AIBU thinking that MNHQ shouldn't edit someone's post?

[topicOfTheDay]

Someone used a very disablist term on a fairly political thread.

When I reported it, the term was replaced with "idiot" rather than the post being deleted. The person using the term was aligned with what I imagine to be the Labour-leaning MNHQ ideals.

To my mind, this is unfair. Posts which break the rules seem to be deleted and users which frequently do so are banned or warned.

Editing them seems way beyond the bounds of moderation and stifles the notion of open debate (within the rules or no sexism, disablism, racism or personal attacks). I've had long and thoughtful posts removed because of quoting someone who had their post deleted.

AIBU or do I need to realise that MN is political and I need to accept that or move on?

That's odd.

Could the poster in question have asked MNHQ to change it to idiot?

I didn't see the thread but editing wouldn't bother me as long as there was a clear message within that post to say it had been done and why. So something like "This post has been edited because it contained a disablist term."

Otherwise it would make threads hard to follow for anyone who read the thread after posts had been edited. In the example given in the OP, later readers would probably be wondering why there were a string of posts berating someone for using disablist language, when the offender's post now just said "You are an idiot."

but editing wouldn't bother me as long as there was a clear message within that post to say it had been done and why

This^ secretly editing posts is a bit creepy.

Editing posts is pretty much what moderation is

They could have asked for the edit. There was certainly no mention of it. I wouldn't say it was creepy. Just showed huge bias. I think I'd have cared less about a STBXH or parking thread but because it was a political argument it felt 'wrong' somehow.

I mentioned having my posts being deleted for a quotation. It's happened a couple of times and I would have loved to have had the offending quotation removed as opposed to a whole deletion but I understood the reasons for it.

I know that the mods aren't one homogenous blob but it seems strange that I've never noticed it happening before and the fact it was on such a political thread stuck in my craw.

Normally MNHQ delete the whole post if it's offensive in any way. I've never known them edit one word.

araiwa

Rarely here.

Usually it is a deletion message with a link to the Rules & Guidelines. Occasionally a topic title is edited (trigger warnings and such).

I'm guessing the offending word began with M. Seeing as idiot comes from the same list of archaic terms used to describe mental incapacity, it seems a bit, erm idiotic . But it's not the first time MNHQ have done it and won't be the last.

I'm sure I've seen them edit a single word before for use of an unacceptable term. I don't think it's a new thing.

I'd be thankful they changed it and didn't just leave it to MNers to educate the person in question.

Hi all,

Thanks so much for flagging this and for raising valid points.

We sometimes edit posts or titles, but we usually put a edited by MNHQ in, or post on the thread to let folks know what we've edited. We should have done that in this case, so we're really sorry about that! We'll have a chat about this one at HQ.

Hi Sophie - would you edit an offensive word off your own back or because the poster had asked? I'm just confused as to why this would be done as usually an offensive word usually gets the whole post deleted as it goes against your guidelines.

Thanks Sophie.

As I've said, in a usual parking, lazy husband or annoying MiL thread, it would have been fairly innocuous but where politics were being argued and the fact that the disablist comments were used by an anti-Tory poster, it seemed especially unfair.

I'm sure you can find the comment I'm talking about (if necessary) by looking at my 'reported' posts.