37 ms·

So are you actually a mod, or do just act like you are one? I'm not trying to be snarky, I'm not sure if I missed an announcement.

• grzm 10y ago
  Nope. I'm not a mod. As for acting like I am one, if someone's got a question, I've been trying to answer it, or if a thread is potentially heading off into a flame war, I've tried to address it in a straightforward manner. I think that's part of the community's role as a whole, not just the mods'. Figuring out how to do that in a way that doesn't increase tensions is important, and takes practice, especially if you're in the middle of a discussion and are perceived as being on the "other side". And doing it in a way that comes across well. That's why I wanted 'Hydraulix989 to provide any pointers. I was glad to see that 'adrienne heard what I was saying with the intent I had. There's a lot of intelligent people on HN who have a variety of different ideas, and being able to discuss the more contentious ones, especially online, takes extra effort on the part of everyone. I can see how some of my interactions can appear as acting like I'm a mod. It's rooted in a very real concern about how fraught discourse is in the US right now. I personally want to learn how to have meaningful conversations with people who don't necessarily hold all of the same beliefs I do. Anyway, that's that.