# Another clueless newbie bites the dust: a chronology of doom -or- Thank you, DavidB **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 19, 2003, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-clueless-newbie-bites-the-dust-a-chronology-of-doom-or-thank-you-davidb/156129 "2003-02-19T15:00:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dragon\_Ash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b3f665/32.png) [@Dragon\_Ash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragon_Ash)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-clueless-newbie-bites-the-dust-a-chronology-of-doom-or-thank-you-davidb/156129/21 "2003-02-19T16:22:48Z")
[Link to the greatest pit rant in the history of the written word as we know it](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=51270&highlight) ---
**Author:** ![Mac\_Guffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2bfe46/32.png) [@Mac\_Guffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mac_Guffin)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-clueless-newbie-bites-the-dust-a-chronology-of-doom-or-thank-you-davidb/156129/22 "2003-02-19T16:26:23Z")
That was it? That was what Nocktober got banned for? Sheesh. I thought he might have beenbanned as a return troll, not for the awful crime of calling a Mod a jerk! Shoulda hanged him too, while they were at it. ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-clueless-newbie-bites-the-dust-a-chronology-of-doom-or-thank-you-davidb/156129/23 "2003-02-19T16:26:25Z")
I’m beginning to think that there should be a tribune of the plebs elected for the sole purpose of sanctioning bans. ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-clueless-newbie-bites-the-dust-a-chronology-of-doom-or-thank-you-davidb/156129/24 "2003-02-19T16:38:46Z")
sorry but the greatest pit rant ever was Skinny Guy’s rant about his coworker, especially for the fact that english is his second language. (sorry for continuing the hijack). ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-clueless-newbie-bites-the-dust-a-chronology-of-doom-or-thank-you-davidb/156129/25 "2003-02-19T16:39:35Z")
Minty wrote: > [@](#): > > Considering also that the asshat in question repeated–and amplified–his insult even after being officially warned against that sort of thing, I don’t understand how anybody could think there’s a valid complaint about the banning. Officially warned? Not so. The much venerated moderator hat was nowhere to be seen. And DavidB is always fastidious to don his hat for official opinions. ---
**Author:** ![Dragon\_Ash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b3f665/32.png) [@Dragon\_Ash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragon_Ash)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-clueless-newbie-bites-the-dust-a-chronology-of-doom-or-thank-you-davidb/156129/26 "2003-02-19T16:43:05Z")
Link? ---
**Author:** ![Gaudere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e495f1/32.png) [@Gaudere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gaudere)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-clueless-newbie-bites-the-dust-a-chronology-of-doom-or-thank-you-davidb/156129/27 "2003-02-19T16:43:38Z")
Well, frankly, if a poster sez to me, “hey, you jerk! Don’t bother banning me, 'cause I won’t be back here ever!” I am generally inclined to nudge 'em out the door and lock it behind 'em. Hey, they said they wouldn’t be back, I am just kindly removing any temptation for them to renenge on their word. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-clueless-newbie-bites-the-dust-a-chronology-of-doom-or-thank-you-davidb/156129/28 "2003-02-19T16:44:59Z")
Well, hey. As **minty** said, **DavidB** doesn’t not have the power to ban someone. That means the higher ups felt that something he did (not necessarily in that thread) warranted banning. I think you’re barking up the wrong tree here. ---
**Author:** ![Pablito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@Pablito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pablito)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-clueless-newbie-bites-the-dust-a-chronology-of-doom-or-thank-you-davidb/156129/29 "2003-02-19T16:46:32Z")
Nice OP, Libertarian. The whole time I was reading the hollow-earth thread, I kept wondering when I would get to the particular post that warranted a banning. I couldn’t believe it when I got to the end of the thread. If I weren’t scared of being banned myself, **and** if I knew that **Nocktober** ’s banning was in fact based solely on his responses in that thread, then I would let **DavidB** know what a small-minded, petty, dimly-lit, thin-skinned, hyper-critical, judgmental, holier-than thou, fucking asshole he appears to be. What a step backwards this is for the Straight Dope. There should be a clear appeal process for this kind of thing, as well as repercussions for indiscriminate use of authority. Example: baiting mods should lose their mod-hats. ---
**Author:** ![Siege](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@Siege](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siege)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-clueless-newbie-bites-the-dust-a-chronology-of-doom-or-thank-you-davidb/156129/30 "2003-02-19T16:47:06Z")
I’ve got to admit, I was surprised by **David B.**'s actions in that thread. I tend to read posts, not names, so I had to go back and take a look at who exactly posted what, and I didn’t realize **David B.** was posting as a moderator. Also, **Nocktober** did come back and provide more information when requested. I thought he was just another newcomer having a hard time adjusting to civilization. CJ ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-clueless-newbie-bites-the-dust-a-chronology-of-doom-or-thank-you-davidb/156129/31 "2003-02-19T16:49:31Z")
Wow, I almost thought I stumbled upon a lost section of [adequacy.org](http://adequacy.org) by mistake. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-clueless-newbie-bites-the-dust-a-chronology-of-doom-or-thank-you-davidb/156129/32 "2003-02-19T16:49:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dragon Ash \* > \*\*[Link to the greatest pit rant in the history of the written word as we know it](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=51270&highlight) \*\* Gosh! ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-clueless-newbie-bites-the-dust-a-chronology-of-doom-or-thank-you-davidb/156129/33 "2003-02-19T17:00:48Z")
You know, I mentioned in a thread in IMHO that moderators cannot ban and I was obliquely accused of being a “jr mod”. Here **minty** makes the same point and all of a sudden there needs to be a 'pleb to sanction bans". Point #1-- Moderators do not have the power to ban. Only admins do. This is a fact. Pointing out this fact does not make one a Junior Mod or a banning acolyte. Point #2-- _If_ the GD thread is the reason for the banning, then I have to agree with the majority here. Seems to me that the powers that be were pretty quick with the Ban Gun. Point #3-- Do not fuck with the Mods or the Admins. They really _do_ have the ultimate power. Flouting the rules-- in a mod’s face, no less-- is just asking for it. Point #4-- I can see why this banning (if the GD thread really is the reason for the banning) is scary to us regular type Dopers. If you piss me off and be rude to me, I can be banned in the blink of an eye? See, I’m not a newbie so I know that the proper thing to do would be to open up a pit thead. This poster definitly went beyond the bounds of GD with his anti-DavidB post, but usually allowances are allowed for those who are not aquainted with the SDMB. Am I a Mod Lover? Hell yes. Well, in the Platonic sense-- I can’t think of a Mod who’d _want_ me loving them any other way – The mods and admins do a thankless, sometimes wearying, job. And they do it very well. Do I agree with their every decision? Nope. I suppose this point precludes me from the Junior Mod position I so secretly aspire to. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Elvis_Rojo)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-clueless-newbie-bites-the-dust-a-chronology-of-doom-or-thank-you-davidb/156129/34 "2003-02-19T17:02:30Z")
Well, personally, I found the OP to be a pain in the ass…all that openning the same damn thread over and over again… But I agree with it, **Nocktober** ’s bannishment was really, REALLY fucking stupid. I didn’t find a single thing he said in any of his posts offensive or overtly crude (sure, someone always finds offense somewhere), but for calling the mod a “Jerk”…Man, if **DavidB** gets his panties in a bunch after that horrific insult, it’s a good thing **Nocktober** didn’t call him a “pottyhead.” We’d have our first SDMB homocide on our hands. Just out of curiosity, how does one become a mod? I figured having a thick skin would be a requirement (perhaps that’s why he sticks to GD, no chance of being called an asshat). ---
**Author:** ![The\_Ace\_of\_Swords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@The\_Ace\_of\_Swords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ace_of_Swords)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-clueless-newbie-bites-the-dust-a-chronology-of-doom-or-thank-you-davidb/156129/35 "2003-02-19T17:15:31Z")
I dunno, something stunk about _Nocktober_. Twenty Six posts in, doesn’t know jack about posting in GD, doesn’t know that David B’s a moderator… and then he’s acting like a junior mod? Suddenly he storms out, gets in a last insult, and refers to all the past pit threads of David B?!? Looked like an ambush to me. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-clueless-newbie-bites-the-dust-a-chronology-of-doom-or-thank-you-davidb/156129/36 "2003-02-19T17:19:16Z")
No, Dragon. That ranks #2. Ino’s [My Rage Burns with the Fire of a Million Suns](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=62082) is THE best rant, ever. Period. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-clueless-newbie-bites-the-dust-a-chronology-of-doom-or-thank-you-davidb/156129/37 "2003-02-19T17:22:07Z")
Oops. That should be “LNO” not “INO” ---
**Author:** ![Waverly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/57b2e6/32.png) [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-clueless-newbie-bites-the-dust-a-chronology-of-doom-or-thank-you-davidb/156129/38 "2003-02-19T17:23:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gaudere \* > \*\*Well, frankly, if a poster sez to me, “hey, you jerk! Don’t bother banning me, 'cause I won’t be back here ever!” I am generally inclined to nudge 'em out the door and lock it behind 'em. Hey, they said they wouldn’t be back, I am just kindly removing any temptation for them to renenge on their word. 😃 \*\* I think it’s the journey to this waypoint that is the problem. I’m not normally inclined to bash moderators who donate their time and generally do a good job, but I’m sincerely hoping there was something more going on behind the scenes that precipitated both the banning and the behavior leading up to it. Lacking that; the conduct of DavidB could most charitably be described as oafish. Ironically enough, I rather loosely promised myself some time away from the pit to concentrate on more constructive interests. I suppose this too is grounds for banning. ---
**Author:** ![Dragon\_Ash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b3f665/32.png) [@Dragon\_Ash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragon_Ash)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-clueless-newbie-bites-the-dust-a-chronology-of-doom-or-thank-you-davidb/156129/39 "2003-02-19T17:31:24Z")
… I would have posted sooner, but it took this long to be able to see straight. JohnT, I agree, great rant - but if we confine ourselves to just the original thread post, I think LNO’s number two. Now, his White Castle rant later in the thread - that’s a classic… damn near got me fired. ---
**Author:** ![Gaudere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e495f1/32.png) [@Gaudere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gaudere)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-clueless-newbie-bites-the-dust-a-chronology-of-doom-or-thank-you-davidb/156129/40 "2003-02-19T17:39:52Z")
::shrug:: I thought the discussion here was Nocktober’s banning. Unless I have reason to think someone is not being honest, I generally take them at their word when they say “I’m never posting here again” or “I’m just posting to get a reaction, you all fell for it lusers!!1!” or “I’m going to continue to post insults if I darn well want to!”, etc. Since Nocktober said he wouldn’t ever post on these boards again, it did him no harm to be banned. It seems kind of like getting mad at someone for burying a guy who commited suicide–he was gone already, we just made it official. I guess you can get mad at David B for “inciting” Nocktober to leave the board, but sheesh, I think _Nocktober’s_ the one who can charitably be accused of oversensitivity then. A criticism of your posting style, a claim that you are illogical, and a reminder not to call the mods jerks and you storm off in a huff? If he can’t take that exchange without leaving, he would have been gone in a few days anyway; GD is not for the thin-skinned. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-clueless-newbie-bites-the-dust-a-chronology-of-doom-or-thank-you-davidb/156129.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-clueless-newbie-bites-the-dust-a-chronology-of-doom-or-thank-you-davidb/156129.md?page=3)