# Bannings. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 13, 2003, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bannings/218851 "2003-12-13T23:29:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bannings/218851/41 "2003-12-14T05:51:45Z")
This board [i]is\* someone else’s toy that I’m being allowed to play with afterall. Its owner, or its designated representatives, have the full right to tell me to leave their toy alone upon any whim. Generally it seems that they give a pretty wide berth, especially to those who have shown that they have something of value to offer. One poster got away with repeated bloody motherfucking flames in GD 😉 for a long stretch (and then again) because he brought so much knowledge and intelligence along with his potty mouth. Another usually made for a dedicated opposition and a sincere provacateur for many months of the year until fabrication crossed the line. My guess is that the Mods tried hard to not ban these posters but were finally left with no choice. You need some posters who are able to intelligently provoke but you can’t totally ignore offenses. And really, I would hope that most of us have other toys and real life to play with too. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bannings/218851/42 "2003-12-14T05:58:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gyan9 \* > \*\* I was thinking that maybe banned users should be allowed to state their case and have a discussion. > > \*\* Are saying someone has been banned that shouldn’t have been banned??? Else, why bring this up? ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bannings/218851/43 "2003-12-14T06:06:59Z")
There’s a solution to all this. Set up a board. Moderate it how you like. Somehow get 40,000 plus interesting people to come together there. Easy. And good luck. I ran a semi-popular MB on my site for a while and it was an utter pain in the ass. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bannings/218851/44 "2003-12-14T06:25:00Z")
I think what is suggested in the OP is just about what happens. Invariably someone on the brink of being banned will experience a “witch trial” - they will be cast into the Pit and if the BBQ doesn’t burn them they’re not a witch. But it hardly ever happens - no matter how many kind hearted Dopers tell the Pittee he is wrong on this one the culprit proceeds to make the worst of a bad situation. Hundreds of people sit with mouths agape thinking “apologise or shut up but don’t carry on with this crap”. Too many times they carry on despite prescient interjections. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Raven\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@The\_Raven\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Raven_1)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bannings/218851/45 "2003-12-14T07:12:13Z")
Howyadoin, It should be pointed out that if I understand correctly the OP, this recourse would be extended to “prolific posters”. This would set up a separate court for what in other places would be called “regs”, regular posters. IMHO, this would create more problems than it solves given the continued expounding of the only SDMB cliche more annoying than “bring pie” and “cat breath”… _das Clique_. We’ve seen enough of the “post count = value” bullshit, no? This could make post count the difference between “banned-hard” and “Survey SAYS!”. Ack… Thpttt… Give the mods and admins some credit. They do a tough, largely thankless job (see the Pit-a-Mod thread contest). For a frickin’ coffee mug. Let’s also not forget that “Why was so-and-so banned?” threads can also lead to some fugly meltdowns and flamewars between those on either side of the banned party’s Christmas card list. These have IIRC lead to additional bannings, if only indirectly. So, in the words of the Beatles, “Let it be”. Oh, and skip the “Let it be - Naked” thing. Well, for some of ya anyways 🙂 -Rav ---
**Author:** ![Scotticher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Scotticher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scotticher)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bannings/218851/46 "2003-12-14T08:13:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gyan9 \* > \*\*Never. If it was, then the current system wouldn’t be tolerated. Given the nature and purpose of this board, and that prolific posters are not spammers or trollers i.e. an obvious banning offence, most bans involve the “being a jerk” rule. And being a jerk, mostly is such a context-sensitive judgement that a process visible to the community feels warranted. \*\* Say…WHAt? ---
**Author:** ![Nurobath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a88e57/32.png) [@Nurobath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nurobath)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bannings/218851/47 "2003-12-14T08:30:14Z")
People are warned and then continue to push the rules and then wonder why they get banned. It’s difficult sometimes for me to understand how dense some people can be. If my boss tells me that if he sees me poke another customer with a stick he’s going to fire me, well then, I don’t poke any more customers (with sticks, anyway:)). When a mod tells you to stop being a jerk, well…stop doing it. How hard is that to understand? I think the mods and admin do a great job in keeping things on track here. Reading back over what lead up most bannings, it’s usually perfectly obvious (to me, at least) why the person got banned. Plus, everything that **don’t ask** said. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bannings/218851/48 "2003-12-14T12:34:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Desmostylus \* > \*\*I disagree. If this was done, we’d have countless “What happened to…” threads, because people would wonder why **december** (for example) suddenly stopped posting. \*\* I think that out of sight, out of mind applies here. If someone simply stopped posting, how long would it really take for anyone to notice? And if it’s someone who was on the hellbenth path to banning anyway, chances are there won’t be many people wondering where the heck they disappeared to - rather, they’d be glad the person’s not still around, disrupting things. ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bannings/218851/49 "2003-12-14T12:49:11Z")
I direct your attention, **dantheman** , to this thread in which a member was banned but didn’t have his status changed from “Member”: [Down the memory hole: Has Libertarian been banned?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=225403) > [@](#): > > I’ve recently heard a rumour that Libertarian has been banned. > > Apparently, in a fit of snarkiness, he more-or-less invited a mod to ban him. Now I don’t necessarily a problem with the banning itself. But I am very concerned about the way it’s been handled. As of this post, Libertarian still has “Member” under his name and the post where he dared the mods to ban him seems to have been erased. His last posts that still are on the board are all pretty tame and appear to contain nothing ban-worthy. > > Now of course, the mods can ban anyone they feel they need to. But I’m a bit weirded out by this one. The process should be transparent. It’s one thing to ban someone, it’s another thing to remove all evidence of a banning. As it looks now, you would think Lib is still a member in good standing who just hasn’t posted for a couple of weeks. > > So I find this whole idea of zombie posters unsettling. Often, we post things with the expectation that some particular poster will chime in with a response. If someone’s gone – especially when that someone is a long-standing poster – please let us know, somehow. > > Of course, if this rumour is false, please accept my apologies in advance. ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bannings/218851/50 "2003-12-14T12:53:58Z")
And I note that you posted in that thread, **dantheman** , and so should have had some understanding of what I was alluding to. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bannings/218851/51 "2003-12-14T12:56:04Z")
And that came about simply because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut on other boards. Which, of course, would be the case if a person had that label under their name or not. I think it’s obvious that particular situation was a special case, especially since that post was referring to the supposed removing of all evidence. ---
**Author:** ![Drastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Drastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drastic)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bannings/218851/52 "2003-12-14T13:10:46Z")
Part of me would like to see this no-banned-tag plan implemented–purely because it has a potential to generate a multi-page wreck over something like “\ has been disappeared!” ending in a lot of sheepish looks when said disappeared finally chimes in saying, “Er, folks, I was actually on vacation the last few weeks.” I don’t think that part should get a vote in practical matters, though. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bannings/218851/53 "2003-12-14T14:01:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by elmwood \* > \*\*\* There are general board guidelines. Like Una, the warning and banning process are somewhat arbitrary; like porn, you know an offense when you say it. \*\* 😕 I’m somewhat arbitrary? “Like porn, you know an offense when you _say_ it?” What did I do this time? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bannings/218851/54 "2003-12-14T14:04:07Z")
Call me crazy, but I believe the word “said” is missing from **elmwood** ’s post. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bannings/218851/55 "2003-12-14T14:06:19Z")
I think it was a double-typo **Una**! 🙂 “Like Una _said_, the warning and banning process are somewhat arbitrary; like porn, you know an offense when you _see_ it.” 'least that’s how I read it. Anyway, put me in the “It’s good that “jerk” is vaguely defined”, the “The proposed process would be fun to watch and all, but wouldn’t much contribute to the harmony of the board” and the “It’s not your message board so why do you feel like you have a say?” categories. Fenris ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bannings/218851/56 "2003-12-14T14:07:27Z")
Damn you and your fast typing **Dantheman** , DAMN YOOOOOOOOOU! ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bannings/218851/57 "2003-12-14T14:11:41Z")
Well, speaking only for myself, I know an offense when I say it. “PRON!” I shouted. _Nope, that’s not an offense._ “PORN FOR EVERYONE!” _Okay, maybe that’s an offense, but I must get more specific…_ “LES-” _dan is beaten down by the Taste and Tact Police_ ---
**Author:** ![Kurdt\_Kobain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/258eb7/32.png) [@Kurdt\_Kobain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kurdt_Kobain)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bannings/218851/58 "2003-12-14T14:25:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dantheman \* > \*\* > > “PRON!” \*\* I think you mean pr0n my good man, but well played, well played indeed ---
**Author:** ![El\_Zagna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@El\_Zagna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Zagna)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bannings/218851/59 "2003-12-14T16:32:33Z")
Whenever I look at an old thread I am amazed at how many people are BANNED. Maybe we should have a separate forum here only open to BANNED posters where they can bitch and insult each other to their hearts content. Of course, if any of them start acting courteous we’ll have to terminate their posting privileges even there. ---
**Author:** ![Denis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5e9695/32.png) [@Denis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Denis)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bannings/218851/60 "2003-12-14T18:37:15Z")
IMHO, the current system is as transparent as it needs to be. Every banning thread I’ve read has the reason for a particular banning written plainly, for those who trouble to read it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bannings/218851.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bannings/218851.md?page=4)