A website should not have been the way this got said. Yet here we are. Snails has earned SHR ten times over. The evidence is below and there are no surprises in it.
★ Sign the Petition ★ Read the 8 ReasonsSome cases need arguing. This one doesn't. Snails should already be SHR. Most people who know him would tell you that without being asked. The point of this website is to put the argument in front of the people who haven't been asked, because at some stage somebody clearly needs to be. So here are the reasons. None are new. None are subtle.
★ Filed: An Open Letter to Senior Management | Authors: Concerned Citizens
What's his response time? While you were asking that question, Snails handled four modcalls, banned two racists, and painted the Mona Lisa. Barely a metaphor. The dedication is real and it puts most of us to shame, frankly.
Snails has been a moderator before. A good one. Then he went back to Trial Mod, voluntarily, because he wanted to keep his edges sharp. Read that sentence twice. He has mentored other mods, led teams, fixed messes, and never once turned any of it into a story about himself. That is what experience looks like when it's not performing.
Snails moderates people, not just posts. He doesn't jump to conclusions. He doesn't power trip. He doesn't make anyone feel like a ticket number. He's consistent and he actually cares, which should not be unusual in this role but somehow is.
On the values front, he means what he says. He won't look the other way at transphobia or homophobia, and he doesn't soften it into a discussion. Something needs shutting down, he shuts it down. Every time he's had to, he has.
The Chairman trusts him. The Vice-Chair trusts him. The Guides Committee — arguably the most credentialed committee in the building — trusts him, and described him on the record as "dependable, friendly and real." Nobody picks up an endorsement like that by accident.
He's not the kind of person who has nothing else to do. He's a serious artist with a full life outside this place. Despite all of that, he still answers the queue. Admirable isn't quite the word for it.
That's why he should have it. The people who chase a rank the loudest are rarely the people who deserve it. Snails isn't chasing the rank, so don't give him the rank. Invite him to Olympus and let him dine with the gods. Senior leadership needs someone in the room who represents the rank and file. He is that person.
Politeness has been tried. For months. It produced nothing. The community isn't asking nicely anymore because asking nicely stopped working a long time ago. Every additional week of delay tells the community that its judgement does not matter. That is an unflattering message to send. Do the right thing.
He's a Trial Mod because that's what he chose. He held the role before, stepped down on purpose, and stayed useful the whole time. Most people climb; he reset. That's an argument for the promotion, not against it.
The process is supposed to be "review the case and decide." The case has been reviewed. What's outstanding is the decision. Calling that "process" is generous.
Correct. That's the point. The people who chase a rank loudly are rarely the people who should hold it. Snails is in the other category. Promote him anyway, especially because he hasn't asked.
He has done the job. Twice. The "is he ready" question was settled the first week of his first stint as a moderator. Promoting him is not a leap of faith; it's a piece of paperwork that has been outstanding for a long time.
The timeline so far: two prior moderation stints, a voluntary step back to Trial, endorsements on the record from the Chairman, the Vice-Chair, and the Guides Committee, and an entire website built out of impatience. Anyone calling that "rushed" is using the word wrong.
Because polite was tried first, for months, and produced nothing. Loud got us a website. Make of that what you will.
The arguments have been made and the case has been read. What's left is the part where someone with the authority to act on it actually does. While we all wait for that, add your name. One signature per person.
★ Sign the Petition Now ★Eight reasons, one conclusion. If you've read this far you can probably guess what it is. Sign the petition. If you know any of the people who can move this thing, tell them you signed it. We are not being subtle about wanting this finished.
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