Is my question an attack and a disrespect?

Question

My post at https://ell.stackexchange.com/questions/341384/what-adjective-can-be-used-to-describe-this-kind-of-behavior was closed today by moderator Laurel, who also made the following comment:

Considering that this is an attack on specific (albeit unnamed) members of SE, I find this question highly inappropriate. Treat your fellow users with respect.

I asked what an adjective word in English can be used to fit a situation of unfair moderation on an Internet forum, described in my post. That is all what it is about.

I have a hard time to understand how it is "an attack".

Also, why I was asked to "treat my fellow users with respect"? Is my describing internet bullies, from some fellow users including some moderators, a disrespect to them? Should I shut up my mouth about the bullies, or even not be able to ask an English usage question about describing it?

Consider the other way around. Can I think of such a comment and closing of my post an insult and offensive?

Is it because my post involves moderator mishandling, in which moderator Laurel has a conflict of interest through empathy?

Answer 1

Your screenshot doesn't include the question itself, only the comments, so I'm not sure how anyone without 10k+ rep on ELL is expected to judge whether or not it's a disrespectful attack. That said, your own comment in reply to Michael Harvey (included in the screenshot) admits that your question is a "disguised rant".

Is my describing internet bullies, from some fellow users including some moderators, a disrespect to them? Should I shut up my mouth about the bullies, or even not be able to ask an English usage question about describing it?

You don't need to shut your mouth about things that have happened, but you must describe them respectfully and you should do so in the appropriate venue. A "disguised rant" doesn't belong on any main SE site. A site's meta can be an appropriate place to raise inappropriate behaviour, as can a moderator flag or a CM ticket, but a rant about other SE users disguised as an English question is ... not a real good-faith English question, is it?

Can I think of such a comment and closing of my post an insult and offensive?

Nope, Laurel's comment doesn't seem out of line. She said your question is "highly inappropriate", but that's not insulting or offensive language, and she reminded you to treat your fellow users with respect, which is part of the site's code of conduct.

Is it because my post involves moderator mishandling, in which moderator Laurel has a conflict of interest through empathy?

I doubt it. Moderators don't automatically believe other moderators are right, and being a moderator doesn't itself constitute a conflict of interest. (If it did, then users would be able to openly insult any moderator and no moderator would be able to deal with it due to conflicts of interest!) Full disclosure: I'm a moderator on some other SE sites, although just a casual user here at ELL, and I'm perfectly able to accuse other moderators of mishandling a situation if necessary.

Answer 2

Please refer to the Code of Conduct:

No matter where you engage on the network with your peers, we expect all users to treat one another with kindness and respect. Remember, we’re all here to learn, and sometimes while learning, people make mistakes. While comments and other actions may not be meant to be harmful, they can still inadvertently end up causing harm. If you encounter something that you believe is harmful, please flag it for moderator attention, and our moderators will assess the situation.

The post crossed the line with regards to this section. To explain this more clearly, if people you've interacted in the past can look at your question and see it's a complaint about them, you've gone too far.

Please use the appropriate channels to resolve any alleged "moderator mishandling". The word-request tag is not an appropriate place for that, not even for venting.

For example, it may help to (politely!) ask on the corresponding Meta site for more details as to why a question was closed and if there's any way it can be improved (there may not be — not every question can be on-topic). The key is approaching with an open mind. The "Contact Us" form is also available if you've exhausted all your other options.

Now, if you really wanted to ask a question about adjectives, you could have approached this as I suggested above, and I would have told you that you could reword the question to be about something 100% hypothetical (e.g., coworkers who won't listen to you in chat) and it wouldn't be problematic.

Answer 3

I don't know the history, but if this is an attack against specific SE users, as in, those who do know the history could name them, then I support the deletion, as well as Laurel's answer, particularly, "you could reword the question to be about something 100% hypothetical".

Either way, I know the frustration of trying to stick up for myself in my sixth language and not having the right words to hand, so I answered it before it was closed. I hope that answer is helpful. If you can't see it because it's deleted, comment and I'll make sure you get it.