Ramble on

Most if the time it's a judgment call and most of the time it's well made (IMHO). However, how often should a judgment call be "correct"? "Most of the time" doesn't cut it, because at 50% the level of judgment would be equal to a flip of a coin. What would be a perfect score in exercising judgement when there has to be room for legitimate differences? I don't know. That percentage less the true percentage would equal the amount of bias in the moderating.

I think it is guaranteed that there is some level of bias inherent in the process.

The bias could be issue basis or it could be bias against the personality. I can't think of any others.

'If you don't agree with me you're a complete idiot' is an extraordinarily common approach around here, as is the more simple "you're a complete idiot."

CarolC has endured an extraordinary level of "you're a complete idiot" thrown her way. Mostly it is because of bias against her positions on substantive issues. There's more, though, because she is a lightning rod for controversy. I have a guess, not much more than that, that the analogy is not "flies to honey," but something closer to enraged bees. That is, a cluster of them form around her on the issue, already agitated, then something about the exchange enrages them. My guess is that the aggravation arises because she will parse their words, unflinchingly, unfailingly and interminably.

I only mention this arcane theory because I don't feel like working the unique retrictions placed on her suggest that The Moderator may have come up with a similar theory.

So imagine you are Carol. You never, ever use the complete idiot allegation, yet you have been stifled, even after being called a complete idiot ad nauseum. Add to that the fact there are "beloved" posters who can pull that crap a lot, and, worse, the sad but unacnowledged truth t that there are sycopants around here, who also do that directly at her.

It's a tough one when you are a moderator who has to clean up the crap over and over and over again. But someone went through the trouble to craft a compromise for Carol.

Maybe just maybe I don't know but Carol maybe you should have altered (and still can) something in the technical approach, without compromising on substance.

Ramble off.