I doubt anyone was ever happy that they became a moderator. Be careful what you wish for.
I don't think anyone is forcing them to become one or put in the work. I wonder how many if any have turned down the opportunity when asked?
I wouldn't be surprised if people have turned down the opportunity. Moderators get a lot of hate and it can be a very stressful job, especially when you're dealing with a large community.
Yeah, I guess, but if you're on the forum a lot and can be bothered reporting posts then going one step further and being able to moderate them directly isn't much of a bigger task.
Nah, I think there's a much bigger difference. Reporting threads lets you sit behind while the mods decide whether the reports are accurate, et cetera. Stepping up to mod, you have to be taught so that your accuracy becomes high enough so that people aren't complaining constantly about abuse.