assured the no doubt concerned users that everything was "back to normal".[16]
13: http://www.reddit.com/r/conspiratard/search?q=flytape&restrict_sr=on
15: http://www.dailydot.com/news/xkcd-reddit-moderator-drama/
16: http://np.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/1wb8ak/everything_is_back_to_normal/
Flytape continued his story of an SRS brigade being the only possible explanation for dissent, and SRS opponent and fellow lunatic /u/KamensGhost was also added as moderator. The drama over Flytape, free speech (he deletes posts he disagrees with), and sexism extended to[17] /r/conspiracy. Also of note is that /r/MensRights and the rest were brought back to the sidebar disguised as links to more sciencey subs such as /r/Physics, like this: r/Physics[18].
18: http://www.reddit.com/MensRights
Munroe promised a statement in the form of the comic, and he delivered this[19]. Drama ensued.[20]
Flytape popped back up to offer up modship[21] of /r/xkcd to its detractors in exchange for control of /r/Stormfront, currently a semi-parody subreddit discussing meteorology. He purposely avoids discussing monetary transaction, as this would violate Reddit TOS.
So here we are. /r/xkcd remains in the hands of its alpha male overlord, /r/xkcdcomic is the Munroe-approved reddit forum for discussing the comic, and Wyboth wrote a very well detailed summation of the situation[22] that is probably the most exhaustive study of this battle. Of course, this too could not escape drama.[23] Nothing seems poised to change any time soon, enough internet time has passed to make it seem like the dramawave is over. Until next time.
22: http://www.reddit.com/r/self/comments/1xdwba/the_history_of_the_rxkcd_kerfuffle/
EDIT: The butter has leaked even into this thread!
Comment by [deleted] at 12/02/2014 at 05:24 UTC*
78 upvotes, 4 direct replies
[deleted]
Comment by larrylemur at 12/02/2014 at 03:46 UTC
21 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Also thanks to /r/ThePopcornStand's recap:
Comment by Geoffles at 12/02/2014 at 06:16 UTC
19 upvotes, 1 direct replies
known lunatic
For some reason this sent me into a small fit of giggles. Good recap!
Comment by [deleted] at 12/02/2014 at 06:19 UTC*
20 upvotes, 1 direct replies
[deleted]
Comment by FlytapesMicroPenis at 12/02/2014 at 04:54 UTC
34 upvotes, 4 direct replies
/u/flytape is definitely worse than you all think he is. He and /u/soccer have *a lot* in common
Comment by Crowbarmagic at 12/02/2014 at 07:07 UTC
7 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Can u/soccer get removed already? I read about him doing weird stuff every damn month.
Comment by [deleted] at 12/02/2014 at 13:24 UTC
7 upvotes, 1 direct replies
but due to reddit's lax policies on firing moderators
1. it's not a job
2. it's the community's responsibility
3. CAN YOU IMAGINE the butter soaked bottom of the popcorn barrel if admins actively administered community controls? I'm not talking fending off legal action by shutting down off pedophile subs or political bans of a handful of users, I mean the Parents actively stepping down and refereeing the kids at play.
Comment by Fletch71011 at 12/02/2014 at 05:20 UTC
3 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Holy shit, I don't even know where to begin.
Comment by [deleted] at 12/02/2014 at 16:06 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Where is the ) ?!
Comment by Tycho-the-Wanderer at 12/02/2014 at 16:11 UTC
2 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Flytape popped back up to offer up modship of /r/xkcd to its detractors in exchange for control of /r/Stormfront, currently a semi-parody subreddit discussing meteorology.
Not surprised in the slightest on that part; I doubt anyone would trade /r/Stormfront for /r/xkcd though I am confused why no one has made a copy of the second one in order to not have to deal with a subreddit run by a pair of white supremacists and Holocaust deniers.
Comment by Kar98 at 13/02/2014 at 00:42 UTC
2 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Well written recap
Comment by titsonamongoose at 12/02/2014 at 17:13 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
You say that Wyboth was accused of being an SRSer by some looney. As Wyboth posts in SRS, I guess the looney was right about that much. So why was anyone in the least surprised that Wyboth deleted those links in the sidebar? In fact why on earth would soccer allow him to mod in the first place, given that they are from diametrically opposed ideologies?
Comment by ApertureLabia at 12/02/2014 at 13:43 UTC
1 upvotes, 2 direct replies
I don't get it - I don't see any of those links on the /r/xkcd sidebar. What are you talking about?
Comment by [deleted] at 12/02/2014 at 06:08 UTC
-22 upvotes, 2 direct replies
lol, I don't know why this even blew up. The mod didn't even bother to try to impose his agenda outside of putting links in the sidebar, it was basically ran by the community already. And so the new sub is just exactly the same as the old sub but just with a different sidebar. What's the point?