# Banned for colors and fonts??? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [August 28, 2012, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-for-colors-and-fonts/632954 "2012-08-28T18:51:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2012, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-for-colors-and-fonts/632954/1 "2012-08-28T18:51:23Z")
Really? [Link.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15432698&postcount=23) > [@](#): > > I’ve banned the OP for ignoring staff instructions about his annoying colors and fonts. I can think of lots of reasons for banning this guy, but colors and fonts? Are people so precious here that they are offended or annoyed by colors and fonts? Those colors and fonts? Personally, I saw nothing wrong with them and they sort of went with the colorful personality of the poster. I’m posting this as much for input from other posters as from mods. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2012, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-for-colors-and-fonts/632954/2 "2012-08-28T18:54:25Z")
Seems to me he was banned for repeatedly ignoring a moderator’s instructions. I believe the policy is to follow the instructions, then bitch about their application in _this_ forum. edited to add: You argue the ticket in the court, not on the street. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2012, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-for-colors-and-fonts/632954/3 "2012-08-28T19:01:09Z")
Ooooooh. Follow instructions and THEN bitch. :smack: I had that rightways around the backwards side. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2012, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-for-colors-and-fonts/632954/4 "2012-08-28T19:07:54Z")
I realize it’s a minor thing, but I told the guy three separate times that he needed to lay off with the big text and crazy colors and gave him a separate mod note for insults. I even gave him an extra shot after I told him “last chance.” Given that he was nuts and not listening, I felt I had to pull the plug. [All of those notes were in his other thread.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=663544) > [@Tropical Storms become hurricanes at 74 mph, why? GOD=7\_4](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tropical-storms-become-hurricanes-at-74-mph-why-god-7_4/632875/64): > > You’re not allowed to insult other users in this forum. Don’t do it again or you may go from 74 to 86. > [@Tropical Storms become hurricanes at 74 mph, why? GOD=7\_4](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tropical-storms-become-hurricanes-at-74-mph-why-god-7_4/632875/109): > > Alright, enough. **Brad Watson, Miami** , no more obnoxious colors and fonts, and do not insult anyone else or I will ban your account. I realize your ideas are being mocked (no surprise there), but other posters are following the rules and you are not. You can mock their ideas, but you can’t insult other posters by implying they are dumbasses or saying they are drunk. Last chance. > [@Tropical Storms become hurricanes at 74 mph, why? GOD=7\_4](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tropical-storms-become-hurricanes-at-74-mph-why-god-7_4/632875/116): > > **enough with big writing and colors.** > [@Tropical Storms become hurricanes at 74 mph, why? GOD=7\_4](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tropical-storms-become-hurricanes-at-74-mph-why-god-7_4/632875/131): > > I’m not **tomndebb** , but the colors and font sizes are obnoxious. Just change the settings on your screen. I did not get any complaints about his fonts. I did get two reports suggesting the OP was spamming, one that said he was trolling, and one that notified me he was ignoring my instructions (which I already knew). ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2012, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-for-colors-and-fonts/632954/5 "2012-08-28T19:09:07Z")
I love how people just kept on discussing astrology and the OP slipped under the surface without a ripple. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2012, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-for-colors-and-fonts/632954/6 "2012-08-28T19:12:13Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > I love how people just kept on discussing astrology and the OP slipped under the surface without a ripple. His participation just wasn’t in the charts. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2012, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-for-colors-and-fonts/632954/7 "2012-08-28T19:17:07Z")
Maybe Brad was a Taurus. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2012, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-for-colors-and-fonts/632954/8 "2012-08-28T19:20:18Z")
I’ve told posters who were posting in annoying fonts (for example, giant bold blue type) in GQ to knock it off because it was distracting. This is one of those things that’s minor when done occasionally, but becomes annoying if done to excess. Although “not following moderator instructions” was the rule invoked in the banning, several others could have been as well, such as: > [@](#): > > The board is not intended to furnish you with a forum for promoting your personal agenda. We reserve the right to ask you to limit postings on a particular topic, or to refrain from posting on such topics altogether. Given that he has a blog on the same subject, the guy was obviously promoting his own agenda. It’s also obvious that he’s capable of posting in normal fonts, and also more coherently, if he chooses to. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2012, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-for-colors-and-fonts/632954/9 "2012-08-28T19:22:56Z")
But what I’m asking is why anyone would be annoyed with that particular poster’s use of color and larger font? I didn’t find it distracting in the least. I know he was banned for not following instructions, but I think the instructions were petty. And the guys was totally in self-destruct mode with the content of this posts. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2012, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-for-colors-and-fonts/632954/10 "2012-08-28T19:29:32Z")
I wasn’t annoyed with the colors and sizes, but just his choices alone seemed to indicate “kook” and/or “attention seeker” to me. (And he wasn’t even able to stick with the same size, color, or font type. 😃 ) ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2012, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-for-colors-and-fonts/632954/11 "2012-08-28T19:35:43Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > But what I’m asking is why anyone would be annoyed with that particular poster’s use of color and larger font? I didn’t find it distracting in the least. > > I know he was banned for not following instructions, but I think the instructions were petty. And the guys was totally in self-destruct mode with the content of this posts. Would you like it if I, a stranger walking down the street, kicked in the door of your house and waltzed in wearing plaid pants and a zebra-striped shirt? And a rusty deep-sea diving helmet covered with orange suction-cup darts? And threw a bunch of sand on the floor and began tap dancing, and for my big finish let out a loud pistol-crack fart? Because that’s just what it was like. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2012, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-for-colors-and-fonts/632954/12 "2012-08-28T19:39:13Z")
People are annoyed by it because with repeated use it becomes annoying. It’s like dumping glitter all over your posts. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2012, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-for-colors-and-fonts/632954/13 "2012-08-28T20:08:19Z")
I for one applaud the moderator’s actions. Using giant fonts and formatting like that is about as big a middle finger as you can give to your fellow posters. Given how consistently the membership has pushed for a clean, simple visual look to the board, I think the mods were absolutely right to ask Mr. Crazy Fonts to cease and desist toot sweet. (If we had a :toot: smiley I would use it here.) ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2012, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-for-colors-and-fonts/632954/14 "2012-08-28T20:10:49Z")
The dude wasn’t even arguing with the mod’s instructions-he was _ignoring_ them. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2012, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-for-colors-and-fonts/632954/15 "2012-08-28T20:10:59Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Would you like it if I, a stranger walking down the street, kicked in the door of your house and waltzed in wearing plaid pants and a zebra-striped shirt? And a rusty deep-sea diving helmet covered with orange suction-cup darts? And threw a bunch of sand on the floor and began tap dancing, and for my big finish let out a loud pistol-crack fart? Because that’s just what it was like. OK, **Oakminster**. Whatever you say! I guess I was wrong. People were upset about it. Ignorance fought! ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2012, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-for-colors-and-fonts/632954/16 "2012-08-28T20:16:12Z")
And yet you haven’t banned **Stoid**? Dumb banning. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2012, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-for-colors-and-fonts/632954/17 "2012-08-28T20:19:31Z")
Man. Let the loonies post for months until they use up the patience of every single board member, and it’s “why did it take so long to ban them? It was obvious from day one that they’d never work out!” Ban them after a few hours of posting pure unadulterated lunacy, and it’s “Why ban them? What rule did they break? Really?” ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2012, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-for-colors-and-fonts/632954/18 "2012-08-28T20:23:06Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > Ban them after a few hours of posting pure unadulterated lunacy, and it’s “Why ban them? What rule did they break? Really?” I don’t think anyone’s arguing that the banning is unjustified but that the choice of the reason for the ban was odd. It’s like watching a cop arrest a mugger for littering when he throws the empty wallet on the ground. That’s the final straw? That’s what pushed you over the edge? Huh. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2012, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-for-colors-and-fonts/632954/19 "2012-08-28T20:23:40Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > Man. Let the loonies post for months until they use up the patience of every single board member, and it’s “why did it take so long to ban them? It was obvious from day one that they’d never work out!” > > Ban them after a few hours of posting pure unadulterated lunacy, and it’s “Why ban them? What rule did they break? Really?” Ahem… > [@OP](#): > > I can think of lots of reasons for banning this guy… ---
**Author:** ![Beastly\_Rotter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@Beastly\_Rotter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beastly_Rotter)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2012, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-for-colors-and-fonts/632954/20 "2012-08-28T20:25:54Z")
If anyone’s interested, I have a Greasemonkey script that lets you assign colours, fonts and sizes to different posters. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-for-colors-and-fonts/632954.md?page=2)