So what was the problem?
Ignoring Mod instructions.
If only he’d responded to the mod instructions in Morse code or ASCII art, this senseless tragedy could’ve been averted.
This sort of thing happens when the moon is in the seventh house,
and Jupiter aligns with Mars,
Then peace will guide the planets,
And Marley will ban the bizarres.
Personally, I think random fonts and colorations in the message body is every bit as annoying as colored fonts in sigs or blinky avatars. OTOH, I really wish we were allowed static avatars. This mod action has my qualified support. You may all return to your usual morning schedules.
ETA: Oh bugger, I’m a guest now! I must have missed the deadline.
But was there a need for instructions if no one was bothered by the fonts? That’s the point, there were no complaints but the mods got all annoyed by it anyway, despite there being nothing in the rules about the fonts (*).
If the mods had just waited to see if anyone complains in all likelihood nothing would have happened. Moderation for the sake of moderation.
(*) Or if there is, why (as someone else has pointed out) has at least one other poster been given a pass from this rule?
Maybe, maybe not-but that is beside the point that the poster in question decided to ignore all moderator instruction instead of protesting the moderation in this forum. If the mods told me that I had to stop posting in Great Debates, the proper response would be to stop posting in Great Debates, then maybe bitch about it in this forum. If instead I just continued posting in Great Debates, and continued to do so after repeated warnings, they would have every right to ban me even though there are no rules against my posting in Great Debates because I broke the greater rule.
I think it’s time to take this thread down to the quarry and throw it in.
Regards,
John
tl, dr – literally.
Naw-there’s still room on this page for at least two more people to ignore the other posts and ask why he was banned for using colors and fonts.
You’re all asking: Why was he banned for a seemingly relatively petty infraction (fonts, colors) when he was doing other things much more banworthy? Like trolling (if you call it that), spamming the net, incessant incoherent gibberish, insulting other posters, etc.?
So why ban him for something relatively petty?
Clearly, it was simply a behind-the-scenes plea bargain! He was let off with a wrist-slap so he could go spam elsewhere at his pleasure.
Talk about misrepresenting it!
He was banned for ignoring mod warnings. Yes, we get that. The question is, why was the mod warning him for something that other people do (a common example already has been given in the thread) without comment?
So my opinion is that he shouldn’t have been banned as he shouldn’t have got the warnings that he ignored due to other people not getting warned for the same thing.
Clear?
Whether right or wrong, you must follow mod instructions first-period. Protesting after the fact is o.k., but ignoring the original instructions isn’t. Anything else, in my opinion, would lead to utter chaos.
I blame the Illuminati.
Whew.
Thank Og that wasn’t more than four words.
Think about the effort that the unlamented banned poster went to just to be annoying.
Some people REALLY need hobbies.
Like model airplane building, or gardening, or raising ferrets.
“Utter chaos” = Cats & dogs, sleeping together? 
I think that there are a lot of “free spirits” here on the Dope who would ignore an instruction that they feel was about something pretty trivial.
A mod asking someone to stop using all CAPS LOCK, or too much punctuation (e.g. “!!!?!?!” every other sentence) is encroaching on the trivial, IMO.
Now… my opinion don’t mean jack. I know this. Only the mods’ opinions count, and some people haven’t realised that yet.
That’s why we get these threads where people are asking for a clear list of naughty words, and the level of warnings they may garner. (It’s also why warnings and notes may be inconsistant from mod to mod.)
Talk about misrepresenting it!
He didn’t do “what other people do.” As has already been noted, it’s OK to use unusual fonts and colors within reason. He was doing it to an extreme. That’s what got the mod instruction to knock it off.
I haven’t seen the posts myself, but my impression was that Stoid sometimes larger text and italics or colors to make a point, and she did it often enough that some people found it annoying. But she didn’t do it every post and presumably didn’t ignore instructions to stop. Am I wrong?
I don’t think anyone’s ever told her to stop (well, not moderators anyway), but perhaps it’s time to start?
Stoid hasn’t posted at all in three months and other people said she had already cut back on whatever the annoying behavior is (or stopped doing it) on her own.
She’ll be back. And not to turn this into an anti-Stod-a-thon (too late?), but I seriously stop reading threads when I see that giant red text shit.