# Fighting Ignorance? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 31, 2003, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-ignorance/198707 "2003-08-31T00:02:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![wakimika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f08c70/32.png) [@wakimika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wakimika)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2003, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-ignorance/198707/41 "2003-08-31T03:24:34Z")
**Moderators Ball** Cast of thousands. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2003, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-ignorance/198707/42 "2003-08-31T03:50:07Z")
It seems obvious from the information we have been given that **G.I. Joe** was a sock puppet. That is without question against the rules of SDMB SDMB. I believe mods have access to information (such as IP#s) that we don’t have – but I could be wrong. I am of the opinion that if **Gastrointestinal Joe** had originally restricted herself or himself to _opinions_, that person would never have been banned in the first place. She or he would have been free to express viewpoints – other than hate speech. I am a Liberal. I don’t believe in censorship. _Sometimes_ Conservatives forget that that is often part of being liberal. Please remember that other liberal posters here did not ban G.I. Joe. The Mod Squad did. They are, as a group, non-partisan. I’m glad I don’t have to make their decisions. ---
**Author:** ![cheddarsnax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@cheddarsnax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cheddarsnax)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2003, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-ignorance/198707/43 "2003-08-31T03:52:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zoe \* > **I believe mods have access to information (such as IP#s) that we don’t have – but I could be wrong.** You’re right. Notice that every post has a little “IP: Logged” link in the lower right corner. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2003, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-ignorance/198707/44 "2003-08-31T04:07:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dantheman \* > \*\*I thought he was you. \*\* The scary thing is, so did Miller. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![TVeblen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@TVeblen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVeblen)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2003, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-ignorance/198707/45 "2003-08-31T04:28:42Z")
Paranoia can lots of fun, especially for those who enjoy wearing foil hats and foaming at the mouth, but it’s really not all that becoming. Or helpful or even plain sensible, for that matter. [ul] There are lots and lots of people here. Those people have different opinions. Those opinions differ on lots and lots of things. Like politics. And religion. And music. And snack foods. And computer operating systems. And astrology, movies, science fiction, service jobs, wonky customers, parenting, child-free life, dating, sex roles, national and regional sterotypes, bodily functions quirks and failures, weight, smoking, fashion, sex roles, math fear, education, littering, telemarketing, food additives, computer games, evolving social roles, driving etiquette, pets, vegitarianism, spam, hacking vs. cracking…ad infinitum. [/ul] A _good_ day is like herding eels. Anybody who assumes some sinister, monolithic Thought Police presence is gravely, seriously out of their raving gourd. We try to keep general order here for the general good, folks; nothing more or less. Deal with it. Get a fucking grip already. It’s a _message board_, okay? Mother o’ pearl, what a swivet. ---
**Author:** ![t-keela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a3d4f5/32.png) [@t-keela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-keela)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2003, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-ignorance/198707/46 "2003-08-31T04:42:57Z")
I missed out on the **December** banned threads earlier. I put this question forth in another thread awhile ago. I’m glad to see an open thread concerning December’s banning. I thought about opening a new thread but since the others have been locked I was kinda worried about doing so. He always seemed to be an instigator and I never really had a problem with that. When I noticed he was banned (just now) I wondered why. So, I searched his recent posts and didn’t find anything really out of character for him. What I finally came up with (before I read the threads all of you have been a part of explaining his banning)…anyway, I came up with his last thread. The one about Arnold Swarzeneggar and his interview with OUI Magazine. December actually linked the interview to a cite that has very explicit pornographic photos available. Now, apparently I am wrong regarding the actual reason he was banned. But, isn’t that a bannable offense by itself? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2003, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-ignorance/198707/47 "2003-08-31T04:53:04Z")
[**t-keela** , I think you’re reaching and I suspect you might want to let it drop.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?postid=3917612#post3917612) ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2003, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-ignorance/198707/48 "2003-08-31T05:09:00Z")
Oh, for fuck’s sake, people. This isn’t rocket science. Speaking purely as a moderator, [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=208024) is acceptable. Speaking as a poster, I disagree vigorously with the viewpoint expressed in the O.P. and subsequent posts by the thread starter (as you can tell by the fact that I posted to it and said as much in my capacity as a regular board member). But we’re not going to ban someone simply for posting threads with a viewpoint with which I or the other moderators personally disagre (although I may personally try to enlighten such people with reasoned arguments.) (The thread was locked _after_ the person who posted it was banned.) [_This_ post](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&postid=3912921#post3912921) is _ **NOT** _ acceptable. See it? See the difference? I mean, I know it’s a subtle difference and all. It just doesn’t _quite_ come up to the standards of a Great Debates post. (After moderating GD for a while, one just comes to have a feel for this sort of thing.) Note, by the way, that the unacceptable post appears in a thread whose topic is almost identical to that of the first thread; the first thread’s original poster got banned, the second thread’s original poster has _not_ been banned. Both of them started threads expressing similar viewpoints, but only the one who acted like a great big flaming jerk got banned. Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![t-keela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a3d4f5/32.png) [@t-keela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-keela)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2003, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-ignorance/198707/49 "2003-08-31T06:11:57Z")
Sorry **Tom** if you were offended by what I thought was a legitimate question. Especially after some of what I have read by other members. Perhaps I should have chosen my words more carefully. Try this instead. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&postid=3917792#post3917792](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&postid=3917792#post3917792) ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2003, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-ignorance/198707/50 "2003-08-31T07:50:59Z")
Personally, I think the OP says more about **Millen** than about the SDMB moderators. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2003, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-ignorance/198707/51 "2003-08-31T15:30:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by C K Dexter Haven \* > **In short, you either trust the mods to moderate, or you go to some unmoderated board, and never dark on our door again.** Don’t you mean “never _dork_ on our door again?” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Millen89](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Millen89](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Millen89)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2003, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-ignorance/198707/52 "2003-08-31T16:48:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by C K Dexter Haven \* > \*\*Sheeeeesh. > > People are not banned for their political views, they are banned for their behaviours. Sock-puppetry, for instance, or repeated name-calling, or posting advertisements or links to porn sites, etc. > > We normally do not discuss individual bannings, out of respect for the privacy of the individual. In case of sockpuppetry, for instance, we usually make all the posts disappear, so you can’t actually track what the offense was. > > In short, you either trust the mods to moderate, or you go to some unmoderated board, and never dark on our door again. > > There is, I grant, one valid argument that says that we tend to ban right-wingers more than left-wingers, and that is that we do not permit hate-posts. We don’t permit hateful comments or threats against religious or racial groups, or against people for their gender or gender-preferences, etc. I think it is probably true that most of the hate-groups are on the far right rather than on the far left. That is, the racists and homophobes tend to be fundamentalist on the extreme right. So we probably do ban more right-extremists than left-extremists. > > Having said that, I don’t much know what we can do about it. We’re certainly not going to reverse our stance in allowing hate-posts. I can only re-iterate that we are not banning based on the political stance. \*\* I was going to let this matter drop… You don’t permit hateful comments against religious groups? There’s enough hatred directed at “Fundies” on this board to power a small city for six months. ---
**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:** [August 31, 2003, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-ignorance/198707/53 "2003-08-31T16:50:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Millen \* > \*\*I was going to let this matter drop… > > You don’t permit hateful comments against religious groups? > There’s enough hatred directed at “Fundies” on this board to power a small city for six months. \*\* _sigh_ Cite? ---
**Author:** ![Millen89](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Millen89](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Millen89)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2003, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-ignorance/198707/54 "2003-08-31T16:54:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Miller \* > \*\*This **Millen** guy is really fuckin’ with my head. \*\* I have noticed the similarity in our screen names too. To avoid any future confusion, I agree to change my screen name. ---
**Author:** ![milroyj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@milroyj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/milroyj)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2003, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-ignorance/198707/55 "2003-08-31T17:01:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Millen \* > \*\*I was going to let this matter drop… > > You don’t permit hateful comments against religious groups? > There’s enough hatred directed at “Fundies” on this board to power a small city for six months. \*\* The mods also seem to be OK with hateful comments directed against Americans, as well. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2003, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-ignorance/198707/56 "2003-08-31T17:09:02Z")
Though the use of hatespeak (e.g.: racial slurs) will quickly land one in trouble. ---
**Author:** ![Millen89](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Millen89](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Millen89)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2003, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-ignorance/198707/57 "2003-08-31T17:10:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dantheman \* > \*\*_sigh_ > > Cite? \*\* [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=207057&highlight=fundie](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=207057&highlight=fundie) Take a look at **cole burner’s** first post. Will **cole burner** be banned for this hateful post? ---
**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:** [August 31, 2003, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-ignorance/198707/58 "2003-08-31T17:19:49Z")
No. It was only one post (that I saw, anyway), and immediately after it was posted the post was assaulted for being hateful. They will ban you for a continued pattern of hate posts. They won’t do it for only one. What they prefer to do here is allow a sort of Community Justice, to borrow a term. A good example is in that thread. Poster A says something hateful. Posters B and C rip him for it. Poster A either says nothing more or apologizes - but doesn’t continue the argument. That’s how it normally works. There will be times, however, when Poster A comes back with more vitriol. And more. And more. And then a moderator steps in and asks him or her to knock it off. And if they don’t … well, then that’s when the next step occurs. People aren’t kicked off here for their beliefs. People are kicked off for consistently and aggressively ignoring the basic social mores of a forum, that’s all. ---
**Author:** ![Millen89](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Millen89](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Millen89)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2003, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-ignorance/198707/59 "2003-08-31T18:46:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dantheman \* > \*\*No. It was only one post (that I saw, anyway), and immediately after it was posted the post was assaulted for being hateful. > > They will ban you for a continued pattern of hate posts. They won’t do it for only one. > > What they prefer to do here is allow a sort of Community Justice, to borrow a term. A good example is in that thread. Poster A says something hateful. Posters B and C rip him for it. Poster A either says nothing more or apologizes - but doesn’t continue the argument. > > That’s how it normally works. There will be times, however, when Poster A comes back with more vitriol. And more. And more. And then a moderator steps in and asks him or her to knock it off. And if they don’t … well, then that’s when the next step occurs. > > People aren’t kicked off here for their beliefs. People are kicked off for consistently and aggressively ignoring the basic social mores of a forum, that’s all. \*\* I see a lot more hatred in that thread. What about **Bagkitty’s** first post calling for fundies to be thrown to the lions. Did **Gastrointestinal Joseph** call for the killing of gays? I didn’t know that it was continues hateful statements that gets one banned from this board. How many hateful statements did **december** make? How many did **Gastrointestinal Joseph** make? I would prefer that the Mods allowed Community Justice. However, it seems that if you are a conservative and make, what someone thinks is a hateful statement, you have a much greater chance of being banned. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2003, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-ignorance/198707/60 "2003-08-31T18:51:18Z")
Oh for the love of…if the mods just admit that there’s a big conspiracy against conservatives, will you just shut the fuck up already? :rolleyes: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-ignorance/198707.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-ignorance/198707.md?page=4)