29 upvotes, 1 direct replies (showing 1)
View submission: On Reddit's moderation system creating a reddit-wide echo chamber
I don't disagree with you on every issue, but there's two major issues I have with your position.
1. Have you really ever been a moderator for a large subreddit? From my experience, if you don't have a 0 tolerance policy and stick to it, you're going to end up in endless discussions and debates about what really is hate speech. I've had users try to appeal using the N-word and other racial slurs as "jokes" and "not that bad". And I've only been a moderator for subs in the 10s/low 100s of thousands of subscribers. Banning is a way to solve the problem, since it skips all of the middle steps and appeals that take time from the mods. I'm not surprised the moderators went hard on that thread, they moderate comics, not a political sub. If you've been a mod for large subreddits in the last year, I'm jealous you haven't been forced to go the ban route.
2. Conservative and similar subreddits are not a safe places to have a discussion. The moderators there are insanely active, reviewing every post and most comments. They manually approve users. Once in, they have a 0-strike policy where if you cross a moderator, you're out, and you have no recourse. Within the site those are the most heavily moderated places, much moreso than the exact issue you claim to have with comics.
Reddit has a problem with overzealous moderators, but that's what you get when mods are unpaid, and anyone can set up their own subreddit. If you disagree with how the moderators at comics are acting, nothing stops you from setting up your own subreddit and curate a different moderation culture. I wish you luck if you go that route.
There should be some way for more oversight from the admins, but the answer they'll give back is that you can start your own sub. I hate that's the answer, but it's the one they've always given and the one they'll always stay with.
Comment by liquidpele at 02/01/2025 at 21:05 UTC*
3 upvotes, 2 direct replies
Have you really ever been a moderator for a large subreddit? From my experience, if you don't have a 0 tolerance policy and stick to it, you're going to end up in endless discussions and debates about what really is hate speech.
Agreed, this is why I focused on lack of any form of consensus within a mod team. Arguing with users is often a waste of time, and the mute function is there to protect mods from getting spammed, but it also creates a situation where the expectation is to ban and never question or second guess anything.
Conservative and similar subreddits are not a safe places to have a discussion
Not if you're not alt-right anyway, but perhaps the rise of these aren't related to my specific point on moderation, I just found it interesting that they are subs with topics that go against the tide of reddit's side-wide bubble.