I voted for Lauda.
That was obvious.
It has everything to do with free speech and also everything to do with order. Right now I can't exercise any form of speech in the WO thread because it is locked. The newly elected moderator is the first step to getting the thread unlocked. Also, I like a modicum of order; it makes the topic easier to follow.
It was locked because it did not have a moderator at all.
I like that when I get a notification of activity in a thread I follow that it will contain something topical and worthy of my time rather than a Nazi woman wearing Bitcoin symbol arm band and sporting flashing green lights for breasts. It's not funny, not entertaining, not offensive to me personally but mainly it's not topical. Then other people want to weigh in on that off-topic post with their own critiques, criticisms, shaming and various other expressions of "free speech" and the thread goes to shit.
Feel free to exercise your free speech by creating a new thread in the society section about whatever the hell you want and then let people decide whether they care to waste their time in there. Perhaps you don't realize the reason the thread was locked in the first place. It's those "free speech" off topic posts that created the censorship - we're still free to make our posts just not in the WO thread because it was "out of control". It became a headache for the administrator of this board; the easiest thing for him to do would be to leave it locked. This should lead any sane individual to realize that the WO thread WAS full of garbage AND idiots.
If you want free speech, put on placard and dance around in the streets - or - if you want free speech in here, open a new thread with your off-topic rants. When I say "you" I'm talking to all those idiots who caused the complaints that led to the WO thread being locked in the first place. This is not the end of the problem; it's a second chance and from what I see in this thread, we may be destined to repeat the same mistake. Free speech doesn't mean you get to say whatever you want and there are no consequences - it only means the government can't penalize you for saying it.
So you want free speech, but you want it controlled? You believe in 'order'. OK, I see.
Maybe it was 'full of garbage and idiots', maybe that is an exaggeration. Maybe it was tiresome at times, maybe that disorder was part of its allure.
However, candidates displaying a level of utter contempt for the WO by saying it was 'full of garbage AND idiots' are unlikely to find it is the best way to get people to vote for them to be its moderator.
I only saw xhomerx10's post because you quoted him, I have him on ignore (possibly due to me ignoring pretty much anyone with a paid sig). The reason I'm pointing that out is because I'm compelled to respond to his post with the following: L2Ignore!
The reason the WO thread is interesting is oftentimes because of the "garbage and idiots". The beautiful thing is, you can
ignore the "garbage and idiots" that you don't like. There are quite a few users I've ignored specifically because of their posting in the WO thread, but some users who would most likely be moderated more often than not... *ahem r0ach*... are quite entertaining to me.
There is a reason the un-moderated WO fork has won. Heavy handed moderation in the WO thread will certainly kill it. Self-moderation via the ignore button is the correct approach.
I'm all for the "on-topic" rule everywhere in the forum,
except the WO thread. Moderation in the WO thread should only be used for the really nasty stuff (threats or vulgar material, etc...).