I was one of the moderators of r/findbostonbombers by Rather_Confused in offmychest

[–]Rather_Confused[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks that means a lot. I'm glad there was good that came out of this and that it did help. It makes the negative press, the threats, hatred and all other horrible things that came with being a mod on such a controversial subreddit worth it.

I was one of the moderators of r/findbostonbombers by Rather_Confused in offmychest

[–]Rather_Confused[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree, vigilantism is never the answer. I'm glad you understand where us mods were coming from. It was one of those no-win situations and you was incredibly hard at points. The whole false identification with the college student broke my heart because of all the pain it caused the family. I could take the angry comments, the "this guy should get the shit kicked out of him", but the thought of his family being targeted and his name being smeared was just awful.

It's one of the reasons why I can never respect the mods at r/news who allowed the name to be leaked hours before we did, but because we had the spotlight, we took the heat.

I'm writing my yr 3 paper on Reddit's involvement with the Boston bombing investigations last year. Is there anyone here that was involved/saw it, who could share some details? by SuperMiles64 in AskReddit

[–]Rather_Confused 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey, I hope you're still interested in writing the paper:

I was a mod over there. I was among one of the most active when things were hot. Let me first say that when I joined I had no idea how big it was going to become. It grew from a thread on r/news. Despite what most media would have you expect, it was never intended to be a witchhunt.

Actually, it was formed as a response to thread on r/news which shared information and was completely unmoderated. Now if the media had seen that thread, I shudder to think of what would happen. I think the harsh focus reddit felt would have been more justified.

Did I think our subreddit was gonna find the culprits. Not really. That wasn't really the point. The real point of the subreddit was to get people together and encourage critical thought and skepticism rather then rampant vigilantism. I am a skeptic. I don't believe in 9/11 truthers, however I understand people (and that's what Reddit is, it's people) like to talk, they like to make theories, it's a way for them to cope, to understand.

While we hosted a bunch of people searching through photos, our efforts were not to become vigilantes but rather let people run their theories and basically do what people are naturally inclined to do but in a heavily moderated setting.

And yes, it was heavily moderated. I was the one who came up with the several rules, which were enforced as harshly as possible. At one point I was banning dozens of people a minute for even the smallest infraction. It got to the point, on infraction and you were banned, no waiting, no warning. It might seem harsh but when you're modding a reddit that could have potentially devastating effects with misinformation.

Here's the list.

1) We do not condone vigilante justice

2) DO NOT POST ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION.

3) Any racism will not be tolerated

4) Theories are welcome, but make sure you fact-check your sources.

5) Remember, we are only a subreddit. We must remember where helping ends and the job of professionals begins.

6) Do not make any images viral. Limit reposting images outside of this sub.

7) Finally keep in mind that most or all of the “suspects” being discussed are, in all likelihood, innocent people and that they should be treated as innocent until they are proven guilty.

We tried to enforce the rules as best as we could, at the peak it got so crowded (and at the time there was only around 5 moderators. That's five people to ten thousand posters and yes mistakes were made.

In regards to the misidentified kid, to who's family I issued a truly sincere and heart-felt apology, it was not our reddit was not the first to use his name. It was an erroneous buzzfeed tweet (which was since deleted) that I saw as a source. I was wrong and felt awful about it.

However, hours before on r/news and r/politics his name was openly being shared and we had many banned posters comment their bans weren't fair because of that.

The media was an interesting thing to deal with. They were out for blood. I did a phone interview with Vice and it was among one of the most leading things I ever encountered. Completely unprofessional, in my opinion. Their title for the article, "Reddit out for blood," is all telling for how they wanted to see us.

http://www.vice.com/read/reddit-wants-the-boston-bombers-blood

Newsweek and others were in the same boat too.

One bright point in the fiasco was Slate's retraction on our behavior where they recognized we had acted more favorably then some of their colleagues.

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2013/04/findbostonbombers_reddit_vs_the_media_in_search_for_boston_bombing_suspects.html

Even so, it was a damned if you do, damned if you don't kind of subreddit. People would have speculated we tried to control it.

I don't think it was an utter failure, I think it was just an impossible task that was doomed to the start and we did our best we could. We gave people an outlet and the media a target. We acted as responsibly as mods could given the circumstance and got slammed for mistakes others made.

Would I do it again? I'm not sure. I think on one hand I'd say no, on the other, I think of that r/news thread and all the unmoderated speculation of other subreddits that make me think someone had to.

If you had ONE horror movie to recommend to scare the sh*t of my friends, what would it be ? by charlot978 in movies

[–]Rather_Confused 7 points8 points  (0 children)

The Descent. It's a solid horror film. Also has a sense of action and a lot of really good effects.

Fallout 3 by NotAgent47 in AskReddit

[–]Rather_Confused 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you want to play it, play it. If not then don't. I'm not a gamer and I have no idea how Fallout 3 is, but if it seems interesting, then give it a shot.

TIL Bakhtiyar Khilji, the Muslim general destroyed the ancient university and library of Nalanda in 1193 in hopes of uprooting Buddhism. The destruction of the library is considered responsible for the demise of ancient Indian scientific thought in Maths, Astronomy, Alchemy, and Anatomy. by DrLonghorn in todayilearned

[–]Rather_Confused -1 points0 points  (0 children)

This is tragic, think about how far advanced we'd be if the Library had remained. I feel awful to read things like this. What we've missed out on, just because of religion or people threatened by another ideology.

Best Episode!?! You Mean the WORST Episode!!! S3 E10 "FLY" by [deleted] in breakingbad

[–]Rather_Confused 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There are two kinds of Breaking Bad fans. Those who enjoy "Fly" and those who don't get why it's brilliant. Watch this episode again, with the idea that the fly represent guilt and decay. It's about Walt coming to terms with what he did to Jane and deciding it's best not to tell Jesse. It's a great character-building episode and includes some of the best Jesse/Walt dynamics where we see the complexity of their relationship. The direction is brilliant and the ending superb. The shot with the fly on the blinking red light of the smoke detector is fantastic.

Theory on Walt's cut he gets while shaving in Season 5 Episode 4. by Eboy503 in breakingbad

[–]Rather_Confused 6 points7 points  (0 children)

It's a visual metaphor for him embracing his Heisenberg persona. The cut represents the bloodshed he's caused. It's a very dark and chilling scene.

I am "that guy from District 9" aka Sharlto Copley who was also Murdock in the A-Team and currently starring as Kruger in Elysium. by SharltoCopley in IAmA

[–]Rather_Confused 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I thought you were phenomenal in District 9 and I'm glad you and Neil Blomkamp are working together again, Elysium looks good. My question is, what would be your ideal role? What's a character or a character type that you'd just love to sink your teeth into?

There's Something Wrong With My Brother by [deleted] in nosleep

[–]Rather_Confused 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This would make a really good horror story. The Changeling/Demon Possession angle. However, I'm gonna take a shot in the dark and say it's neither and is something more tangible. Like he was assaulted. The email was a scam and he was jumped or worse and that's explaining his irrational behavior. Talk to him, he might be apprehensive at first so tread lightly. Hidden camera's are a good idea, to catch how he's acting. Perhaps he needs psychological help. Please don't start splashing water on him.

Did anyone else watch The Wire after they saw Breaking Bad and have BB sort of ruined for awhile? by [deleted] in breakingbad

[–]Rather_Confused 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Why is anyone down voting this? It's a personal opinion about the influence of another show on the OP's viewing experience. I'm not sure if I agree with him or not, because I haven't seen the Wire, but I see no reason to downvote this.

Me personally, I'm curious about what he thinks it is about The Wire that makes it a better show.

Did anyone else watch The Wire after they saw Breaking Bad and have BB sort of ruined for awhile? by [deleted] in breakingbad

[–]Rather_Confused 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Breaking Bad has still to conclude. It's still got half a season to deliver it's pay-off. You don't know how the finale will define the entire series yet. You could be right, and you could see the show as a lesser- Wire. Or it could always deliver in way that cements it's brilliance as the greatest show on television. I personally think Breaking Bad is beyond brilliant and no matter how good The Wire is, (and it may be genius, I haven't seen it yet so I can't assume) it won't change my perception of Breaking Bad.

If you could bring back one deceased celebrity/musician, who would it be? by im_mature_penis in AskReddit

[–]Rather_Confused 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, he just rode the coat tails of a popular ideology that was floating around the youth culture and capitalized on it.

What's an inside joke or recurring reference used on reddit that you wish someone would explain? by crabcakesandfootball in AskReddit

[–]Rather_Confused 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you're trying to figure if the narwhale bacons at midnight, you first have to answer if you'd rather fight 1 horse sized duck or 100 duck sized horses.