Dear u/quaz4r,

You're top mod of physics. I'm near the bottom of the list. You could de-mod me for defying you (hell, Automoderator could de-mod me). No one can de-mod you except the reddit admins.

While it may look like I'm the only working mod in r/physics, there are five of us that regularly convene to discuss how things are going and if I'm doing the right things. I've fucked up plenty, and the advice and guidence of the others have really helped me. I like to think of us as a team, and I feel lucky to have their trust. So in what follows I have to make it clear that I speak solely for myself.

Every day for the past two years this has been my routine: I get up early and clean out the spam, the shitposts, the kickstarters, the shitty youtubers, the lazy bloggers, the clickbaity microtransaction farmers. Then I notify the sincere posters who don't know the rules that they should move their posts into the appropriate thread, or to r/askphysics. Then I deal with our regular crackpots/trolls who periodically create new accounts to sneak back into the sub to tell us that the luminiferous aether is dark matter and that the Unruh effect can make microwave ovens fly. Then, I take copious notes on which users like to unload on naifs and young'uns, and step in when it turns into harassment. Then I might spend some time writing bots to look for brigaders and other coordinated attackers of the sub. Like I said, I have done this every day for the last two, almost three, years.

What have you done for r/physics in that time? You don't moderate, except to sticky your posts and silence your critics. You don't participate in mod discussions (you were invited but chose to absent yourself). We've hardly seen your account over the years. When you do show up, it's to push your own agenda by stickying and mod-flairing your appeals. Do I have to enumerate the reasons why this is bad? I can flesh out the details if you like, but I'd rather get to the point of my request.

Please, de-mod yourself. I will invite you back. You can still be a mod, just not top mod. When you have a personal or political issue that intersects with physics, we can work together to craft it into a form that minimizes drama, doesn't alienate sincere subscribers, and makes it even more effective. Please, let's work together. Believe me, it's good not to have ultimate authority. As bottom mod, you have to get along with the rest of the team. You have to listen and take advice. It's good for you, good for me, good for the modteam, and ultimately good for r/physics.

With sincere hopes for future collaboration,
--u/CarbonRodOfPhysics