After review by the Moderation Oversight Committee, the comments by cendawanita, gwint, and others have been reinstated.

Removed a trolling comment by cendawanita and a bunch of responses from gwint and others about the US and South Korea that was a derail. Please move on y'all. EDITED TO ADD: Those comments have been reinstated after a decision by the Moderation Oversight Committee--BB 10:23pm ET 3/4/2026

Hi, one comment has been removed, per the Content Policy, for not answering the question and posting a joke. Please remember that AskMetaFilter is more tightly moderated and comments need to answer the question being asked.

Hey, this is a general mod note to y'all to be careful with your analogies and how far you stretch them. It can cause a lot of derails and needlessly raise the temperature of the thread, so think'em through please!

A comment suggesting the pain may be in the OP's head has been removed.

Take people, especially women, at their word when they say they're in pain.

Hey falsedmitri, the link to that screenshot is borked. If you post it in the thread, I'll fix it in the post.

Hey prismatic7, Several of your comments have been removed, particularly the one saying "fuck you" and another using explicit violent language towards another member. Using that kind of invective against other members violates the Content Policy, hence the removal. If you keep making those types of comments, we will have to start issuing timeouts or bans. The situation sucks, yes, and you’re in the middle of it, which is terrible, you have our sympathies, but that’s zero reason to be abusive to other members of the site. Knock it off.

One comment removed because it simply told the OP to search previous questions, which is not really helpful.

Several comments removed, please stick to the OP's request: "I would appreciate only personal narratives in an answer to this question, not general answers on the nature of alcoholism, addict psychology, or anything of that nature."

Hi, just a mod note to say we're aware of prismatic7's comments and recognize the frustration that produced them. Thank you for sharing them. But please remember that many MeFites, including in the US, don't agree with or like what's going with the administration or this war with Iran. Lots of folks are on your side and also frustrated with our lack of power in preventing this and so much other shit the American government has done and is doing. To my fellow Americans and westerners, please take a few minutes to think about where prismatic7's comments are coming from and why. Finally, the back and forth about those comments isn't doing anyone or this thread much good, so please recognize the validity of multiple viewpoints about all this and avoid arguing specific points repeatedly. No comments have been removed. (This mod note has been edited to clarify a distinction between individual MeFites and MetaFilter as an organization)--BB 3/2/2026 at 7:50pm ET

stoneandstar: "Just fill out the questions, man, it’s not that hard. You sound very difficult!"

Please focus on helping the OP and avoid berating them, 'cause that rarely works. OP is clearly having difficulties and making them feel worse about the problem they're having can be discouraging.

One comment removed at the writer's request.

Several comments that were about America have removed. This post is about Great Britain, please avoid injecting USA issues into it.

Thella's earlier comment stating that TERF is a "slur-ish silencing" term has also been removed for being transphobic. Other comments addressing that statemen have been left up for context.

A comment by Thella has been removed for transphobia, per the Content Policy. Continued violations of that policy can result in a ban.

Added Substack tag by a user's request.

Updated the FAQ entry to make it clearer on how to hide and show US politics posts.

Calling Lindsey Graham "Ms. Lindsey" is homophobic so that comment has been removed, per the Content Policy. The member who wrote the comment, WatTylerJr, has been banned for a day and emailed a note about refraining from such remarks in the future or they may face a longer or potentially permanent ban

Mod here, have brought this up on the Slack, we’re discussing now to make sure we’re all on the same page/understanding of what the US politics sidebar is for. Will report back later this evening.

Post edited to include note and clearer link to the mentioned film, with OP's approval.

Main link updated at OP's request.

Another comment removed for not answering the question. From the Content Policy:

Ask MetaFilter comments should address the main question being asked. Jokes, derailing the conversation, ranting, picking a fight or chastising the asker, arguing among commenters, single word comments and other non-answers will probably be removed.

humbug: "uspol tag please?" Added!

Couple of comments removed for not answering the question.

martin q blank: "A group of Washington Post reporters has started a GoFundMe to get their colleagues home and pay for relocation, housing, legal support and more. IIRC we're not supposed to post fundraiser links here, but it's easy to find on the site." Generally speaking it's best to avoid GoFundMe type links in a post. But as a comment and for reporters dealt another crappy hand by a billionaire? Share that link(s) in the comments!

growabrain: "I've wanted to post an academic FPP on Metafilter about pornography, in order to stimulate a general debate about the topic (which is dear to my heart) and I wonder if it can be done without it being deleted. I know that the community is very politically-correct and protective and lots of people are offended by various subjects. So is it possible? The links I discovered are Wikipedia-worthy and couldn't pose any offense to anybody. So, if the consensus is 'better not', I'll keep them to myself. Your opinion?... Grazie." Moderator here, but not on duty. There's no inherent restriction against a post about pornography, but obviously it's a sensitive topic that can spark various reactions in the comments. So be mindful of that and lean into the academic side of things. Probably a good idea to leave include a Content Warning and put the bulk of the post inside. Feel free to email the mods a draft of the post if you want any feedback about whether it's ok as a FPP (which you're not bound to follow). I imagine that as long it's handled with care and sensitivity, it should be fine.

tiny frying pan: "What is this post actually about? The range of topics seems all over the place." Hi, friendly reminder that there is a list of tags/keywords for every post, located on the right side of the post on desktop or at the bottom of the page on mobile. Granted, that's not easy to find on mobile, especially for this particular post, but it IS there, if people are wondering what a post is about. Remember, folks don't have to read, enjoy, or understand every single post. It's perfectly fine and even encouraged to just close the tab or window if you don't like or understand a post and move on to another one.

briank: "Sorry, my bad. The character is Series Acclimation Mil. I have emailed the mods to fix it."

Fixed!

Added AI tag.

Removed a snarky comment that was attacking another member and a response to it. Please remember that AI can be a pretty heated topic, but that doesn't mean you have to get nasty with other community members, that's a choice you're making. Knock that off.

One comment removed for being more about what that person things MeFi's attitude is about AI instead of the thread subject.

plagued out moggies: "Maybe I’m just greatly misreading you, but this reads like a ChatGPT hallucination to my eye." Obviously feel free to disagree with others, but insinuating that another member is AI or using AI is an insulting and unhelpful path to take, so please avoid doing that in the future. It's also ok to move on if other members don't want to discuss a particular take with you or explain themselves to your satisfaction or understanding. Please just move on, thanks.

Member Kadonoishi has been banned for 24 hours for continuing the Elon Musk derail after being asked to stop and not doing so.

Kadonoishi, you're derailing the thread by making it about Musk, and/r how MetaFilter doesn't like Musk, instead of the actual subject. Stop it. You're free to make your own thread about Musk if you like, but you absolutely need to stop derailing this thread. If you can't, a timeout will be issued. Several comments are in the process of being removed.

kadonoishi: "Imma sharply criticize the MeFi community right now by pointing out that, if you like Technology Connections's presentation, then you need to acknowledge that Elon Musk has been doing exactly this since he bought into Tesla in 2004, with the exact eventual purpose that TC laid out very ably in this video." Hey, it's totally ok to leave Musk out of this thread since it's not about him or his company. There's plenty of other threads and places on the internet you can talk about him. It's also ok and even preferred to refrain from lobbing accusations at the entire community. No comments have been removed, but please move on from that derail.

Yes, tags do have RSS feeds, here’s the one for Siteupdate. Click on the tag of any post and you can access the RSS feed.

Hey, if your comment includes the words "I will almost certainly get dinged here for unhelpful victim-blaming or finger-wagging or condescension..." make the choice not to comment and move on, or adjust your comment to not be those things.

That comment and a response have been removed.

Added "Melania: " to the post to make it clearer what the film is.

bitteschoen: "Just kidding, sorry, I just wanted to try out the MefiQuote thing because this is the very first time I hear about this. Très cool. And really should be the default maybe?"

Added a FAQ entry about MeFi Quote with the help of Darling Bri and frimble. It has a couple of videos showing usage and how to turn off and on.

That entry may be updated once it's decided whether it's on by default, but for now there is reference entry to link to!

An hour ago I got an actblue donation SMS for the Democrats that included Alex Pretti's name." Got a note asking that this comment be deleted because after further investigation it looked like it might be a scam unaffiliated with the Democrats.

One comment removed for being in the wrong thread.

Glegrinof the Pig-Man: "Dropping into a thread to "well ackhsually" collective action and demand "numbers" is some infiltrator shit." It's totally ok to disagree with someone WITHOUT accusing them of being an infiltrator, so please knock it off.

One comment removed for not really answering the question and getting into weight loss issues, which the OP asked people to avoid in this thread.

Hey OP, if find yourself veering towards suicidal ideation or harming yourself, please check out the ThereIsHelp Wiki page. It’s a list of support resources compiled by volunteer MeFites, so take a look and if you can't find resources near you, feel free to reach out to the mods with your general location and we can post it to the thread so others can help with finding help near you.

One comment deleted at poster's request.

...but I can’t stress enough how much I’m not looking for weight loss tips or advice to lose the weight...]

Hi, mod here, am leaving a note for other mods to keep an eye on this thread. But if such comments do appear, please flag them and please don't hesitate to do so thinking someone else will flag them. Comments with a lot of flags will alert mods, so flag early a

Obvious maybe, but yeah, we’re leaving this one up, ‘cause why not?!

Changed media images in both episodes of Starfleet Academy.

cooker girl: "FYI: I incorrectly only included trans girls in this; GSUSA welcomes any trans kid; I have asked mods to correct the post." Correction made!

One comment removed for not answering the question. This isn't so a question about Korean cuisine.

alexjesus: "This also makes me think about how meaning gets constructed now. It’s not delivered top-down; it’s decoded, negotiated, played with. That’s why this reminded me of kuakua.app" Hi there alexjesus and welcome to MetaFilter! Please take a moment to check out our Content Policy and what it says about spam, commercial content, and self linking. All are welcome on MetaFilter, but violating the Content Policy about spam can result in an immediate ban with no warning. So if you're here to share your thoughts with the community, then again, welcome! But if you're here to promote something, don't. If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach the moderators via the Contact Us form at the bottom of every page.

Extra spaces added in the title to prevent the post from breaking the mobile page on some devices.

Hi folks, just a mod note to recommend that people be gentler with those in abusive situations. We know the intention is good, but to those within the situation, the forceful, authoritative tone can feel like a further erosion of their agency and cause the person to shut down or ignore the suggestions, even if they are helpful. Please try to moderate your tone for the person who really needs the help.

3 comments removed from thread at the writer's request.

Typo in post fixed at OP's request

One comment removed for being in the wrong thread.

not_that_epiphanius, if you'd like the text of your comment, feel free to email the mods avia the Contact Us page.

One comment hidden as it was derail, but it was not removed to make the context clear in terms of the OP's response.

OP, and anyone, please read questions carefully and be extremely mindful in giving any weight loss and exercise advice i.e. avoid doing it unless it is specifically requested.

No comments have been removed.

Comments removed at the writer's request.

Do not call for the death of Trump or anyone, it violates the Content Policy and is generally in poor taste. Comment removed.

Hey, if your comment starts with "Wow, I know this is off-topic here.." please consider not posting the comment. Ask MetaFilter has stricter guidelines for comments and they need to answer the question.

Comment removed.

Just dropping in a mod note about treating other members with respect or at least less sarcasm tends to help difficult conversations go better. Disagreement is fine, of course, but try to avoid making a thread about one particular person. No comments have been removed.

The comment noting the sensual pleasure of watching underage males doing gymnastics has been removed (along with a response) and the member will be contacted directly about the comment. Folks, please be mindful of comments you're making about children, as they give off an impression you don't intend.

Above comment edited to correct a typo that was flagged.

Deminime: "Let's keep in mind that the authors of the paper are people whom Metafilter agrees should be put to death because they're working on AI." This odd comment that has little to do with the link and is more of jab at the MeFi community has been removed, along with a response, for being a derail. It has been reproduced here for the public record.

Flagged comment that was a duplicate has been removed

Corrected Sleafod to Sleaford in title, passed on a flag, carry on!

Just remember if the thread closes and y'all want to continue, contact the mods who can reopen it so it stays open.

This can only happen in MetaTalk, fyi

Link updated!

dragon garlanding: "This post was the impetus for me to finally look at and set up mymefi, specifically to exclude items tagged with #ai." For those unaware of MyMefi, here's the FAQ about using it to remove posts tagged with particular keywords from your view

glonous keming: "fuck everyone involved with this, including the OP for posting it here" Original comment removed, reproduced here for the public record, replies to it left up to remind everyone this comment was not ok. This is a hateful comment against a fellow member of the site. The general 'fuck AI' was ok, but taking the time and thought to extend it to the OP violates the Content Policy and causes this one day suspension.

hilberseimer, if you can't contribute to the thread without calling someone names ("soulless"), please just move on and avoid the thread. One comment and response removed.

AlexiaSky: "I attempted to link a paper from foodprotection.org but the filter says it contained a slang word so I can't post it."

Hi, please use the Contact US form to email the mods the link to the paper, so we can take a lot at the filter. Thanks!

Going forward, mephron will be using the 'LGBTQIAnews' tag for these posts and previous similar posts of theirs have had the tag added. This was done so members have an easy way of subscribing to these posts via RSS

lapis: "The moderators delete comments all the time without notice and seemingly without recourse."

This should not be happening and if anyone does see it happening, I am asking that you use the contact form to send an email that goes to every mod about and/or report it to the Moderation Oversight Committee. Again, this should absolutely not be happening and moderators should be called out if it does happen.

trig: "Given that a huge discussion about this happened 2 months ago, which like every discussion about this complicated issue that has no drawback-less solution was really contentious, and that there doesn't seem to be an appetite to do it all over again quite so soon, and that the poster of this thread said they were okay with deleting it, and that this is a week when mods and the (brand new) board might have less time than usual to read and weigh in and, in the board's case, assess policy - maybe this one could be closed up."

Agreed, closing this thread up.

Ok, i got an example of this happening with this comment of mine, as the first comment and only comment in the thread, https://www.metafilter.com/211567/LEON, on mobile, using the Classic theme. On desktop, the problem does not appear when using the Classic theme.

Anyone seeing the small type in the first comment when it's the only comment?

Members can ask for their account to be deleted. Currently when that happens, the mods ask if the member would be ok with making their posts and comments anonymous to preserve the history of that information while removing the attachment to their account.

If the member says no, that's fine, then we remove all of their posts and comments.

If the member says yes, then we make the author of their posts and comments anonymous.

That rationale is that people should have control over their content and be allowed to redact or remove it for any reason.

Hope this helps clears this up!

2N2222: "Yes. People need to get over it. It's not going away, and it's going to get better." 1. Telling people to "get over it" rarely causes that to happen and usually just manages to make people angry. Please be cognizant of your fellow mefites and... 2. Indicate that it's a post with AI material and add 'AI' to the tags, because the Content Policy does request it. That helps who have issues with AI content to avoid it because... 3. One person's definition of better or good is different from others.

Added ‘AI’ to tags

ambrosen: "I just think threadshitting is bad, that's all." Just flag comments that you think are threadshitting, because at this point your repeated responses about the comment are creating a derail. Please stop and move on.

One comment removed for not answering the question.

Pseudonymous Cognomen: "Trump is back in power because of Russian/Chinese propaganda No, Trump is back in power because Democrats love genocide more than they do winning elections." Original comment and replies deleted, relevant part reproduced here. Pseudonymous Cognomen, you need to drop this derail, which has been a source of various other derails on the site. If you want to talk about subject, feel free to create your own thread with that subject. But no more in this thread or you'll be given a time out.

Yep, closed

Thread permanently reopened by request, which is something mods can only do in MetaTalk.

AlSweigart: "Cool. Thanks, ChatGPT. Now I don't have to read the article. Oh wait, "Come up with a short, witty, bon mot I could post as a Metafilter comment." " Please don't post output from ChatGPT, that goes against the Content Policy. Comment removed, relevant parts reproduced in this mod note.

jacquilynne: "I think I inserted a period somehow. Will flag it for the mods to fix. In the meantime, here it is again." Yep, link in main post has been fixed.

Pedantzilla: "@bluedaisy, I'm not "avoiding" the NYT - they are a garbage paper that is actively working against the American people (not to mention the rest of the world) and you should feel bad about giving them your money, so I am happy to shame you for whatever weak rationalization you want to give."

No one should be reveling in trying to shame anyone on AskMetafilter, knock that off. If you can't, please avoiding commenting.

Comment deleted, relevant parts reproduced in this mod note.

Added to site banner

DirtyOldTown: "As a heads up... Decider says that episode 8 is one with a huge twist of the type that the entire Internet is going to talk about and recommends seeing it ASAP to avoid having it spoiled"

Thanks for the heads up!

Gentle reminder to discuss any new episode in a new thread, to avoid spoiling for others.