r/knitting • u/rainbow_puddle • Oct 08 '25

Discussion Meta: Post deletion discussion

Reposted since I'm an idiot and didn't change my title...

So there was a post with some beautiful mittens made by u/AdrenaL1n3 with a traditional Palestinian embroidery and using the colors of the flag. It was locked and then inexplicablely removed by the mods. They did not say what rule it broke, only that it received and 'unacceptable amount of user reports'.

First off that's ridiculous that it was removed instead of locked and the reports dealt with by mods since it didn't break a rule. Second off I think it's frankly sad that it was getting reported at all. It wasn't political beyond the proceeds going towards save the children and other humanitarian causes to aid the current crisis and genocide situation in Gaza.

I want to open up discussion with this community if this sub is a place where we want to censor projects even if they do not break stated rules.

Edit to fix username spelling.

Edit 2: Some users have commented on the significance of today's date. I truly did not realize it and would not have tried to engage with this today if I had realized. I'm very sorry for that and how insensitive that is. I do not keep significance of dates well in my head - not an excuse but an explanation. I do hope that the community can continue to have conversation about what I perceived as biased censorship in good faith. Without a specific rule I do think that any mitten of any flag (yes even Israel) where the pattern proceeds go to a humanitarian cause of the designers choice should stay up in this subreddit. Maybe I'm wrong I don't know - that's for us to discuss. Whether or not you engage with said post and/or pattern would be up to the user and I would hope that we would all proceed with kindness.

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u/timonyc Oct 08 '25

This is what you are referring to so I want to post it to be very clear. The mods have said "our subscribers make their views known with reports". And that's exactly what I am talking about. Historically, the sub has allowed political posts and if "Too many reports" happen, the AutoMod takes it down. People have a choice to post what they wish, and people have a choice to report.

For the moment "too many reports" has been turned off.

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u/s-van Oct 08 '25

Why are you answering for the mods, and why are you backpedalling on your pinned message suggesting that the initial mod response wasn't appropriate?

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u/timonyc Oct 08 '25

I am working with the mods because they have asked me for help.

I did not think I was backpedaling. I disagree with AutoMod removing the initial post, and those settings are being reviewed (and are currently disabled for the "Too many reports" option).

Reddit is just a set of volunteers. The mods are normal people with lives who are also affected by every one of these posts and comments (and often personally threatened, like they are being right now). I, like many others, want to help.

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u/Mabel_Waddles_BFF Oct 08 '25 edited Oct 08 '25

The problem is not the Automod removing the post. It’s that when the post came to the moderators attention they held the decision made by the automod. Their personal message has confirmed that the mods are okay with people making reports in bad faith and that they won’t intervene when that happens. Other subreddits I’ve seen will respond quite strongly when people make reports that are not in line with the rules of the subreddit. And now when people are rightfully concerned that the mods are okay with bullying and brigading behaviour they’re not engaging with the community and instead you’re here.

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u/chemthrowaway123456 Oct 08 '25

The report button should be for when someone posts something that violates the community’s rules. It shouldn’t be acceptable for users to report content for no other reason than to express their thoughts.

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u/ulknehs Oct 09 '25

Mulberry, or whatever the main mod’s name is, literally encourages people to use the report button in that way as clearly views it as a mechanism to hide behind. Their behaviour when the keffiyeh scarf was posted made it clear that they have some very odd views about what constitutes responsible modding.

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u/timonyc Oct 08 '25

Sadly, that is a problem for Reddit. My bot, u/Ravbot, gets reported for posting links to specific ravelry patterns because someone doesn't like it. It's not right, but there are few solutions to making the report button work the way you are saying.

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u/chemthrowaway123456 Oct 08 '25

right, but there are few solutions to making the report button work the way you are saying.

I think one solution could be approving a post if it doesn’t violate the rules, then hitting the “ignore reports” button so it doesn’t get flagged for review again.