Forum Moderators their part in my downfall !

Over the last five years I have known more than a few forum moderators. They have varied in their knowledge and ability greatly. From highly experienced long term diabetics with great skill and knowledge, to complete buffoons. From fair minded people with a sense of humour, to Stalinist dictators. From honest people working unpaid and giving up their free time, to power drunk foul mouthed dishonest liars. Forum moderating can be a thankless task, and unfortunately, good moderators are a very rare commodity.

Good forum mods are very much like a good football referee. They can make quick judgement calls, and don’t ruin the run of the play, for minor or petty rule infringements. They allow the game to flow, sure for serious infringements to the rules or laws of the game, they know they must blow the whistle. A good referee knows he cannot interpret the rules to suit his personal agenda, nor can he act in a dishonest or corrupt way. The good referee knows the game and the players are what the crowd has come to see, and he is only there to ensure fair play. Unfortunately many forum mods are very poor referees.

So many forum mods feel they own the pitch, that they are the players, and the referee. Matters are made worse when they make up the rules to suit their own agenda. It goes from bad to worse, when the moderator is bent and resorts to dishonesty and blatantly lies. This we have seen on so many occasions. The red card is waived and players leave the field, the game is ruined by poor or dishonest refereeing. The game ends, and we wonder what could have been. What could the team have achieved if the match had continued?

The complete lunacy of the situation comes to light, when the referees  agree with the red carded player, and openly tell the people, yes I play the same game, but please keep it quiet, we don’t want to upset the reserve players. So what do we end up with ? A mediocre team that few want to watch, the attendance numbers go down, players leave the team, and the team ends up relegated or disbanded. As the great Jimmy Greaves once said “Football it’s a funny old game”. Maybe, but the world of diabetes is not funny, but it sure is crazy.

Oh well, onwards and upwards.

Eddie