Mediator
The opposite of the Troll, the mediator is someone who tends to respond to most arguments online, particularly ones he or she is not directly involved in, by posting comments intended either to defuse the debate or simply admonish the debating parties for "fighting." Either way, there tends to be a certain amount of condescension involved. This can be particularly grating to people who were simply having a reasoned argument, and are being admonished for an animosity that does not, in fact, exist. Note that being a Mediator does not preclude someone from getting into petty squabbles of their own, particularly when their moral authority is challenged. However, sometimes Mediators can help defuse an argument, and make sure that everything in the board stays on topic. Good Mediators tend to become Shepherds over time. Others devolve into Small Name, Big Ego or even Well-Intentioned Extremist, and many of them commit the Golden Mean Fallacy.
The Mediator often combines with A Darker Me for those Mediators who would never get away with such chastisement in real life. Other times, they will play the same role in the real world as they do online.
Real Life Examples
- Judge Judy, of, well, Judge Judy acts like this in real life. She has no problem making fun of everyone who comes before her, but interrupt her sarcastic, pithy remarks, and she'll take you to task.
- One relatively common tactic in heated arguments is for one of the debaters to take on the role of Mediator. This gives a certain moral standing to the debater, since anyone attempting to continue the argument would be seen as opposed to peaceful solutions.
Web Original
- In Homestuck, there are four quadrants of romance for the Troll race (matespritship, moirallegiance, kismesissitude, and auspisticism). In particular, auspicticism refers to a three-way relationship involving two parties who hate each other, along with an auspistice who mediates them. Auspiticism is often used either to prevent a "platonic" hatred from becoming excessively destructive, or to prevent one or both trolls from cheating on their kismeses.
- Kanaya (aka "Grim Auxiliatrix") is particularly prone to and known for being the village bicycle of Auspicing. That's right, she's a Mediating slut.
- In the RPG.net forums, many a civil rather on-topic discussion (along with even more violent off-topic arguments) are solved with the 4 simple words "Take it to tangency." Now with pithy motivational posters!
- Which is similar to "Take It to the Forums" here whenever you have an opinion the majority does not like and are willing to argue for it, and "take it to PMs" for forums that have such functionality.