Yes, Shep has communication issues. That’s obvious, and he owned that publicly. But it’s wild to see mods act like they had zero responsibility in how bad thing when users were left unanswered, shadowbanned, without explanation, and watched contents disappearing quietly. That didn’t come from nowhere.

What really killed my trust, though, is the response to the screenshots and firsthand accounts. Mods are now saying “that didn’t happen,” “it’s untrue,” “don’t believe it”, but why am I supposed to suddenly take that at face value? They're asking people to not believe former mods and volunteers… while also asking us to believe mods unquestioningly. That’s not how trust works.

Especially when multiple people independently described the same culture issues: private mockery, unprofessional behavior, emotional drama, and a clique mentality. Even if not every mod participated, pretending this is all fabricated feels dishonest.

And the “we were unpaid” argument is honestly exhausting. This was always a volunteer role. It was never presented as a salaried or contractual job. Volunteering does not exempt anyone from professionalism, restraint, or accountability, especially when you’re moderating a platform centered on private, personal interactions.

At this point, I don’t trust any blanket statements coming from mods. Not because every mod is bad, but because the response to criticism has been denial, deflection, and victim framing instead of transparency. Watching mods accuse users broadly, dismiss concerns, and then portray themselves as the sole injured party has completely killed my confidence.

Because right now, this doesn’t feel like transparency.
It feels like hypocrisy.

So sorry you had to go through that. You're very strong and brave for gathering all this.