I can only assume they value misinformation and trolling as a means of driving “engagement”. As long as lots of us post/argue, they don’t care.
My initial assumption was to give the MR mods the benefit of the doubt and assume that overall forum message volume was too high for them to follow beyond cursory examination, so they were simply ignorant of the details, hence falling for subtle yet persistent troll gimmicks. That can't be the case at this point, nobody is this dense, so it must be an intentional act to drive up views. Pattern recognition alone, with one individual being responsible for at least a dozen banishings should have been clue enough, yet the situation has gone unmoderated for years. Logic and reason only matter when truth is paramount, but emotion and discord make money.
I am surprised someone who prefers Windows and dislikes Apple would find it worthwhile to spend long enough there to become a mod, unless the purpose of mods there is…
While I don't know all of the details, the mod in question appears to have been a once dedicated Apple user who decided that the "Apple tax" wasn't worth paying, switched en masse to Microsoft and PC solutions, yet still wants to be a principle moderator for a high-volume Apple-centric forum. When not championing straw men and defending hucksters and vagabonds, they never miss an opportunity to slander those they see as Apple apologists. The only time this particular mod liked one of my posts was when I criticized something that Rene Ritchie said during a softball interview with an Apple executive. While I like Rene, I described his query as clearly sycophantic, and the MR mod was most agreeable with that assessment. They are well-versed in the language of all things Apple, but are decidedly pro-PC and have no interest in going back. Considering this individual is a senior mod and been with MR for many years, everyone will defer to them, and I don't expect anything to change. It's very much a passive form of bias; the bombast of the trolls get all of the heat, while the mod can keep a thin air of impartiality.
It would be like a political party's propaganda officer quietly switching sides to the opposition, yet still keeping the keys to their old party's treasury. They know where the bodies are buried and will use that to subtly promote their own cause from the inside, while hurting their former compatriots whenever possible, meanwhile avoiding all blame because the other rabble-rousers are much louder. I think this may explain why one shamelessly pro-PC troll was heavily protected, despite blatant signs of antagonism; meanwhile, good-intentioned quality members, such as yourself and others here, were tossed into the virtual gulag. Thankfully, many were able to regain footing here, and continue to contribute to the community in a constructive manner, now that we can avail ourselves of this positive environment.
calvinandhobbes.fandom.com
