Moderators Shut Down Popular Thread: Who Whined & Why?

[John1574]

::::;;::::

Eliz's thread about "Constant Complaints" was apparently closed-down by Lizzie this afternoon just when many contributors were beginning to enjoy themselves and have fun on the forum.  Is fun now not allowed? 

Best thread ever!  Susan from Dublin said as did a few others. Who whined?

Could it be that Lizzie caved to complaints from some of the posters that took umbrage with Eliz's post and the direction the thread took? 

Was Lizzie bombarded by PM's complaining about the thread? You can read back and find the posts where members wrote that they can't believe Lizzie did not step in to what . . . stop the carnage, salve the bruised egos that took the thread down the Overwrought Road.  Lol

This is what Lizzie said, "Thank you for your time and I think we have slightly exhausted this discussion here, so I am going to close this now. "

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/Airbnb-Hosts-constant-complaints/m-p/732384#M172672

Lizzie also said in the same post, this:  "As I have mentioned before, we all have the power to mould and create the great conversations we have here, so I encourage you to start some great topics that you feel passionate about."

I feel passionate about censorship.  I don't like it.

What about the posters who were enjoying the thread and felt passionately about it?  Ute and others were trying to maintain the thread and let it morph into what it would become given time.  Read Ute's comments on page seven.

Lizzie used a lot of words just to get to her point: she was shutting down the thread.

WelI, I hope Lizzie uses a few words here to explain to the posters who wer enjoying contributing to the thread and obviousely, vocally, did not want it to end.  What led to her decision?  Did some members complain? Will wee be seeing other threads shut down as well if someone complains.  Under which policy did she close it?  What terms or conditions did it violate?

This is what Rebbecca wrote a few day ago on the thread in question:

"To Lizzie and all the mods: I am surprised Elizabeth's attacks on me are being allowed to stand, and no intervention has been forthcoming. This gives me much to think about in regard to whether I will choose to continue participating in these forums. Very disappointing. Even ironic, given I am the host featured in the current Community Spotlight. Life is full of surprises, and so are these forums. And not always the good kind."

Truly, truly this is a pathetic attempt to throttle voices at the request of other voices.

Join the discussion.

[John1574]

:::;;:::

For those who don't know, this is the original, short post that began the thread that Lizzie shut down.

I dont know about you, but I get pretty upset every time I read a host post complaining, accusing, criticising, disregarding, deploring the Airbnb platform. I know things dont always go well for everyone and/or everytime, but if you as a host are really unhappy, please leave, leave now. Stop making your own life miserable. And I am not talking about hosts sharing some of their bad experiences here looking for some kind of support from the other hosts. I am talking about the ones who cant wait to have the opportunity to trash over Airbnb when replying some of those posts.

I myself have experienced the ups and downs that comes from hosting with Airbnb. I still dread it when a new guest comes into my own home, hoping all works out for both parties. The best thing I get out of it is the money coming into my bank account every single Monday. So, I am pleased!!

This mini-compllaint started all the tears-a-flowing and hands-a-wringing!  OMG!

Talk about being thin-skinned.  Read the entire thread for some good entertainment.

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/Airbnb-Hosts-constant-complaints/m-p/732384#M172672

ARE YOU SERIOUS!

[Elizabeth429]

John,

You are a superstar! I didnt get the change to Thank You properly and many others for all the support I received. Thank you Robin,  Diane and Silvani. Thank you for speaking up. I know many other hosts didnt do it because they were probably afraid of the negative outcome if they publicly supported my post, yes my post. Thanks for the thumbs up!

Have you noticed that some posts in the forum start with lines such as " Please be gentle with me, I am new to Airbnb", I am a new host, so please be patient", "I know this is a ridiculous question, but anyway here I go". Good genuine hosts are scared of becoming the new target and be easily attack and mistreated.

How many people round the world are registered with Airbnb as hosts and guests? Please help me out here, I could not find that information. I assume there are millions. And to think that only a handful of them are the ones running the show and calling the shots, is quite disheartening.  I wish to see more and more guests and hosts changing that in the near future.

Yesterday, I was very busy saying good bye to my last host, "a young woman from Mexico who saves fetus life during the pregnancy period"; and preparing the place for the new one, a young Italian man living in Frankfurt coming to Madrid to give a talk at a university here in the city. Isnt culture and diversity wonderful? Inst being cultured a unique thing!?! I believe some of "those" hosts probably dont even know what being a cultured person actually means. Oh well, hopefully they will eventually find out.

Psychology and immature behaviour. Interesting subject.  People tend to get easily mad and may impulsively blurt out tactless, blame others for their mishaps, compulsive lying, constant bullying, bending the rules to fill their own interests, engaging in primitive defense by saying "I didnt say that!" instead of apologising.

As for Lizzie, bless her. She was trying to do the job she is paid for.  I dont think Lizzie was the only one being bombarded with emails. Many other hosts were pushed to enter the forum and one sided their opinion like robots.

Hope to keep reading you somehow. I love reading Robin, such a wise man!

Cheers!!

[John1574]

@Elizabeth429

 In the words of the great Smoky Robinson:  I second that emotion. 

[John1574]

 @Elizabeth, @John, @Diego, @Emilia, @Sarah, @Emiel, @Rebecca, @Maya, @J Renato, @Robin, @Jessica & Henry, @Rosemarie, @Cathie, @David, @Diane, @Ian, @Cormac, @David, @Letitia, @Willow, @Fred, @John, @Silvani, @Jess, @Tueykay, @Sandra, @Christine, @Sunny & Jeff, @Alexandra, @Susan, @Sean, @Marie, @Ute, @Emily, @Manasui

Uh oh, it is so great to be able to tag again.

Thanks for the real good post, Eliz, this is the first time I’ve had to respond properly.  But I agree with you on most all of it, and it made me think about the scheme to get your thread removed.  There really was nothing controversial about it, and the thread had morphed into something many of us enjoyed.

Yes, I thought about the thread that was shut down by the moderator quite a bit over the last few days but have been so busy AirBnBeing that I haven’t had time to comment.

But my thoughts led me to this:  what kind of person (or persons) nags and nags at a moderator to shut down free speech because they/she/he was offended –what type of person does that?

Now I don’t usually read people’s profile but I was curious after reading this quote several times.

[Content hidden]

Now, I’m not a psychologist but I did play one on TV once, and I was married to one with a PHD and a Post-Doc from Harvard – but that’s a misadventure for another time.

I noticed on the thread that was shut down all kinds of people were freely throwing around the psychological N-word, NARCISSISM.  Not a good trait to have and hard to rein in yourself.  I’ve been called a narcissist myself by a half-baked pseudo-therapist full of Don Juan wisdom from the nether regions simply because I disagreed with her approach – I fired her.  Woo woo!

Anyway, if you want to know, what kind of person . . . start by looking at their profiles.

It is Elizabeth’s contention that many others conspired to halt the thread and limit our free speech, and I would not be surprised if she was absolutely correct.

Still, it is interesting to speculate about who, among us, on the forum, is willing to conspire to take down a thread and limit the free speech of others simply because they don’t like it or felt offended.

I wonder if we can take this thread in several directions at once as Ute suggested and keep a fun interesting read going.  Or will the fascists-wannabees shut us down again?  For what? Telling the truth? 

I vote for fun. Let it run.

To that effect I’d like to introduce you to my cat Ulysses.  Uly burst onto the scene from a woodpile in my backyard at about 10 days old, 15 years ago, meowing for food and he hasn’t stopped since.  He’s a very savvy indoor/outdoor cat and thinks he’s a Big Cat, like a lion or tiger, and he is well known for stalking around the neighborhood keeping mice infestations at bay.

No he doesn’t really look quite like that: that was when I was into iphoneography and used apps like Snapseed to alter my pics and give them a more interesting cast.  I still do that when time permits.

Anyway, heeeeeeeres Uly!  Hallelujah, we love him so!

[Robin4]

@John1574

Mate....mate....mate, please try not to over analyse things here. 

For some dumb reason l think we have a great forum....and I can speak from experience, I am involved in a few of them, from 'Whirlpool' to 'Quora'! Here is one I posted on Quora today.....

https://www.quora.com/Why-are-people-still-using-Airbnb-when-the-rates-are-almost-the-same-like-hote...

John, you and I, we are alike, we want to help others. It's my bet that you have thought of others ahead of yourself all your life. The cards are not always going to fall the way we would like them to but, there is a time to let the dust settle on any discussion because, prolonging it starts to promote aggravation!

Mate I am thankful we have got our shortcuts back, I am thankful I can post a screenshot, I just want to get on with the business of being a host and part-time helper of others.

If a thread got shut down, no problem there is another 51 cards in the deck! 

Cheers.....Rob

[Rebecca181]

John:  I did not have the post shut down. I did not PM Lizzie or any mods to "nag" them to shut down the post. Lizzie knows that I did not do any of these things you imply. I have no way to prove this, or defend myself from this implication you persist on making, nor your analysis of my personality based on my profile, etc. So there's nothing more for me to say. Perhaps all those you tagged will have more to contribute. 

[Emily352]

My favorite TV show. The sit-com follows the story and adventures of a woman called Eliz. In the last episode of "AIRBNB hosts constant complaints". Could it be that Lizzie caved to complaints from some of the posters that took umbrage with Eliz's post and the direction the thread took? Was Lizzie bombarded by PM's complaining about the thread? Who whined and why? End of the first season. Stay on NETFLIX.

[Diego313]

@Emily352

Elizabeth is running for a Golden Globe Award: "Best actress in a TV comedy".

[John1574]

@Rebecca181  @Emily352

Rebecca, thanks for clearing that up.  My assumption was based on what you wrote on the thread in the quote I pulled.  I guess it was a false assumption based on the available evidence.  I take your word that you did not lead the charge to get it removed. But someone or some people did.

It's an ugly thing censoring free speech.  Especially in this day and age  of post-truth politics and illiberal Democracies and totalitarian regimes around the world cracking down on dissent and free speech.  It’s chilling and fear inducing.

If you don’t think it’s chilling, note the number of views this thread has received (150+) versus the number of comments made: very few comments.

I don’t think it was a well thought out move by either the whiners or Lizzie, but now we are stuck with the fact.

As for your profile and mental make-up, when you put up a profile like that some people will be impressed and some people will be taken aback by it.  We put ourselves out there for people to see who we are.

I try not to take these forums too seriously, not lecture people and not get overwrought over things people write.  There are some crazy thread titles right now and people asking some ridiculous questions so it’s both an entertaining and enlightening view into the human condition.

Perhaps someone will come clean and confess to working behind the scenes to shut down the thread.

Whoever did it, this is what they accomplished: they illustrated the law of unintended consequences.

You might as well play wack-a-mole or herd cats than try to shut down free speech.

 Tune in for Who Whined & Why, coming soon to a forum near you. Lol

Now, I have a photo-op to share.  We call this Orange on Red.  Everywhere you look in our house there is a composition waiting to happen.  Between Uly and  Penepelope (cats), and Diomedes (dog) there are photo ops galore.  The cuteness just gets to be too much sometimes!  Lol 

Orange on Red

[Mariann4]

Wow... I'm not sure what I'm just witnessing...? People being characterized because of their profile text? Really?? Who are we to tell anyone what to write about themselves?? If anything, by stating this, someone is doing excactly the same as the complaint is about: narrowing down someones freedom of speech. I have to say I am deeply puzzled!

As for the free speach... It doesn't mean you can say whatever you want whereever you want and not be stopped/challenged. It means you can say whatever you want whereever without being prosecuted/harrassed/attacked violently etc. After all this is a corporate page with private owners. They can do as they like in their own foras.

I'm sure I just put my hand in a peppery (is this the correct word for the wasp house?), but I'm really sad to see what you have to handle in this thread and the one mentioned @Rebecca181! Thank you for trying @Robin4.

Can we not just try to keep it civil in here??

Mariann 🙂

[John1574]

@Mariann4

Hi Mariann, thanks for adding to the discussion.

You wrote:  "People being characterized because of their profile text? Really?? Who are we to tell anyone what to write about themselves?? If anything, by stating this, someone is doing excactly the same as the complaint is about: narrowing down someones freedom of speech. I have to say I am deeply puzzled!"

Let me help with the puzzle:  no one, at least not I, is telling people what to write on their profile -- people characterize themselves on their profile, how they want the world to see them.  They are free to do that.  People who read that profile are free to draw their conclusions from what they read.  But the characterization is made by the writer of the profile.

Commenting on a a profile is appropriate in the context of this discussion where someone complained about the moderators not acting to curb a rather harmless thread.  Then the thread is blocked. And the question  I asked is "What kind of person does that?"

And you write:  After all this is a corporate page with private owners. They can do as they like in their own foras.

Theirin lies one of the problems people have with AirBnB:  they seem to do what they want whenever they want and the forums are full of threads that illustrate this point.  I maintain that AirBnB has a take it or leave it approach, and you seem to be in agreement.  I think it was a mistake to suddenly  and arbitrarily shut down an interesting thread that people seemed to enjoy and was instructive.  Perhaps you think it was a good move, but I would disagree with that, but the result is that we are having a productive discussion of the issue.  Isn't that a good thing?

I think this thread is a perfectly civil discussion about how a thread was blocked and why, and I hope it stays civil.

The discussion is now text heavy, between the Constant Complaints thread and this one and it requires much reading to understand and put in context what has taken place.  I hope people who weigh in with their opinion have done the reading and know the full context of what is being discussed here.

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/Airbnb-Hosts-constant-complaints/m-p/732384#M172672

At the risk of repeating myself ad infinitum, because the moderator shut down the above thread, without an adequate explanation, ie, why, were there complaints, did it violate some policy, people are bound to wonder who, what, and why, in lightof the thread being arbitrarily shut down.

I also think it's possible for a thread to veer in different directions while juggling multiple topics.

And it's possible to have fun.

Thanks for the word, "peppery"  --  I assure you that I will not sting you.

There are many threads to contribute to and this one, I hope, is for people who are interested in and knowledgeble of the topic raised.

Thanks for your perspective.

[Mariann4]

@John1574....

You keep on characterizing people, adding personal characteristics to people completely out of your own mind. This time I'm your person of interest. I won't play your biased game...

Mariann

[John1574]

@Mariann4  That strikes me as being uncivil.  As well as untrue. You have the ability to pull quotes from what I wrote to prove your point rather than make vague accusations without examples to illustrate your point.

I take it you disagree with me.

Thanks for accusing me of playing "biased games" I disagree with you on that, and I tried to explain to you the context of what I wrote and why I wrote it.

Let's try to keep it civil.  We can do that and still disagree.

[Willow3]

"If you don’t think it’s chilling, note the number of views this thread has received (150+) versus the number of comments made: very few comments."

I don't think you can assertain from views vs posts how people feel or think about a topic.  I read a lot of things that I simply have nothing of value to add... so I move along.  Sometimes I come back to see what others may have added to the conversation and maybe now have something of value myself.  

Posting or not posting is not always an indicator of agreement/disagreement.  Often times I will in essence agree with a post (here for example - I dislike censureship) but don't feel like there is any point in stirring a pot.  Maybe others relish drama and online excitement in their lives... but I have enough real life drama that I don't go looking for more.  Usually.  

And for no specific reason - my children pretending to be trapped in phone boxes -  nearly 10 years ago.