((((((((((LMo))))))))))

I appreciate that it is a really really really really really hard job to do and that the moderators take the responsibility very seriously and don't make snap decisions on a whim.

Really I do.

I understand that quite often it might feel like one is caught between a rock and a hard place where you are accused of being unfair by x if you make this decision and you are accused of being unfair by y if you make this other decision etc etc etc.

There does come a point where you just have to go 'Enough!' and refocus on moving forward.

Please don't take this discussion personally. Please, please, please, please, please. It would be really very unfortunate if this discussion turned that way.

It would help if people could focus on moving towards an ideal rather than focusing on how the current state of affairs alledgedly falls short of it.

If you are finding this discussion to be getting to you then... You might profit from not reading it. I don't see any reason at all why you should be obliged to read it. I don't think that your position as a moderator means that you are obliged to read it even less to respond to it. But that being said I'm glad you did because hopefully it will help us to remember that moderators are people with feelings just like the rest of us.

Algorithm... I've wondered a lot about whether there could be a blocking algorithm. Then when I despaired at that I wondered whether one could make a neural net and apply learning algorithms to adjust the weightings (so it could learn) to make moderator judgements. You know... The latter might well be possible (given a grunty enough computer and enough people to develop the program etc etc) but it would only be as good as the current system anyway (because you need to decide whether it has made a correct verdict or not in order to assess whether you adjust the weightings or not).

If there were prejudices towards sanctioning a certain person (for example) and I am NOT AT ALL suggesting that happens here, but *hypothetically* IF THERE WERE then the program would acquire that bias too...

But...

The program wouldn't have hurt feelings if we disagreed, I guess

:-)