The Ethics of Two Way Ignore

[FrogReaver]

I hate 2 way ignore at least as recommended here.

In a perfect enworld we would have 10,000 mods actively monitoring the board which would mostly resolve the need to ignore/block others.

But I get the practical infeasibility of that. As such ignore/block largely helps to reduce the need for tons of mods while keeping enworld a mostly happy place for each user. Note: tons of mods would also come with its own issues of mod consistency.

So I think it’s necessary and better than the practical alternatives, and sometimes it does serve a wholly good function.

 

[MNblockhead]

Even with 10,000 mods, I would still want ignore. The board is all ready well moded. It is very rare to see very offensive posts in EN World. The very few I've ignored had nothing to do with behavior that would get a moderator involved. I just wanted to clear out the noise of certain conversations that keep coming up across multiple threads that I was just tired of drowning out the conversations I was interested in reading.

 

[FrogReaver]

Even with 10,000 mods, I would still want ignore. The board is all ready well moded. It is very rare to see very offensive posts in EN World. The very few I've ignored had nothing to do with behavior that would get a moderator involved. I just wanted to clear out the noise of certain conversations that keep coming up across multiple threads that I was just tired of drowning out the conversations I was interested in reading.

IMO. If all you want to do is clear out noise then two way block is like using a sledge hammer when a hammer would have done. Its the only real option, but its really not the tool for that job.

 

[BookTenTiger]

I'm just confused why this thread keeps popping to the top of the page but I don't see anyone posting in it after the first post???

 

[Umbran]

IMO. If all you want to do is clear out noise then two way block is like using a sledge hammer when a hammer would have done. Its the only real option, but its really not the tool for that job.

Well, then you'll be happy to know that shutting of a subject, topic, or particular conversation is not the most common reason we are told folks use the feature.

The most common use has seemed to be that one finds a particular poster obnoxious or abrasive or otherwise not worth reading, in general, no matter the topic. For which the current function is actually pretty spot on.

 

[Gradine]

As a person for whom the internet is a legitimately dangerous place at times, I have found two-way blocking to be a safety measure. I still use Twitter, for instance; I've found a solid community there. But if they got rid of two-way blocking (as Elon threatened to do a while back) I would be gone in an instant and I would never look back.

Of course, that's much less of a concern here. Not a non-existent concern, but certainly a minimal one. I've recently gone on a purge of my block list and with only a few individuals have I actively regretted it and reversed course. Most of the things that would trigger a block from me would get a person disinvited from the boards. Anti-inclusivity stuff, mostly. Of course, the handful of sealions who know well enough to keep under the radar without earning the ire of the mods while also making their positions on such things crystal clear have earned their spot on my ignore list, and I will not be losing any sleep about their inability to see pretty much anything I post.

If it makes you feel better, I hate everyone. Even me. Especially me.

"If you can't hate yourself most of all what's even the point of hatred?" - Mama Snarf, presumably.

Anyway, I don't think that's there's any ethical issue with blocking people. Sometimes you need to take a break from certain people for your own mental health; sometimes you need a permanent vacation. It's all good.

I think it's definitely a good idea to be able to take a break from things when emotions flare. I try to do that less because I don't go back to curate my list particularly often, but it's advice I should probably follow more often than I do. And like you say, it doesn't need to be permanent at all. How many times have you blocked me over the years?

 

[FrogReaver]

Well, then you'll be happy to know that shutting of a subject, topic, or particular conversation is not the most common reason we are told folks use the feature.

I’m confused here. I was responding to a specific poster about their specific use case. I don’t know what this has to do with that.

The most common use has seemed to be that one finds a particular poster obnoxious or abrasive or otherwise not worth reading, in general, no matter the topic. For which the current function is actually pretty spot on.

Awesome. IMO - this lines up with my analysis in the post before the one you quoted. Why does it sound like you think you are disagreeing with me?

 

[Umbran]

I’m confused here. I was responding to a specific poster about their specific use case. I don’t know what this has to do with that.

I paraphrase..

He said: Use case.
You said: Use case is crud.
I said: If you think use case is crud, that's okay, because use case doesn't seem to be common anyway.

What's confusing about that?

Awesome. IMO - this lines up with my analysis in the post before the one you quoted. Why does it sound like you think you are disagreeing with me?

I dunno. I'd guess that how things sound to you probably has more to do with you than with me.

 

[Nightfly]

Why are there no posts in this thread?

EDIT: oops, I missed that that someone had already made this joke.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

I think it's definitely a good idea to be able to take a break from things when emotions flare. I try to do that less because I don't go back to curate my list particularly often, but it's advice I should probably follow more often than I do. And like you say, it doesn't need to be permanent at all. How many times have you blocked me over the years?

Quickly swallows list ....

I mean, I don't keep track!

Seriously, though, that's why (other than a select group of people on perma-ignore) I always say that I don't know if it's me, or them. It takes two people to get into an argument. And I've temporarily blocked people that I otherwise completely admire, because I know that I need a break. For whatever reason, the internet can bring out the worst in all of us (and I include myself among "us" for that), and I think that at a certain point it's best to shut my mouth and be considered a fool, than to continue angrily typing and remove all doubt.

After a bit of time, I always find that whatever seemed so pressing in the moment actually didn't matter at all. Weird, huh?