Is this... Is this normal moderator behavior?

IncrediPhiLL·5/17/2019, 8:27:54 PM·24 votes·14,134 views

I shared a link to what I have found to be an incredibly amazing interaction between a "Specialist" (Not sure the difference between a Specialist and a Moderator) as he/she attempts to discuss the meaning of "racist" language with other's on the boards page. I have never seen a moderator behave like this before. I don't think it's bad or anything, and I definitely think the "Specialist" is doing his/her best, but this just doesn't seem like the behavior a moderator should demonstrate XD

https://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/player-behavior-moderation/7pNB1nR3-wrongful-suspension-falsely-accused-of-racism

69 Comments

Soul Dealer5/17/2019, 8:48:26 PM14 votes

If your talking about rujitra then I would just ignore it. I have had multiple dealings with him in the past and nearly everytime he was not being a good person. I would ask him simple questions and he would start accusing me of things I had never done and when i posted chat logs he took everything he could in the logs out of context. He would claim that me asking “why would you play an immobile mage into talon?” Is harassment. Of all my interactions with him he only ever helped someone one time. My advice is just ignore him and move on.

4 Step Cadence5/17/2019, 8:34:05 PM14 votes

Specialists aren't mods.

Meet the Specialists! A new role and part of a new initiative to roll out some more community-focused changes, this title is intended for community members who have gone above and beyond in representing a specific sub-board. Importantly, not all Specialists are members of the Volunteer Team, and those that are Volunteer Team members will have the Specialist role as a secondary identifier. Instead, this title will be handed out as we identify excellent community members, and will appear with role identifier on that board only. You may see moderators with specific Specialist flair on certain sub-boards: this indicates a moderator with a specific focus on that board, and makes them a great resource and contact point for any questions or concerns you may have about that specific community or that specific topic.

Meteor Driz5/17/2019, 11:23:13 PM10 votes

Having read all the way through this post now I can say that this is appalling behavior from both Riot and this specialist.

It's discrimination.

forist5/18/2019, 12:23:27 AM8 votes

This is about par for the course. Mods/specialists that frequent the player behavior forum make me question the ethical standing of the entire mods team as a whole. I've had/seen discussions with this individual in particular and he has some very warped logic; however, this is just my own opinion.

Scuffed Funkynut5/18/2019, 1:09:19 AM8 votes

That specialist is quite... Special.. Some people just don't think Riot can do anything wrong, it's actually insane.

NanolyCannoli5/18/2019, 6:48:47 AM6 votes

wow read that entire log and man i can clearly say this rujitra guy has an "interesting" mindset that is most definitely not common... glad to see that "specialist" title revoked. as he clearly isnt one. (maybe she? i dunno the gender. hope im not being "sexist")

Necro Warrior875/18/2019, 2:59:09 AM6 votes

Yeah he obviously is very confused. "any of Y'all speak english" is literally just asking "Do any of you speak english?" It's a question, a legitimate one if you notice everyone on your team speaking Spanish/any other language. It's like saying "sprechen Sie Deutsch?" when I'm asking someone if they speak German, It's a question, Not an insult.

IncrediPhiLL5/17/2019, 9:38:45 PM6 votes

I mainly refer to this bizarre explanation of how the op’s primary complaint could have been said better...

“Words themselves have no meaning. Words are merely collections of shapes (letters) that convey meaning only because we give them meaning. However, communication would not work if we just threw words together. We have invented classes of words that have different uses - verbs communicate actions, nouns communicate things, adjectives describe features of a particular "thing", etc. We've gone even further, however, and come to a mutual understanding as society over thousands of years that words are not just used to define their definition, but that words convey tone as well. As an example, the two following messages convey a very different tone, even though the message is the same:

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate.

versus

You're hot and pretty, but tempered and enjoyable.

One sounds very eloquent, very "flowing", and very complimentary. The other, while conveying the same message, sounds businesslike, cold, and forced.

Likewise, while the words were "do yall speak any english", there are multiple things that cause it to have a negative, racist tone. The use of the word "any" here is unnecessary. The use of that word implies two things - that they do not speak any english (else it would be unnecessary to put that in), as well as that the fact they don't speak it is bad. Think of it like this - when someone in real life says "could you be ANY more annoying", they're not really asking you could you be annoying - they're telling you that you're being annoying. That is the tone of that message. If that was not the intended tone, then the OP should choose their words more carefully next time.

The other message which says "if only... actually spoke..." is two more phrases with a very negative connotation. Even the phrase you "literally" translated it into (hint: you misused the word literally there) is negative - "i wish i could" in this instance is a defeatist, negative, and frankly "calling out" type phrase.

If the OP had said "I can't understand what you're saying" there would be no problem. The OP did so by belittling the language they were speaking at multiple instances, then getting into an argument the entire game over it. Not acceptable, period.”

IncrediPhiLL5/18/2019, 2:17:18 AM4 votes

Here is a problem I have. This thread has been active for 6 hours, has gotten some attention, but still no moderator addressing the behavior in a positive or negative way. We are encouraged to address problems with moderators, heralds, specialists, and all of those other responsibilities here, but we don't seem to be getting anywhere.

There is also zero moderator activity on the post that I linked above, which is actually a relatively controversial post of wrongful player banning and questionable behavior by an appointed "specialist"... and the moderators just sit it out.

I think we deserve some moderator comments and activity to get to the bottom of all this... as I understand that is the purpose of these boards.

Maybe I'm not being patient enough and they need more time. I'm just genuinely curious about this whole situation. It's a mess.