"Should the OP of a thread have the right to nuke it?" Topic

I don't think so. I've been turned down several times when a thread I started kind of "wandered off". I've seen many poisonous threads involving "politics" that should have been nuked but never were.
This is particularly evident in some Poll Suggestions I started that included suggestions that I thought were … just plain dumb.

It's long been a tradition that nobody "owns" a thread. It has a life of its own, and nobody has a right to control it. Should this be set in stone?

I don't think so either. It would be a very unusual approach for any sort of Internet discussion forum to take.

No.

It would, however, solve the problem of hijacking.

Hijacking is an honorable tradition on almost all internet discussion groups.
It's amusing. I have never seen it as a "problem". The mere fact that it sometimes annoys me does not make it a problem.

Only in the Blue Fez.

No

I'd say he has a right of appeal to Bill. I'm OK with nuking a hijacked thread, but I draw the line at nuking a thread because the OP is losing an argument.

No, because there may be much valuable discussion in the thread that is of benefit to others, even though the OP may dislike or disagree with it.

In my opinion no, but when a thread goes off into the weeds and tempers flare perhaps it should be locked.

I don't know of any forums where the OP can nuke the thread. Delete his/her first post maybe, but the thread always lives on, often with someone having quoted the original OP post to the chagrin of the OP.

No. Sometimes the derail is infinitely more interesting than the OP.

No, post and be damned

No

My gut reaction was Yes. If you start the fire, you should try to put it out.
But, people have a right to say whatever stupid, disagreeable, inflammatory or hateful things they want. And as John says, sometimes it is amusing.

No

The current rule is that the original poster on a topic has the right to have the topic deleted.

But policies can easily be changed. In fact, I think this one has been changed at least once before in TMP history…

I agree with the No camp

It's not like the Editor has no power to stop things if they get too toxic/silly

There was one thread I started, where some of the replies were, what I considered personally insulting to me, and I asked the Editor to delete the offending posts, which was duly done.
I would have been mortified if for the sake of 'Free speech', it had to be left forever for people to see.
Thanks to the editors from me.

No, for the reasons above.

@Editor
Is that in the FAQ? I don't remember anything like that.

Is that in the FAQ? I don't remember anything like that.

I didn't look.

No

I don't let the wandering off topic or highjacking bother me. I will just start a new thread same topic. So no. It just comes with the territory. I find it interesting to trace a conversation back to where it veered off.

Moderators deleting a thread is fine, that is why they are moderators.

Moderators deleting a thread is fine, that is why they are moderators.

Surely that depends upon the reason why the moderator deleted it. They don't always do it for the 'best' of reasons.

Is that in the FAQ? I don't remember anything like that.

Me neither.

And I don't agree with an OP being able to delete their thread without some very good reason.

No.