Moderator power

[woot]

Absolutely wrong. MLM's model depends on sign up fees: you pay me to be able to go make money personally. Over multiple studies in multiple product formats, it's been shown that those who "pay in" to make a fortune actually lose money. And this doesn't account for the opportunity cost of time. Sadly, many of these people are least able to lose money. It's predatory activity.

That's not a VAR model. VARs rarely, if ever, have to "pay in" for the smashing opportunity to sell a product. And typically, VARs sell a REAL product, not some shitty tasting purple juice that cures everything from scrotal cancer to the clap.

Perhaps you meant franchise? But that would be wrong too, as franchises are point of sale (one node), not dependent upon deep, multi-levels of other suckers paying in to become rich and famous, too. It's a scam and you're defending in what many countries is an illegal, predatory business (Brazil, notably) that has a sordid history of preying on the lower class.

There are tens of thousands registered investment advisers in the US; the ratio of actual crooks to total RIAs is very low.

Yes, yes. This is all correct and the MLM business model is truly vile. Anyone who participates in it has a moral deficiency. I think most of us agree. The issue is still that this rant is a threadjack.

[Viking]

Why was a post about MLM deleted? That seems really bizarre.

I dunno. Was a really odd thing. It was in that thread where some nice kid inadvertently made himself look like a pompous ass by talking about his private jetting to the BYU / OU game. I responded with a bit of mockery about my wonderful day replete with sarcasm. The kid disclosed the private jet was his uncle's, an empresario of a MLM and I went off on MLM. I apparently ruined the kid's day. It has yet to be proved that he is related to John Beck, though the odds are quite high.

The entire thread was deleted. People in Utah County are in awe of these shysters and perhaps one of the mods here is one him/herself. It's a mystery.

[Viking]

Yes, yes. This is all correct and the MLM business model is truly vile. Anyone who participates in it has a moral deficiency. I think most of us agree. The issue is still that this rant is a threadjack.

Yes, I threadjacked. Guilty.

[RobinFinderson]

Yes, yes. This is all correct and the MLM business model is truly vile. Anyone who participates in it has a moral deficiency. I think most of us agree. The issue is still that this rant is a threadjack.

People threadjack all the time. What set this threadjack above others?

[Viking]

People threadjack all the time. What set this threadjack above others?

Actually, the kid offered the MLM background without provocation. Perhaps I did not threadjack, after all?? MLM became fair game once he wrote it!

[UtahDan]

Why was a post about MLM deleted? That seems really bizarre.

It wasn't deleted. The author of the thread (which was about the trip to Dallas) posted it where everyone could see it and Viking immediately made him regret that decision. He simply asked that the thread be moved from public view. Viking can start his own thread and talk about MLM all he wants.

[Viking]

It wasn't deleted. The author of the thread (which was about the trip to Dallas) posted it where everyone could see it and Viking immediately made him regret that decision. He simply asked that the thread be moved from public view. Viking can start his own thread and talk about MLM all he wants.

Le secret des grandes fortunes sans cause apparente est un crime
oubli, parce qu'il a été proprement fait

[RobinFinderson]

It wasn't deleted. The author of the thread (which was about the trip to Dallas) posted it where everyone could see it and Viking immediately made him regret that decision. He simply asked that the thread be moved from public view. Viking can start his own thread and talk about MLM all he wants.

Got it. That makes sense. One thing that I appreciate about this board, compared to boards like CB (and to a lesser extent, CG), is that the choices of moderation can be openly discussed. Being able to discuss moderation/enforcement is a critical to the 'democratic process.'

[UtahDan]

Le secret des grandes fortunes sans cause apparente est un crime
oubli, parce qu'il a été proprement fait

I don't speak Italian.

[Jeff Lebowski]

The problem, Viking, is that the thread in question was simply a celebration by a long-time poster about his joyous day watching the epic BYU victory in Dallas. The jet ride was only a small part of the post and it in no way was a promotion of MLM's. Furthermore, we generally try to keep attacks on family off-limits. This is not a board rule, per se, just a commonly held philosophy in the community. So your attack in that thread was boorish and in incredibly poor taste. The fact that you still have not made that connection speaks volumes.

For the record, I hate MLM's too.

[Viking]

The problem, Viking, is that the thread in question was simply a celebration by a long-time poster about his joyous day watching the epic BYU victory in Dallas. The jet ride was only a small part of the post and it in no way was a promotion of MLM's. Furthermore, we generally try to keep attacks on family off-limits. This is not a board rule, per se, just a commonly held philosophy in the community. So your attack in that thread was boorish and in incredibly poor taste. The fact that you still have not made that connection speaks volumes.

For the record, I hate MLM's too.

Non sequitur alert.

This "community" routinely makes ad hominem attacks (your dudeness included) and stating that the thread was boorish because I attacked this poor, poor fellow who founded a MLM and his hapless, broken-hearted, long-time poster/nephew strikes me as logically inconsistent, now doesn't it?

Volumes generally don't speak.

[RobinFinderson]

The problem, Viking, is that the thread in question was simply a celebration by a long-time poster about his joyous day watching the epic BYU victory in Dallas. The jet ride was only a small part of the post and it in no way was a promotion of MLM's. Furthermore, we generally try to keep attacks on family off-limits. This is not a board rule, per se, just a commonly held philosophy in the community. So your attack in that thread was boorish and in incredibly poor taste. The fact that you still have not made that connection speaks volumes.

For the record, I hate MLM's too.

Wait, was the thread deleted or not? It was moved to the Speakeasy because of Viking's post? Viking's attack against MLM included personal attacks against a poster's family? The attacks were direct (i.e. person A is a piece of crap, because he engages in MLM vs. people who engage in MLM are either naive or morally bankrupt.)

Overall I have been pleased with the moderation that I have personally witnessed. It seems to be focused on cultivating a safe forum where individuals can respectfully post ideas without fear of disparaging personal attacks. I missed Viking's post and that thread, but Lebowski, you are contending that the post contained direct personal attacks against a person's family? Viking, is that the case?

[woot]

Volumes generally don't speak.

Who said they do?

[wuapinmon]

Why was a post about MLM deleted? That seems really bizarre.

It was not deleted. It was moved.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Wait, was the thread deleted or not? It was moved to the Speakeasy because of Viking's post? Viking's attack against MLM included personal attacks against a poster's family? The attacks were direct (i.e. person A is a piece of crap, because he engages in MLM vs. people who engage in MLM are either naive or morally bankrupt.)

Overall I have been pleased with the moderation that I have personally witnessed. It seems to be focused on cultivating a safe forum where individuals can respectfully post ideas without fear of disparaging personal attacks. I missed Viking's post and that thread, but Lebowski, you are contending that the post contained unfounded personal attacks against a person's family? Viking, is that the case?

Read UtahDan's post above. The thread was moved to the SE after a request was made by the person who started the thread.

We generally give the poster who started a thread extra consideration when he/she requests that a thread be deleted or moved. Unless there is a compelling reason not to do so, we typically honor the request.