Rules & Policies

Consistency

Occasionally we're accused of being inconsistent in our moderation. To be honest, although we think we do a fairly good job most of the time, this accusation is sometimes justified. We deal with over 200 messages every single day and we can't hope to be unfailingly 100% consistent. If you look hard enough you will find inconsistencies. Sorry, that's just how it is.

Naturally we do try to be as consistent as possible. To this end we have put a huge effort into standardising the way we work, including the creation of the guidelines on the right. These enable us to apply the same rules to everyone.

Please be aware that there are sometimes good reasons to be deliberately inconsistent. When dealing with human interaction, not all situations can be covered by rigid rules and we reserve the right to bend the rules to suit the situation.

Consistency FAQ

Q: "Why was my message deleted when someone else was allowed to say something even worse?"
A: There could be any number of good reasons, but it doesn't actually mattter. We judge your message on it's own merits. As any logic student will tell you, there is no merit in the argument "but he did something worse than me".

Q: "Why do you allow some comments to stay whilst deleting others which are only marginally worse?"
A: We have to have a cut-off point somewhere. It's likely that you're referring to messages which straddle that point.

Q: "Why do you pick on me?"
A: We don't. Sorry to burst your bubble, but we simply don't pay that much attention to any individual user.

The Speed Limit Analogy

The speed limit, based on research and public opinion, is usually enforced at 110kph. In reality, 95kph may be unsafe in some circumstances whilst 115kph may be quite safe in others. However, in order to keep the law fair and workable, police apply the same speed limit across the board.

A motorist could argue "If I can travel at 109kph without getting a ticket, why do I get a ticket at 111kph when the difference is negligible?". The answer is obvious -- there must be a cut-off point somewhere and it happens to be 110kph.

In the same way, we must have a cut-off point at which messages are said to be unacceptable. If your message has been deleted because of a "borderline" comment, think of it like getting a speeding ticket at 111kph. It's not really unfair or bad luck -- you knew the speed limit when you set out on the road. Keep your speed to 100kph and the police will never bother you! Don't make borderline insults at The Race Cafe and the nasty old moderators won't bother you either!

A motorist could also argue "Why did I get a speeding ticket at 111kph when other people do 115kph and get away with it?" This answer is also clear -- it's unrealistic to expect police to enforce the limit with 100% consistency. They try their best but some minor variations are inevitable. There may also be extenuating circumstances of which you're unaware. In addition, just because someone else did something worse than you, this doesn't make what you did acceptable.

In the same way, we try our best to be consistent but it's unreasonable to expect us to get it right 100% of the time, and anyway, just because someone else has posted an insult doesn't mean that you should be allowed to. So please don't hassle us because you think some other message is worse than yours -- this argument doesn't hold water.

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