# did mac\_bolan00 get banned for being an anti-semite? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [December 8, 2011, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-mac_bolan00-get-banned-for-being-an-anti-semite/605449 "2011-12-08T01:59:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-mac_bolan00-get-banned-for-being-an-anti-semite/605449/1 "2011-12-08T01:59:37Z")
In the [Pit Thread,](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=630670) **An Gadaí** suggests that mac\_bolan00 was banned for being an anti-semite. (post 238) Is that the reason, or was it more general than that? In the linked posts, he calls \*\*Kolga \*\*a **stupid semite** (not sure if that’s hate speech or not… ) But he was replying to a post by \*\*Kolga \*\*which read: > [@](#): > > You’re just a **whiny-ass Christian** who wants to pretend that the use of the phrase Happy Holidays is some major religious persecution that’s only occurred recently. Can’t find anything real to get worked up about, so you have to invent it. (bolding mine). Now \*\*Frank \*\*was nice enough to report the post from **mac\_bolan00** , but did he report the post from \*\*Kolga \*\*that seemed to evoke his “stupid semite” comment? I’m not defending \*\*mac\_bolan00 \*\*at all. I never heard of him. But I want to understand why there seems to be a double standard. The use of the word semite isn’t hate speech. I looked up the definition just to be sure, and there wasn’t any mention of the word being used as an insult. One of the definitions was simply “a jew”. Now, in reading further in that thread, \*\*Kolga \*\*seems to have quoted him as calling her a “stupid yid”, but apparently \*\*mac\_bolan00 \*\*edited it out. I can’t know for certain, although this is my assumption based on the postings. So, was he banned for the “yid” comment? That’s generally accepted to be an insulting, derogatory term, so I can see him getting warned for that one. Except for one thing… he edited his own post, so only a few people got to see it. Not justifying it (and his explanation in that thread was total BS IMO), but it wasn’t out there for long and it was changed. Does the use of one derogatory word get a poster banned? The rest of the thread degenerated quickly into a bunch of accusations and denials, along with some very strange posts by **mac\_bolan00**. To imagine he was a troll is not hard to do. But what was his history on the board? He was around since April, and he had 1700+ posts. Was this his normal shtick? Someone with that many posts should have been on the moderator’s radar screen long before the “it’s Merry Christmas, not Happy Holidays” thread. Just looking for some clarification. I’d also like to ask why saying “whiny-ass christian” isn’t hate speech. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-mac_bolan00-get-banned-for-being-an-anti-semite/605449/2 "2011-12-08T02:02:36Z")
There is a locked thread about his banning in this forum. Not hard to find. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-mac_bolan00-get-banned-for-being-an-anti-semite/605449/3 "2011-12-08T02:08:13Z")
> **[mac\_bolan00 has been banned](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=634004)** > > For trolling and hate speech inthisthread, most notably: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=14529829&postcount=232 http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=14538347&postcount=384 ... ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-mac_bolan00-get-banned-for-being-an-anti-semite/605449/4 "2011-12-08T02:13:41Z")
Suicide by mod. And I strongly suspect he may have decided it was time for a change in footwear. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-mac_bolan00-get-banned-for-being-an-anti-semite/605449/5 "2011-12-08T02:15:56Z")
c’mon, guys… I already saw that post. That’s the only way I was able to find the thread he imploded in. I’m not someone that hangs on the board on a daily basis, so I tend to hit “ATMB” when I come online to see if I’ve missed anything important. Usually, I don’t even follow up on someone’s banning unless I know the poster and wonder what they did. this one made me curious because of the reasons given in that OP… trolling and hate speech. So, that’s why I’m asking. If it was suicide by mod, that’s something that I know people do from time to time, and that’s not easy to explain. But my question still stands about the hate speech. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-mac_bolan00-get-banned-for-being-an-anti-semite/605449/6 "2011-12-08T02:16:11Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > Now \*\*Frank \*\*was nice enough to report the post from **mac\_bolan00** , but did he report the post from \*\*Kolga \*\*that seemed to evoke his “stupid semite” comment? I didn’t report either of those. I reported this: > [@mac\_bolan00](#): > > … a happy zyklon-B to all of you. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-mac_bolan00-get-banned-for-being-an-anti-semite/605449/7 "2011-12-08T02:22:10Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > And I strongly suspect he may have decided it was time for a change in footwear. “Change in footwear”? I don’t get the reference. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-mac_bolan00-get-banned-for-being-an-anti-semite/605449/8 "2011-12-08T02:23:41Z")
Frank, I went back to check, because I didn’t want to misrepresent what I read. Here is what I found. [report](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=14538361&postcount=387) That zyklon-B post was bizarre, but that’s not what you said you reported. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-mac_bolan00-get-banned-for-being-an-anti-semite/605449/9 "2011-12-08T02:24:52Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > “Change in footwear”? I don’t get the reference. Putting on a new sock, is my guess. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-mac_bolan00-get-banned-for-being-an-anti-semite/605449/10 "2011-12-08T02:25:17Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > Frank, > > I went back to check, because I didn’t want to misrepresent what I read. Here is what I found. [report](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=14538361&postcount=387) > That zyklon-B post was bizarre, but that’s not what you said you reported. Oh, I’d forgotten that one. That thread was a plethora of . . . something. That one still said “yid” when I reported it. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-mac_bolan00-get-banned-for-being-an-anti-semite/605449/11 "2011-12-08T02:35:27Z")
He wasn’t banned for any single post, but I’d have been happy to ban him for the Zyklon-B thing alone and I think that would’ve been entirely defensible. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-mac_bolan00-get-banned-for-being-an-anti-semite/605449/12 "2011-12-08T02:35:35Z")
There’s a difference between being a bigot, and engaging in hate speech. As implemented on the boards, its the difference between saying, “Jews are greedy and only care about other Jews,” and saying, “I hate those fucking Kikes.” **mac\_bolan00** was banned in part because his rhetoric more closely resembled the latter than the former. The other part of his ban was due to the determination of the moderation staff that he was engaging in that behavior primarily because he knew it was outrageous and would upset people - in other words, he was trolling. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-mac_bolan00-get-banned-for-being-an-anti-semite/605449/13 "2011-12-08T02:52:58Z")
Shoot, I would have banned him just for refusing to use the damn shift key. I’m actually only 3/4 joking there. It was pointed out to him repeatedly that it was annoying, and he promised to start using it, but then posted in all lower cases the very next post just to annoy people. Every other post from that guy seemed to be written for the sole purpose of pushing somebody’s buttons. He was a troll. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-mac_bolan00-get-banned-for-being-an-anti-semite/605449/14 "2011-12-08T03:02:27Z")
Thanks for the replies > [@Miller](#): > > There’s a difference between being a bigot, and engaging in hate speech. As implemented on the boards, its the difference between saying, “Jews are greedy and only care about other Jews,” and saying, “I hate those fucking Kikes.” **mac\_bolan00** was banned in part because his rhetoric more closely resembled the latter than the former. The other part of his ban was due to the determination of the moderation staff that he was engaging in that behavior primarily because he knew it was outrageous and would upset people - in other words, he was trolling. I can buy that. Again, I know nothing about his posting history, but I find it hard to believe that he hadn’t shown this side of himself before now. 1700 posts is a decent effort for 8 months on the boards. If he truly is a bigot, I have to believe there are other posts out there that support this. I’m not asking you to search for them… I was just surprised that he didn’t have even any warnings at this point in his posting life. I’ll bet he went into GD once in a while, but I could be wrong. I don’t care enough about him to check or do a search. I’ll trust the mods made an informed decision.. > [@Marley23](#): > > He wasn’t banned for any single post, but I’d have been happy to ban him for the Zyklon-B thing alone and I think that would’ve been entirely defensible. Really? Although I agree that it is an ignorant statement, I wouldn’t think it would generate an insta-ban. Usually people like him hang themselves if you give them enough rope. I don’t think one comment should get \*\*anyone \*\*banned, regardless of their beliefs. Now if that was warning number 10? Different story (and no, I don’t have a magic number). What I would like someone to answer is why \*\*Kolga \*\*wasn’t warned for her comment about a “whiny-ass christian”. If \*\*mac \*\*had posted “you whiny-ass jew”, instead of “you stupid semite”, I believe the mods on this board would have considered that hate speech. Or am I wrong? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-mac_bolan00-get-banned-for-being-an-anti-semite/605449/15 "2011-12-08T03:03:11Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > The use of the word semite isn’t hate speech. I looked up the definition just to be sure, and there wasn’t any mention of the word being used as an insult. One of the definitions was simply “a jew”.. From [etymoline.com](http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=antisemite&searchmode=none): > [@](#): > > anti-Semitism > also antisemitism, 1881, from Ger. Antisemitismus, first used by Wilhelm Marr (1819–1904) German radical, nationalist and race-agitator, who founded the Antisemiten-Liga in 1879; see anti- + Semite. Not etymologically restricted to anti-Jewish theories, actions, or policies, but almost always used in this sense. Those who object to the inaccuracy of the term might try H. Adler’s Judaeophobia (1882). Anti-Semitic (also antisemitic) and anti-Semite (also antisemite) also are from 1881, like anti-Semitism they appear first in English in an article in the “Athenaeum” of Sept. 31, in reference to German literature. You cannot separate the use of Semite for Jew from the word, the thought, and the larger vocabulary of anti-Semitism. It is always an insult to call any individual that, especially in the context of contrast with Christians. No matter how neutral the word might be in isolation, the context is always a dead giveaway. To be honest, I’m appalled you don’t understand this. It’s not obscure or strictly in-group language. How could we have gotten to the point where anybody could mistake the meaning of that slur? I know we’ve gone round and round about other words and whether they’re really slurs or not, and maybe it’s just my age showing. Maybe it’s a good thing that people can be honestly ignorant of this. But, wow. ---
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-mac_bolan00-get-banned-for-being-an-anti-semite/605449/16 "2011-12-08T03:13:56Z")
I’m (almost) surprised he lasted as long as he did. I never followed his posts closely, but it was pretty damn obvious he was trolling. [This](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=14463562&postcount=166) post stuck out in my mind, particularly the second paragraph; I was expecting to see him gone soon after. > [@](#): > > jews assisted in thr holocaust as well. in their case, they were forced to work the manual aspects of gassing, cremation and disposal on the threat of death. but as one genius here is saying, the former christian aspect of the nazis is also to blame for the deaths. > > there was much to admire from adolf hitler (not the murderer part of him to be sure.) the good news is that some white people are now brave enough to talk about it. It has troll written all over it in blinding neon lights. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-mac_bolan00-get-banned-for-being-an-anti-semite/605449/17 "2011-12-08T03:22:09Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > What I would like someone to answer is why \*\*Kolga \*\*wasn’t warned for her comment about a “whiny-ass christian”. If \*\*mac \*\*had posted “you whiny-ass jew”, instead of “you stupid semite”, I believe the mods on this board would have considered that hate speech. Or am I wrong? There are a number of differences between **Kolga** ’s post and **mac\_bolan00** ’s behavior. For one thing, Christian is not a pejorative, it’s the preferred label of self-identification chosen by the group it describes. I don’t believe I’ve ever heard a Jew refer to himself as a semite, except sarcastically. Secondly, **Kolga** ’s quote isn’t about Christians in general, but about the behavior of a specific subset of Christianity which engages in activities that **Kolga** finds stupid. But even if **Kolga** meant his comment as a condemnation of Christianity in general, and made it because of his deep prejudice against Christians, that still falls under the “bigoted, but not hate speech” category I described upthread. And lastly, of course, **Kolga** did not appear to have posted that comment for the express purpose of pissing off as much of the SDMB membership as possible, as seemed to be the case with **mac\_bolan00** ’s posts. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-mac_bolan00-get-banned-for-being-an-anti-semite/605449/18 "2011-12-08T03:23:24Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > Really? Although I agree that it is an ignorant statement, I wouldn’t think it would generate an insta-ban. Usually people like him hang themselves if you give them enough rope. It’s not ignorant. It’s hateful, trolling, or both. ---
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-mac_bolan00-get-banned-for-being-an-anti-semite/605449/19 "2011-12-08T03:35:37Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > You cannot separate the use of Semite for Jew from the word, the thought, and the larger vocabulary of anti-Semitism. Of course you can, and the word has historically not meant Jew, though Jews are Semites. If you search on [Semite](http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=semite&searchmode=none) instead on Anti-Semitism from your cite, you’ll get this: > [@](#): > > Semite > 1847, “Jew, Arab, Assyrian, Aramæan,” from Mod.L. Semita, from L.L. Sem “Shem,” one of the three sons of Noah (Gen. x:21-30), regarded as the ancestor of the Semites (in the days when anthropology was still bound by the Bible), from Heb. Shem. > … > Semitic (adj) > 1797, denoting the language group that includes Hebrew, Arabic, Aramaic, Assyrian, etc.; 1826 as “of or pertaining to Semites,” from M.L. Semiticus, from Semita (see Semite). As a noun, as the name of a linguistic family, from 1813. In non-linguistic use, perhaps directly from Ger. semitisch, first used by German historian August Schlözer, 1781. In recent use often with the specific sense “Jewish,” but not historically so limited. As a language group, Hebrew is smaller members of it, [The Semitic languages](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semitic_languages) > [@](#): > > are a group of related languages whose living representatives are spoken by more than 270 million people across much of the Middle East, North Africa and the Horn of Africa. They constitute a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. The most widely spoken Semitic languages today are Arabic[1] (206 million native speakers),[2] Amharic (27 million),[3][4] Hebrew (about 7 million)[5] Tigrinya (6.7 million),[6] and Aramaic (about 2.2 million). ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-mac_bolan00-get-banned-for-being-an-anti-semite/605449/20 "2011-12-08T03:38:35Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > There are a number of differences between **Kolga** ’s post and **mac\_bolan00** ’s behavior. For one thing, Christian is not a pejorative, it’s the preferred label of self-identification chosen by the group it describes. I don’t believe I’ve ever heard a Jew refer to himself as a semite, except sarcastically. Secondly, **Kolga** ’s quote isn’t about Christians in general, but about the behavior of a specific subset of Christianity which engages in activities that **Kolga** finds stupid. But even if **Kolga** meant his comment as a condemnation of Christianity in general, and made it because of his deep prejudice against Christians, that still falls under the “bigoted, but not hate speech” category I described upthread. And lastly, of course, **Kolga** did not appear to have posted that comment for the express purpose of pissing off as much of the SDMB membership as possible, as seemed to be the case with **mac\_bolan00** ’s posts. Thank you for this. And I’m a her. I was using the phrase “whiny-ass Christian” to describe, specifically, a type of Christian that **mac\_bolan00** seemed to embody - someone who uses their faith to bludgeon other people. The entire discussion of “It’s Merry Christmas, fuckers!” is an example of that. In addition, I can’t find that the word “Christian” is used as a pejorative. It’s descriptive of a person who follows a particular faith. In contrast, the original insult that was aimed at me, “yid,” is the equivalent of “kike” or “wop” or “spic” - it’s used specifically as an insult. Changing the word to “Semite” indicates that **mac\_bolan00** absolutely knew that he’d finally crossed a line and was attempting to save himself. I have no problem with Christians as a totality. I DO have a problem with Christians like **mac\_bolan00** , who seem convinced that it is their right to see persecution in secularism, and their right to force the rest of us to live by their personal faith and beliefs. I don’t believe that this makes me a bigot, since my distaste is based on behavior and not belief. I’m willing to hear otherwise, but perhaps this isn’t the thread for it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-mac_bolan00-get-banned-for-being-an-anti-semite/605449.md?page=2)