We shouldn't do it that way, and I am guilty of doing it too. That being said, no one except the mods and staff see the build up to the locks, bans, infractions, etc.
Usually, while two or more members are battling it out, we are discussing it. "Let it ride", "Lock it down"...."warn them both", "warn them all"....We cover the spectrum, so when the fan is finally hit, usually we've been letting it roll HOPING some adult discussion will seize the day.
Instead, it invariably goes downhill, and quickly. We get a snap reaction. The truly professional thing to do would have been to lock the thread upon the very first transgression of the rules, warn the adult males to stop breaking our rules, and move along. That professional response is met with threads talking about heavy-handed moderation, assholes closing threads when we are just talking, etc.
I have a novel idea for everyone:
Start being the moderator of any thread you are participating within. Moderate yourself. Adhere to our rules to the letter. Don't push the envelope. Instruct others about the content of our rules, and how the content in the thread may be running counter to those. Use the report button, and extricate yourself from the thread, if necessary.
"I'm not saying I invented the turtleneck. But I was the first person to realize its potential as a tactical garment. The tactical turtleneck! The... tactleneck! - Sterling Archer"
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"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important
than one's fear. The timid presume it is lack of fear that allows the brave to act when the timid do not."
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